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Email: camrend@yahoo.com
Coordinator for the Shambhala Meditation Group
Meditation Instructor
Teacher of classes on Buddhism
Dharma Memphis contributor
CONTRIBUTIONS BY CAMREN DAVIS
 | Everything, even our neurosis, is the play of wisdom
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Everything, even our neurosis, is the play of wisdom
Karma is a funny thing. We usually think of karma as "if I do something
negative, then something negative will come back to me." This is the wordly view
of karma, and it is true in some way, but karma is much larger than that. Karma
is the entire web of interconnectedness, and though we may see a general pattern
as to how things occur - aggression leads to suffering, a cotton seed leads to a
cotton plant - but there are many other conditions that effect the whole
process. For example, a cotton seed may not lead to a cotton plant if there is
not sunlight, soil, water, proper weather conditions, etc. Similarly, aggression
only leads to suffering if the individual who is experiencing the aggression
does not see aggression as the play of wisdom, does not see that the aggression
occurs as an error in perception of the true nature of reality, and does not see
that there is actually no "individual" as such experiencing the aggression.
Aggression causes suffering in the individual when the individual is confused
into thinking that there is a self experiencing the aggression and does not see
the destructive quality of aggression and thus indulges in the aggression
thinking that it will bring some satisfaction.
As meditators we all know, at least conceptually, about the destructive quality
of passion, aggression, and ignorance, but we are still confused by these
appearances on a regular basis. For instance, we see that acting out our
aggression toward others will most likely cause suffering in the other person
and almost definitley will cause suffering in ourselves. However, we often don't
see that self-aggression such as rejecting aspects of ourselves as fundamentally
bad causes suffering and does not bring satisfaction. We can misinterpret the
dharma to think that all thoughts are bad, and in our meditation we, instead of
cultivating acceptance, cultivate aggression through trying to push all thoughts
away in the name of good meditation. Furthermore, we may become addicted to the
peace of our meditation and therefore reject chaotic situations that we will
most definitley find ourselves in sooner or later. Perhaps after reading this
you might even reject that aspect of yourself that has been giving into
aggression, and therefore you further indulge in aggression.
So, how do we cultivate a complete openness and loving kindness toward all
situations that occur within us and in world around us? This is where awareness
comes in. As we develop our awareness through meditation and post-meditation we
begin to notice the web of interconnectedness that is the nature of all
occurrences. Nothing occurrs independently of other causes and conditions. Your
body does not exist independently without the aid of the environment around it -
without food you would eventually die; without air you would eventually die;
without water you would eventually die, and with too much water you would
eventually drown.
Every experience that you experience is the result of limitless causes and
conditions. When you experience aggression arising in yourself it is the result
of numerous causes - perhaps you heard someone say something that went against
what you feel is right. This requires ears to hear, a properly functioning inner
ear that can transmit the sound waves into bits of information which your brain
can then understand as language, a mind that can then compare what you heard
that person say and compare it with other experiences that you have had in the
past that either contradict or confirm your belief structure which is itself an
intricately woven web of memories and thoughts. Having made the final judgement
of what you heard you then decide that it is something that needs to be rejected
and you respond in aggression. Ironically, though, once the aggression arises it
is arising in response to something which is now only a memory - the sound you
heard is now in the past and can only be accessed by way of memory. Then your
aggression is actually self-inflicted: you are becoming angry at a memory in
your own mind rather than something that is actually occurring in the present.
So, it may seem as if your aggression is directed outward but in reality it is
directed inward toward something which is, by then, occurring only in your own
mind.
This is not the best example of how aggression arises, but it still does show
how not being fully aware of what is presently occurring and the interdependent
process of how it occurs leads to confusion. The next mistake we might make is
to think that confusion is not part of the web of interconnectedness. Everything
occurs in accordance with interconnectedness whether what occurs is acceptance
or confusion. So, even neurosis is the play of interconnectedness.
It seems that we can become increasingly aware of the interconnectedness of all
phenomena of mind and matter and how these elements interact. It is possible to
cultivate this awareness in meditation. If our meditation is dulling our
awareness of the nature of interconnectedness, then it would probably be a good
idea to evaluate our approach to meditation. If our meditation leads to a
strengthened awareness of interconnectedness, whether our meditation is watching
the sun set or our body breathe, then this is meditation that leads to truly
understanding the true nature and will ultimately lead us to become aware of
ourselves as Buddhas.
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