Contemplate the mind;
This king of emptiness
Is subtle and abstruse.
Without shape or form,
It has great spiritual power.
It can eliminate all calamities
And accomplish all merits.
Master Fu (497-569) courtesy of dailyzen.com
The time that is spent in therapy is often subtle and abstruse. We sit for 50 minutes and reflect on the events and the concerns of the past week.Exploring and working through fears is a difficult task. The goal is always to contemplate the mind.The effort to do that is not an easy one. Calamities tend to elicit strong feelings,we are reacting to very serious situations and we seek dramatic solutions to our problems. The decision to seek professional help happens when we are overwhelmed by the circumstances of our life. When we find a place to sit still long enough to tell our story the contemplation begins. By bearing witness to the pain and to the struggle I am able to carefully slow the pace of my client's experience and allow the subtle and abstruse qualities to emerge in our conversations. This is the essence of active contemplation. We discover new possibities and new perspectives in our careful study of the presenting calamity.Change becomes a natural outcome of this work. To sit still and listen to our breathing helps us to slow the pace of our experience and connect with a great power to work through calamities and grow stronger and wiser in the process.
Monday, October 20, 2014
Monday, October 6, 2014
You are a seeker.
Delight in the mastery
Of your hands and your feet,
Of your words and your thoughts.
Delight in meditation and in solitude.
Compose yourself, be happy.
You are a seeker.
-Buddha in the Dhammapada, courtesy of dailyzen.com
A common symptom of depression is isolation. People can spend hours in bed; shut in their houses; and avoiding human contact. The experience is agonizing and grows more powerful with each day spent in the dark . The desire for death becomes stronger and more possible when someone is convinced they are truly alone in the world. The process of psychotherapy is to realize we are seekers and can experience unconditional positive self regard when in the company of others. To delight in the mastery of our hands and feet we need to accept all aspects of ourselves without judgement. As a seeker we turn our life’s journey into a pilgrimage. We pursue new understandings of our self and others. We turn to meditation and solitude as a healthy refuge to cultivate our inherent compassion and loving-kindness. As a seeker we embody the Awakened Way and celebrate our connection with the world.
Delight in the mastery
Of your hands and your feet,
Of your words and your thoughts.
Delight in meditation and in solitude.
Compose yourself, be happy.
You are a seeker.
-Buddha in the Dhammapada, courtesy of dailyzen.com
A common symptom of depression is isolation. People can spend hours in bed; shut in their houses; and avoiding human contact. The experience is agonizing and grows more powerful with each day spent in the dark . The desire for death becomes stronger and more possible when someone is convinced they are truly alone in the world. The process of psychotherapy is to realize we are seekers and can experience unconditional positive self regard when in the company of others. To delight in the mastery of our hands and feet we need to accept all aspects of ourselves without judgement. As a seeker we turn our life’s journey into a pilgrimage. We pursue new understandings of our self and others. We turn to meditation and solitude as a healthy refuge to cultivate our inherent compassion and loving-kindness. As a seeker we embody the Awakened Way and celebrate our connection with the world.
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