You want to be a mountain-dweller,
No need to trek to India to find one.
I’ve a thousand peaks
To pick from right here on the lake.
Fragrant grasses and white clouds
Hold me here.
What holds you there,
World-dweller?
- Chiao Jan (730-799) courtesy of dailyzen.com

A "geographical cure" is a tempting idea for change. If I move to a new city I will be able to start over, make a new life. Over the years I have had many clients try this and all have been disappointed in the results. They soon discover the issues, that they had hoped were left behind, continue to disrupt and undermine their quest for happiness. The process of reflecting on the unwanted parts of our life is in effect the mountains we seek. To pause for a moment and understand the ability you have to look down on all the different parts of your life is to be the thousand peaks. It takes time and effort to cultivate this awareness. All of the struggles and fears become precious opportunities for learning and accumulating wisdom.  Acknowledging mistakes and disappointments with an open mind is another precious resource. A loving and compassionate relationship with our selves and our world creates a holding environment for us to discover the fragrant grasses and white clouds that have always been there.

Everyone holds a luminous jewel,
 All embrace a precious gem;
 If you do not turn your attention
Around and look within,
You will wander from home
With a hidden treasure
. - Dogen (1200–1253) courtesy of dailyzen.com

In psychotherapy I am always trying to assess my client’s insight. Is there an ability to reflect on his situation objectively? Does she have the capacity to have an emotional understanding of the underlying dynamics related to her presenting concern? There is a great deal of literature and research about emotional intelligence. The ability to find words that accurately convey an emotional experience is not something everyone has and it is something everyone can learn. The learning happens in a safe environment of empathy and compassion. Insight emerges in the dialogue between me and my client. It is the mutual experience of finding words that captures the subtle influences of long held fears and distorted assumptions about the self and others. The process of enhancing emotional self awareness is an effective way to turn your attention around and look within. To reflect with an open mind is an important step in cultivating the awareness of our luminous jewel. What becomes apparent is how the process of looking is the discovery of the hidden treasure.

Where there is beauty, there is ugliness. When something is right, Something else is wrong. Knowledge and ignorance Depend on each other. It has been like this since the beginning. How could it be otherwise now? Wanting to chuck out one And hold onto the other Makes for a ridiculous comedy. You must still deal with everything Ever-changing, Even when you say it’s wonderful. - Ryokan (1758–1831) -courtesy of dailyzen.com

All or none thinking is one of the more frequent cognitive errors we make when dealing with stressful situations. Either I am successful or I am a failure. The severest form of this is the assumption that the self or others are all good or all bad. A life from this perspective is filled with conflict and doubt. Experiences carry a potential for elation or despair. The idea of possibilities is intolerable because there is a required acknowledgement of possible failure and shame. The idea of knowledge and ignorance depending on others can be a hard one to swallow. However one cannot recognize knowledge if one does not know ignorance; just as one cannot recognize happiness without knowing sadness. Therapy is the opportunity to sit in a compassionate and non judgmental environment to consider all the positive and negative aspects of ourselves. That space then becomes a refuge for exploring and investigating. Wisdom is a natural product of this work and a very effective way of dealing with everything that is ever changing.

Whatever people do, whether they remain in the world as artisans, merchants, or officers of the government, let them put their whole heart into the task; let them be diligent and energetic. And if, like the lotus flower, which grows out of muddy water but remains untouched by the mud, they engage in life without cherishing envy or hatred; if they live in the world not a life of self but a life of truth, then surely joy, peace, and bliss will dwell in their minds. - Buddhacarita courtesy of dailyzen.com

Commitment to treatment is an important factor for successful experiences in psychotherapy. Resistance in treatment can be viewed as a problem brought into the session by the client and can sabotage the therapists ability to facilitate change. Over the years I have come to realize this is a very narrow view of a dynamic and intersubjective experience. As Roshi Joan Halifax has said; enlightenment happens in the context of a loving relationship. In therapy there are two people joined in a common cause. Commitment and resistance are the competing forces that facilitate change. The therapist and the client engage in dialog that can shift from being diligent and energetic to being avoidant and confrontational. We are all lotus flowers and although we are untouched by the mud we cannot the exist without it. We will never be able to put our whole hearts into every task all the time. Just as our mind will wander in meditation our tendencies to cherish envy and hatred will find their way into our minds and hearts. It is the recognition of this that allows us to return to the in breath; renew our commitment to our compassion;and cultivate loving kindness. When I can pause with my client to process a difficult session we are resuming our endeavor to live life whole heartedly.

Those who awaken never rest in one place.
Like swans, they rise and leave the lake.
On the air they rise and fly an invisible course.
Their food is knowledge.
They live on emptiness.
They have seen how to break free.
Who can follow them?
- Buddha in the Dhammapada  - courtesy of dailyzen.com

One of the toughest situations for my clients is the experience of knowing what to do to change but just not doing it. It is one of the more insidious conclusions for anyone who is unhappy and wanting to change. It is a self imposed judgement of  incompetence complicated by the mystery of why. " I don't know why I don't do what I need to do". They are stuck because they believe there are factors outside of their control that prevent them from changing. My job is to help them see how they are like swans; that they already have the capacity to rise and fly. By slowing things down and devoting  time to being still they can  experience a natural hunger for knowledge. To never rest in one place is to live each moment with an open mind and an open heart. Conclusions dissolve into possibilities and the  awareness of our Buddha nature becomes a guide for the invisible course of our life.

Everywhere turn around freely,
Not following conditions,
Not falling into classification.
Facing everything, let go and
Attain stability.
So it is said that the earth lifts
Up the mountain without
Knowing the mountain’s
Stark steepness.
A rock contains jade without
Knowing the jade’s flawlessness.
This is how truly to leave home.
- Hongzhi Zhengjue (1091-1157) courtesy of dailyzen.com

 Change requires stability. Stability is reinforced by change. Letting go and attaining stability is a wonderful description of the healing process in therapy. There really is no linear process of change for my clients. We look at what is stark and steep and we marvel at what is flawless in their life. The dialog is the journey and we can recognize those conditions and classifications that tend to complicate life. Without knowing is attained when the stability of self confidence can absorb the fears and doubts associated those conditions and classifications. With each step the wisdom we acquire through our successes and failures allows us to truly leave home and  turn around freely in the present moment.

I explain to you matters pertaining to enlightenment,
But don’t try to keep your mind on them.
Just turn to the ocean of your own essence
And develop practical accord with its nature.
- Yangshan courtesy of dailyzen.com

Many of my clients have expressed frustration when I do not tell them what to do. They come to my office seeking help for the problems they are having in their lives. What is implied is their inability to take care of themselves. If I am just giving advice I run the risk of validating their belief that they are incompetent. Instead I sit with them and we turn together to the oceans of  our essence. We acknowledge and investigate the worries,fears, and conflicts with an open mind. That process has great potential for my clients  to develop a practical accord with the nature of their essence. I have no place in that work. I can only provide a space for them to experience the learning and wisdom of reflection and self acceptance.