It requires great courage to BE. Why? Because it demands suspension of every possible effort remaining in a state of total surrender. Any reaction to What-Is transforms it into What-Should-or-Should-Not-Be, which is effort. To remain present or BE during a conflict (the psychological disturbance) changes the brain structure.
While the professionals say that it requires practice to be still in the face of conflict, I say it requires courage to not react to a given situation. Which first means that the attention has to be inwards and then allowed to expand as much as it wants to (relaxation). The tension that holds and wants to project something outwards is the ego-mind “me”. That tension is self-protection from What-Could-Be, if “I” don’t react.
In situations of actual danger (like crossing the road) that self-protective mechanism is justified (It is not the ego). Nature created that for the preservation of the mind-body organism. We call it the primitive brain. However, constantly living with the primitive brain is exhausting for the nervous system and completely degrades the quality of life by always thinking of danger.
A mind that lives to always protect itself even when there is no apparent threat is a hurt mind. It’s neither a shortcoming nor defect, and nor does it make you a bad or an evil person. It just leaves no room for creativity, quietness, and experiencing simple pleasures of life. It is constantly in defensive. It perceives every occurrence as a threat. Jiddu Krishnamurti once said that a hurt mind is not an innocent mind.
A child’s mind is innocent. It reacts to real dangers happening now, but not to concepts, theories, ideologies, or what has been said. It does not live in constant analysis of What-Is. Analysis is itself a movement away from What-Is. I don’t like what I see or hear and I want to change it. Therefore, I protest outwardly asking the world to change for “me”.
Total surrender is total love towards What-Is, without asking for any modification or filtration of what is being presented. Our default programming is to react to certain inputs that we label as triggers. To be with the emotional discomfort of what is arising is to be free of it. In such being, there is no “me”-center to emotional discomfort, and therefore, nothing needs to be done. The energy simply dissipates after playing out in Consciousness. The “doer” creates reactivity. If I don’t do something, I will be taken advantage of in the future, therefore, I must protect myself. The “doer”-ego is the outward projection of anger and anxiety.
The objective here is not to make the mind-body organism reaction proof. That’s impossible as life does not allow for that. The objective is to understanding that there is no “doer” of reaction, it is a happening (an action carried out by the mind-body organism based on it’s programming having consequences for that organism). The objective is to enjoy life and live in presence.
With love,
Jagjot
