Post by Admin on Jul 2, 2016 12:22:17 GMT -5
I just came across a superb metaphor which I'd like to share. It seems to be similar to Plato's parable of the caves, but I found it very helpful in expressing certain mindfulness concepts.
While it does come from a Buddhist perspective, it seems to me to really work extremely well as a way to better delve into the experience of mindfulness and mindful meditation as we learned at our VA MBSR course. The following opening paragraphs are from a recent article from Lions Roar, a Buddhist magazine:
To read the whole article click HERE.
While it does come from a Buddhist perspective, it seems to me to really work extremely well as a way to better delve into the experience of mindfulness and mindful meditation as we learned at our VA MBSR course. The following opening paragraphs are from a recent article from Lions Roar, a Buddhist magazine:
Life As Cinema:
Just suppose that we have been born in a cinema hall. We don’t know that what is going on in front of us is just a projection. We don’t know that it is just a film, just a movie, and that the events in the movie aren’t real — that they have no true existence. Everything we see on that screen — love, hate, violence, suspense, thrills — is in fact just the effect of light projected through celluloid. But no one has ever told us this, so we just sit there watching, fixated on the film. If somebody tries to attract our attention, we say, “Shut up!” Even if we have something important to do, we don’t want to do it. We are completely engrossed and blind to the fact that this projection is completely futile.
Now suppose that there is someone in the seat next to us who says: “Look, this is just a film. It’s not real. This is not really happening. It’s really just a projection.” There’s a chance we too might understand that what we are seeing is in fact a movie, that it is unreal and essenceless.
This doesn’t automatically mean we get up and leave the cinema. We don’t have to do that. We can just relax and simply watch the love affair, the crime thriller or whatever. We can experience its intensity. And if we have a certain confidence that this is just a projection, then we can rewind, fast forward or play the film again as we like. And we have the choice to leave whenever we like, and to come back at another time to watch again. Once we are certain that we can leave any time we like, we may not feel compelled to do so. We can choose to sit comfortably and watch.
Sometimes a sequence in the movie can overwhelm our emotions. A tragic moment might hit our soft spot and we are carried away. But now, something in our heart is telling us that we know it’s not real, that it’s not a big deal....
by, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche (Tibetan monk & teacher)
Just suppose that we have been born in a cinema hall. We don’t know that what is going on in front of us is just a projection. We don’t know that it is just a film, just a movie, and that the events in the movie aren’t real — that they have no true existence. Everything we see on that screen — love, hate, violence, suspense, thrills — is in fact just the effect of light projected through celluloid. But no one has ever told us this, so we just sit there watching, fixated on the film. If somebody tries to attract our attention, we say, “Shut up!” Even if we have something important to do, we don’t want to do it. We are completely engrossed and blind to the fact that this projection is completely futile.
Now suppose that there is someone in the seat next to us who says: “Look, this is just a film. It’s not real. This is not really happening. It’s really just a projection.” There’s a chance we too might understand that what we are seeing is in fact a movie, that it is unreal and essenceless.
This doesn’t automatically mean we get up and leave the cinema. We don’t have to do that. We can just relax and simply watch the love affair, the crime thriller or whatever. We can experience its intensity. And if we have a certain confidence that this is just a projection, then we can rewind, fast forward or play the film again as we like. And we have the choice to leave whenever we like, and to come back at another time to watch again. Once we are certain that we can leave any time we like, we may not feel compelled to do so. We can choose to sit comfortably and watch.
Sometimes a sequence in the movie can overwhelm our emotions. A tragic moment might hit our soft spot and we are carried away. But now, something in our heart is telling us that we know it’s not real, that it’s not a big deal....
by, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche (Tibetan monk & teacher)