If you are anything like me, sometimes my best intentions can be less than helpful…especially if my motivation for action is fear-motivated rather than spirit-driven.
An exercise recommended by a very wise teacher was given to instruct a group of us in how our thinking mind can get us in to trouble.
“Cats are intended to teach us that not everything in nature has a function.” – Garrison Keillor
Descartes said, “I think therefore I am”. Our thinking mind is an invaluable tool, though potentially quite dangerous if given free reign purely by virtue of its existence. Just because we can build a bomb that can kill millions of people does not mean we should.
The exercise instructed the student to sit quietly…waiting for the next thought to appear, much like a cat waiting for a mouse to emerge from its hole. The purpose of the practice was to allow the thinking mind to rest and to see what emerges from the quiet space of no-thought. The surprising thing is that no-thing merges! At least for quite some time. The lesson for me was that consciousness does not necessarily follow unconsciousness. The thinking mind, which must have problems to solve…is paralyzed when the mind is quieted.
My fear puts the proverbial cart before the horse. If I allow my fear-motivated mind, the worry driven, problem seeking thought process to create action…the result will likely be negative. Unconscious reactivity will often be the result, usually associated with damage to relationships and igniting reactivity in others. My spiritual practice then is to observe how my fear-mind is conditioned to respond and instead allow action to naturally flow from the quietness of my spiritual mind….rather than from fear. Action flowing from presence and observation, rather than from fear, will contribute to joy, peace and a realization of my creative spiritual genius.
OK…there is a bottom line to this rambling. Presence, the result of observation and allowing, rather than anxiety, the result of fear motivated thinking…is the goal. And peace is the reward.
IN-JOY your day…
Perry
©2012 Perry Chinn,D.C. All rights reserved.
Dr. Chinn is a 1986 Life graduate (Marietta), has been practicing in the Seattle area for 25 years and is a board member of the Gonstead Clinical Studies Society. He is the co-creator of the nutritional cardiovascular formula Acctrix (www.Acctrix.com), co-founder of Unisal Wellness Technologies and is the author of Symphony of Wellness and Soaring Beyond Fear ( www.PerryChinn.com). His book Symphony of Wellness focuses on the science and benefits of the Nobel Prize winning science of nitric oxide for cardiovascular health and whole body wellness. He can be reached at DrPChinn@gmail.com or info@perrychinn.com
