I have over the course of this deployment found a way to get two to three daily sittings in. While they are often interrupted the part that bothered me today was the interruptions brought up by the small mind.
This afternoon’s sitting the Navy was conducting a damage controlee training environment. I caught the small mind going into aversion mode and angry with the bells and whistles and clanking around. I can’t help but think: after so many years of sitting I still allow my mind to get distracted by the myriad things. But it wasn’t distraction. It was just awareness. I don’t think that awareness in and of it self is bad at all. The small mind did not really take control at all. Mostly the small mind just squirmed a little bit. And than it felt compelled to write a commentary about it.
I looked up the definition of untamed. My dictionary says – in a natural state.
6 comments:
There is a classic text called "The Unfetterred Mind"
I've recently read several chinese guys who said "Allow the Ox to roam freely but if it starts to eat another's vegetables you stop it"
Hey Mike,
The Priest who wrote The Unfettered mind is a charachter in the Samurai Drama/epic novel "Musashi." Great story there.
I find that some of those old dead chinese guys were pretty wise.
Thanks for stoping in.
Or, I believe it's the Diamond Cutter sutra that says something to the effect of "The enlightened mind alights nowhere."
Easy to say, takes cultivation of skill to do when needed.
And "when needed" isn't always on a cushion. In fact, much of the time, it's not.
Hey Mumon, I'm reading the Surangama sutra righ now. The Dimond Sutra is actualy next in my reading que.
small mind thinks this or that? farts in the wind aren't so bad, eh?
Uku, Yes. Mushashi, is one of my few favorite novels.
Mark,
I would have made it a statement rather than a question.
The small mind secretes farts in the tempest while the true mind remains still.
Ok, I'm channeling Yoda so it must be time to stop typing.
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