“If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present”
Lao Tzu
Some of the greatest writers of the 20th Century – T.S. Elliot, George Orwell, Albert Camus and John Steinbeck recognised alienation as the universal dilemma of human existence and I imagine the reason they were able to write about it so eloquently is because they felt it.
Feeling lost and alone is part of the human journey and it can manifest itself in many ways. Sometimes as a void that surfaces in the pit of your stomach or a critical inner voice that starts churning out crazy thoughts like a high-speed washing machine. Unfortunately we often cling on to things.
The inability and sometimes unwillingness of the human mind to let go of the past is beautifully illustrated by the story of two Zen monks, Tanzan and Ekido. They were walking together and it was raining heavily. As they came to a muddy intersection, they spotted a beautiful girl in a silk kimono struggling to cross. The senior monk, Tanzan, immediately went and lifted the girl up on his shoulders and carried her to the other side of the road. Afterwards, the monks walked on in silence, although Ekido, the junior monk was visibly upset. That evening, Ekido could no longer restrain himself: “Why did you carry her across the river? We monks aren’t supposed to do things like that!” “I put the girl down hours ago,” said Tanzan. “Why are you still carrying her?”
Instead of letting go of past events, we often go around carrying excess baggage. The beauty of Zen is that it emphasizes the power of the presence. It’s easy to dwell on memories and go over them in our heads (the ego loves this!) just as it is to be anxious about stuff that hasn’t even happened. When we spend more time living in the past and the future, it’s a recipe for unhappiness. However, if we are able to shift our minds to the here and now, then we immediately lessen the suffering.
According to Eckhart Tolle there is a human tendency to perpetuate old emotions and almost everyone carries in his or her energy field an accumulation of old past pain, which he calls the ‘pain-body’. He gives a great example of this in his observations of two ducks – after they get into a fight, which never lasts long, they simply drift off in different directions. Each will flap its wings vigorously a few times, releasing any negative energy and then float on peacefully as if nothing happened. Now imagine if the duck had a human mind! This could be the duck’s story: “I don’t believe what he just did. Bloody cheek! He thinks he owns this pond. I won’t trust him again. Next time I see him I’ll teach him a lesson he won’t forget. He won’t get away with this” And so on…
Scientists today say our brain undergoes continuous change throughout our lives in response to our thoughts and experiences. They use the term neuroplasticity, which refers to the changes in neural pathways that can occur – in other more simplistic words, you can teach an old brain new tricks!
The good news is we can change our thought patterns and break free from emotional baggage that might be weighing us down. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh says: “I’ll use the term mindfulness to refer to keeping one’s consciousness alive to the present reality”.
Through the practice of being Zen, you can release any perpetual old emotional patterns that might be holding you back. Zen Meditation helps to bring your mind back to the present moment. Studies have shown that it helps dissolve anxiety, depression, fear and anger. With practice, this form of meditation is one way of making friends with the present moment and releasing trapped emotional pain from your body.
If you’re keen to try out some Zen meditative techniques and have some fun at the same time, why not pop along to a Zen Goddess evening?
Hope to see you there!
Love,
The first ‘Zen Goddess Gathering’ takes place on Wednesday September 10th from 7.30 until 8.45pm. It includes zazen (meditation), candlelit conversation (with a different topic each week) and yummy, health-boosting bites. If you are interested in joining, please e-mail sarah@oncloudzen.com
