It's all in your head...

In my quest to find true balance in my life, and to try and settle the storm that is brewing in my soul, I am 'teaching myself' Buddhism in search of some guidance. The thing about Buddhism that appeals to me is that it's a 'do it yourself' religion. You don't have to go to church every Sunday, join a flock, and listen to someone else preach what it means to be 'whatever'. You just read the text, and attempt to extrapolate what will help you from it…and its very low pressure and very personal. The text I'm reading links Buddhism very closely to psychology...and doesn't pretend to hide that fact. Honesty and awareness...interesting concept don't you think?

Now I could just keep this all to myself, like I normally would do…but I thought that since I have such a captive audience (cough, cough) that I'd impart some of what I have been able to take away from readings…and share some of the more profound bits of wisdom on offer with you.

Today, I was focusing on the importance of Mental Discipline…and how critical it is for someone to be able to attain their goals in life...within the context of the religion. The three main aspects of Mental Discipline are Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration.

Right Effort involves preventing evil and unwholesome states of mind from arising and ridding oneself of such unwholesome states of mind that have already arisen. Things like greed, anger, lust, jealousy. This necessitates generating the will for this to happen, and a single-minded application to the task. This is not easy to do…and is something I have struggled with, but I'm starting to feel like I'm coming around.

Right Mindfulness provides the context for Right Effort. It relates to the here and now. It is concerned with immediate states of consciousness, not speculatative possibilities. It involves diligent awareness of the activities of the body, (sensations and feelings); and the activities of the mind, (ideas, thoughts and conceptions). Without mindfulness, effort would be blind and without effort, mindfulness would be barren and unproductive. This is perhaps where I am strongest. I am very mindful…always have been…even to a fault. But when it comes to this, it works in my favour.

Right Concentration underpins Right Mindfulness. Without concentration, mindfulness is impossible. Concentration is a fundamental skill, in that it develops attentiveness. Our concentration is not connected to what is happening in our bodies and minds, but to how we might achieve what we want to achieve. Kind of like stepping outside of yourself and looking at yourself with a critical eye. The key to this is to keep our long-term goals ahead of our short term needs/desires. If we simply serve the interests of our desires, then we are no longer in control of our lives. Easier said than done...but Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration are the safeguards against such 'forgetfulness'.

Again, I want to stress that I am in no way pushing my beliefs on anyone else...I've got a long way to go before I can consider myself 'truly' on the right path...and this may not be it. I feel a little uncomfortable sharing this with some of you...but its what's on my mind. Personally, I was quite amazed at how a lot of this made sense, especially today...and how it seemed to be within reach of a emotional nomad such as myself. I could actually feel that big hole in my chest fill up…just a little bit today, as I nodded in approval at what I was reading.