Word Association [Part Nine]
- Thread starter Sloe Djinn
- Start date
Peace.
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"Some young people are unable to cope with the storms of emotion that rise up in them, like rage, depression, despair, and so forth, and they want to kill themselves. They’re convinced that suicide is the only way to stop their suffering.
It seems no one is teaching them the way to handle their strong emotions.
If we can show them the way to calm down and free themselves from the grip of suicidal thinking, they’ll have a chance to come back and embrace life again; but we need to get the practice down for ourselves before we try to show others. We don’t wait until we’re overwhelmed by some emotion to start practicing. Start now, so that the next time a wave of emotion comes up, you’ll know how to take care of it.
First of all, you need to know that an emotion is only that—an emotion—even though it may be a big, strong one. You are so much bigger, so much more than this emotion. Our person—the territory of our five skandhas (body, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness)—is immense. Emotions are but one category of the many different mental formations we can have. They come, they stay for a while, and then they go.
Look at strong emotions as a kind of storm. If we know weatherproofing techniques, we can come out of it intact. A storm may last an hour, several hours, or a day. If we master the ways of calming and steadying our mind, we can pass through the storms of emotion with relative ease.
Sitting in the lotus position or lying down on your back, begin breathing into your belly. Keep your mind entirely on the belly as it rises with every in-breath and falls with each out-breath. Breathe deeply, maintaining full attention on your abdomen. Don't think. Stop all your ruminating, and just focus on the breathing.
When trees get hit by a storm, the treetops are thrashed around and run the highest risk of being damaged. The trunk of a tree is more stable and solid; it has many roots reaching deep into the Earth. The treetops are like your own head, your thinking mind.
When a storm comes up in you, get out of the treetop and go down to the trunk for safety. Your roots start down at your abdomen, slightly below the navel, at the energy point known as the 'tan tien' in Chinese medicine. Put all your attention on that part of your belly, and breathe deeply. Don't think about anything, and you'll be safe while the storm of emotions is blowing. Practice this every day for just five minutes, and after three weeks, you'll be able to handle your emotions successfully whenever they rise up.
Seeing yourself pass through a storm unharmed, you gain more confidence. You can tell yourself, "Next time, if the storm of emotions comes back, I won't be scared or shaken, because now I know the way to overcome it." You can teach this to a kid as well, so they too can enjoy the sense of safety that belly breathing can give them. Take the hand of your child, and tell her to breathe with you, putting all her attention on her abdomen. Though she may be only a child, she can have very strong emotions, and she can learn to breathe her way through them. At first, she will need your assistance, but later on she'll be able to do it herself.
If you're a schoolteacher, you can teach abdominal breathing to all the students in your class. If at least some of your students use the practice, then later, when the whirlwind of strong emotions starts churning inside them, they won't be driven to commit suicide; and you will have saved lives.
Practicing in the sitting position is best, but you can also practice while lying down. If you're practicing while lying down, you may like to place a hot-water bottle on your abdomen as an added source of comfort." - (Thich Nhat Hanh - Peace is every breath)
..................................
"Some young people are unable to cope with the storms of emotion that rise up in them, like rage, depression, despair, and so forth, and they want to kill themselves. They’re convinced that suicide is the only way to stop their suffering.
It seems no one is teaching them the way to handle their strong emotions.
If we can show them the way to calm down and free themselves from the grip of suicidal thinking, they’ll have a chance to come back and embrace life again; but we need to get the practice down for ourselves before we try to show others. We don’t wait until we’re overwhelmed by some emotion to start practicing. Start now, so that the next time a wave of emotion comes up, you’ll know how to take care of it.
First of all, you need to know that an emotion is only that—an emotion—even though it may be a big, strong one. You are so much bigger, so much more than this emotion. Our person—the territory of our five skandhas (body, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness)—is immense. Emotions are but one category of the many different mental formations we can have. They come, they stay for a while, and then they go.
Look at strong emotions as a kind of storm. If we know weatherproofing techniques, we can come out of it intact. A storm may last an hour, several hours, or a day. If we master the ways of calming and steadying our mind, we can pass through the storms of emotion with relative ease.
Sitting in the lotus position or lying down on your back, begin breathing into your belly. Keep your mind entirely on the belly as it rises with every in-breath and falls with each out-breath. Breathe deeply, maintaining full attention on your abdomen. Don't think. Stop all your ruminating, and just focus on the breathing.
When trees get hit by a storm, the treetops are thrashed around and run the highest risk of being damaged. The trunk of a tree is more stable and solid; it has many roots reaching deep into the Earth. The treetops are like your own head, your thinking mind.
When a storm comes up in you, get out of the treetop and go down to the trunk for safety. Your roots start down at your abdomen, slightly below the navel, at the energy point known as the 'tan tien' in Chinese medicine. Put all your attention on that part of your belly, and breathe deeply. Don't think about anything, and you'll be safe while the storm of emotions is blowing. Practice this every day for just five minutes, and after three weeks, you'll be able to handle your emotions successfully whenever they rise up.
Seeing yourself pass through a storm unharmed, you gain more confidence. You can tell yourself, "Next time, if the storm of emotions comes back, I won't be scared or shaken, because now I know the way to overcome it." You can teach this to a kid as well, so they too can enjoy the sense of safety that belly breathing can give them. Take the hand of your child, and tell her to breathe with you, putting all her attention on her abdomen. Though she may be only a child, she can have very strong emotions, and she can learn to breathe her way through them. At first, she will need your assistance, but later on she'll be able to do it herself.If you're a schoolteacher, you can teach abdominal breathing to all the students in your class. If at least some of your students use the practice, then later, when the whirlwind of strong emotions starts churning inside them, they won't be driven to commit suicide; and you will have saved lives.
Practicing in the sitting position is best, but you can also practice while lying down. If you're practicing while lying down, you may like to place a hot-water bottle on your abdomen as an added source of comfort." - (Thich Nhat Hanh - Peace is every breath)
