Facing The Pandemic With The Support Of The Dharma 16/26

How to deal with uncertainty and fear around us and also within us. How can Dharma teachings support us? How can we deepen understanding and love for life in the midst of chaos? This series of teachings offers reflections on possibilities available to us, including practices we can engage with, lean into, and cultivate. the following talk focuses on impermanence.

Transcript

This time of our exploration, I. . . Now that I'm seeing you and the feeling that comes is, I really hope you, You really feel like being on a journey of exploring. Yeah, That's my, That's my wish, That you feel like really being on a journey where we explore some very deep topics of life and of who we are. And not in a. . . We use the intellectual but of course not only in the intellectual but in the experiential also, Really like I hope you feel embarked in such a deep exploration and I hope you, You get a sense, Not like really getting a sense of how deep this can lead us if we really dive into it. And this time that we have together now is a very important time, It's a time where we can challenge our minds and our understanding in the first period. Now which is a period of a sharing, Of a understanding, Of a questions, Of feedback of your experiences, Experiences of the week and of your meditation of the week. And very important time to challenge our minds so that the understanding goes a bit deeper, Opening new possibilities of seeing life. Yeah, We've touched upon a very deep topic of a, Of a impermanence and solidifying reality at so many levels, It's so big. So, Yeah, Any question that you may have or feedback from your realization is very welcome, You just write your name on the chat. Yeah, Eka. Hi. Hi. So it's a, It's a question or a like a thing that I, I tried to explore a little bit and I will try to explore it more but maybe you have an idea about it. Something that came up my mind last week and I wrote my name and then I realized that that wasn't the moment to talk, Is that the, The essence of your being, That's what we talked a bit about, Right, That the, That there is a, There are all kinds of layers of ego that are then and emotions that are like on top of something that is maybe constant. I was wondering whether that, That constant being that is maybe very equal between people and that only the, The other layers which are traumas, Which are cultural reactions to some things, All these, These non-neutral, These non-continuous things that they make for the for the biggest part that people are different. So this was just like an idea question that popped up in my mind and that I haven't sorted out yet but because you said the, The, The, There is a big thing in, In evolution of our, Of how we became how we are. Maybe that also, Maybe the differences between people aren't that big after all, If you peel off all the extras that are reactions to our surroundings. Yeah. That was just like an idea. Yeah, So, So I think it depends, These are two perspectives, Like one is that perspective where we are personalities, We evolve, We learn in time and according to circumstances and experiences and there our stories are all different. Yeah. And then actually we have so many layers. Then we, If we go at a different layer, We can say like, For instance, Emotions, We're already less different because we all know the kind of more or less the same emotions like on the planet, Everybody knows anger or, You know, Or, Or, And if you think frustration or these things that I know, You know, So, And in the texture, It's not that different, But the reasons why you feel anger or frustration are different than the reason why. So this is already, The more we go towards the center of the onion, Like if we consider like our being as an onion and with many, Many layers, You know, When you peel an onion, You have so many layers, The outside layers are the more obvious that those we see first and, And on that one, They're more gross, Somehow more changing all the time. Yeah. This is what we become first time this, Then I'm that, Then I'm that. And I grow and I change work and so many things change. My ideas change. So this is on the outer layers. And in this, The more there is a movement and there is a possibility of agitation differences, All of this. Yeah. And sense of self is happening very much. There are sense of like, Like what you call the ego or, And personalities is goes a little bit deeper than you have all these emotions where already, As I was saying, We're more close when I know my emotion, When I know what is anger, I know what is your anger. It is no different in the energy. And then, As you said, Like when you go deeper and deeper, You come back to this sense of witness, For instance, That we meet in meditation where I'm here, I I'm here and I know I'm here. I hear a sound and I know I hear a sound. So it's not about the sound, About the body sensation, About this. It's just the knowing quality of these things, Which is the subject of who I am. Yeah. Even the knowing of my thoughts is different than my thoughts. My thoughts are different than your thoughts, But the knowing seems to be a little bit around somewhere around the center of the onion somehow. And then there, There's a sense that the closer we go to that center, The less it is different for you and me. And we could, We can have a feeling that there's not much difference, If any, In awareness itself. When there is only awareness with no thoughts with then past and future kind of are swept away, Actually they don't appear in this moment. Past and future personality doesn't manifest, Names doesn't manifest. When we're totally silent, We're not a man or a woman, For instance, These things disappear. We need memory to remember this, Eyes closed like this. You know, We don't, We don't even have a body at some point. We need memory, You know, This feelings and perceptions that comes and goes, But we don't solidify ourself into a view because we need the, The, The, The brain activity to solidify and remember who we are on the surface. There's just the shining awareness. And then in this, We can get a sense that this is your awareness and my awareness is the same. And then the next step is, Is there, And this is a very even deeper spiritual question. Is there even your and my awareness at some point, Is it possible that, That the awareness that is shining through these body minds could be not personal in itself? Like, Like the image that came one day is like the light that is going through the tainted glasses of a church. You know, I hope everybody gets me with this church windows with designs and all colors. Yeah. So the light that they all different is these tainted glasses. They're all different and give different effect shapes and, And, And, And colors and beauty. But the light that gives them life is the same light. Yeah. It goes through and it's not my light or your light. So that's the spiritual question of oneness. Advaita would say not too. So it's not like your awareness is exactly the same as mine. So there is oneness. It's not, There is no two. There is, You see, You see where I'm yeah. So, And so yeah, This, These kinds of questions I think are something that we should explore, Not come to a conclusion, Certainly not come to a conclusion, Not start to be convinced that yes, There is one and the same awareness. No, I don't want to be convinced. I want to search. This is a direction. This question gives direction to my search. If I give an answer, There's no search. Search is finished. So these kinds of questions, I think are meant to stay questions until they don't emerge anymore. They kind of answered before you find an answer, Never give an answer or believe in the answer, Even from outside for sure. But even from ourself, I think they're giving directions. I think these questions. Thank you. Yes, Harvey. I was just saying thanks for like the talk last time was very good. I enjoyed it a lot. And for me, Impermanence is a very difficult topic to meditate about or to implement in my practice because I usually instantly default back into this kind of nihilism of carelessness of like, Yeah, Even a child could be tortured next to me. I don't care because it's all gonna pass in a way. So I was, And then I remember when you were linking the impermanence practice as a method for us to find a model of forming reality that is healthy for us and for people around us. And then I was hoping maybe you have some interesting recommendations in our practice, What kind of models we could put or try out or experiment with so that we don't fall into this nihilism. Yeah. Yeah. So I think it's great that you point this out because it's a big trap in general with any ultimate topic anyway. And so I think one part of the answer was already kind of given in the week on meta. Like if you practice meta, Then you will develop care because this is a care could be damaged if we only practice ultimates, Practices like realizing impermanence and constructions and solidification. But if we practice care, Which is a little bit, Again, We find ourselves so many times on the spiritual path with contradictions. Why do we want to care something that doesn't, Almost doesn't exist, We could say, You know? So it's maybe one view that is healthy is not to say that it doesn't exist, But more that it appears like this. It's kind of, It's a mode of appearance, Which is very much the way the Buddha was speaking, A mode of appearance. Or in Advaita practice, They said not existing yet appearing, Yet appearing. And so if you practice meta, Then there is the understanding that if you are loving, Then your life will flourish. The feeling will be beautiful. And if you are careless, And if you don't care because all this will disappear anyway, Then your life will be filled with not much interest and probably a flattening that is very unpleasant to live. So this is karma. Yes. And the very funny thing is like karma doesn't really match with non-self, For instance, And anything that is ultimate. So this is, We find in deep spiritual traditions, This opposite teachings, And you have to take both. Very, Very strange because you have to go for realizing that the thing doesn't exist in the way we feel they exist, But we have to take more and more care for the things that appears. And if we fail in one way or the other, If we take more and more care without knowing their nature, We're going to go into, Like for those who go, Let's say for any form of activism, For instance, Or protection, They will burn out because there is not enough understanding and wisdom. And if those who go for the understanding and wisdom of impermanence and non-self, Mainly these two, Then they will kind of more and more harden and not really get involved. So you have really to develop at the same time, Care and understanding of the impermanence and flittering nature, Like almost not existing nature of things. And metta is very important for that because it will bring the loving, The love quality that is so much needed to find happiness and meaning in this life. So that's again very interesting on the Buddhist Advaita path that I was speaking about, Is because in one vow you dedicate yourself to discover the deepest wisdom, Which is the words in Buddhism towards non-self, Deepest wisdom, In order to be able to help every living creature that suffers until the end of time. So it's kind of, As I said, It's a big project and it's dual directions. One is to realize impermanence, Not self, The non-existence of time, Or everything that is one, Not two, To more and more realize the nature of appearance and at the same time more and more being amazed and loving for that which constantly appear in front of our eyes and in our lives. So it's very much, I think we have very much to take care of that, Of that child look of the beauty of the appearance somehow. Yeah, I think it's a very good question that is important to hold and to see and make sure your practice doesn't go towards, Too much attracted towards emptiness practices. I hope it answers. Yes, Thank you, Thanks a lot. Yeah, Thank you. Okay, Any questions, Feedback? Did you notice, Anybody wants to say, If you noticed more impermanence, More, Did it make sense for anybody like noticing, Being more aware of the coming and going of of anything more, More awareness, Not because we know it, But it's different to focus and try to realize it. Alex, You want to speak? Yeah, I noticed something that was quite interesting because I was in a bit of a situation here with my housemates to like trouble, Like household stuff, Telling them to to be quiet because of the neighbors and stuff like that. And then I was in the meditation and at the same time they were really super noisy and I was worrying all the time. And my worry kept zooming in and zooming out and in and out. I was really like, Oh my god, I have to concentrate. And then after the meditation, I really realized that's exactly what we were talking about. And I really realized it. And that was so nice that it's really like that impermanence of the feeling of the, Of being annoyed that it's there and that it's not there and you give it energy and you don't give it energy and it comes and it goes. So yeah, It was a very practical thing, Very intense as well. Yeah, Nice that you use the word practical because I think impermanence, Impermanence practices and realization are very practical actually. It also can go very deeply and metaphysical, But it's also very direct practical stuff. And as you said, You could see how, Like to say it a little bit differently, But I think it's what you said, Like sometime they will be zooming in and out that it's actually a solidifying and less solidifying things. And it can get to a point where it becomes like, Like the mind says, Now this is too much and it makes it into a square thing. And even, And then they would be for a moment less zooming in and out is just a big topic. It's always there. It's always in your mind and you're caught into a turmoil because it has been strongly solidified. It has lost even more fluidity and this can happen with desire or resistance. Yeah. Sometimes I see my son, It's all the time. Now he goes, He's into cycling and you know, Mountain bikes. And then what, What, What happens often is now he will go on the internet. He see a new helmet and this is like his dream. And, And then he can, He can make our life miserable for a whole day because he wants this helmet, He wants this helmet, You know, It's been solidified into a thing. Nothing can make him happy, But only this helmet and no other helmet because he has seen it and he allowed so much solidification of only this. And maybe he, If we say, Let's say yes, We order it. Maybe it comes after three days, He has not much interest in that helmet actually. That was, That was the mind building up a story and making it so important. Yeah. Much more than it actually is in reality. And this, This is a way we function very often. And sometimes it's useful also that the mind solidifies in order to give us a very strong direction, But many times it puts us in a trap. So that's the wisdom word that we need to have is, Okay, We need a solidification of our personality, For instance, At some point so that we can present to others and work one with the other, But being trapped in that problematic. Yeah. Thanks. Yeah. Okay. Thanks for the feedback Alex. And last David. It was more regarding the previous discussion. Just on the theme of impermanence and the danger of that leading to indifference, If I understood the question correctly. What I notice often in my experience is that it's actually paying close attention to impermanence rather than leading to indifference. It makes, It makes me realize that I take so many things for granted. As, As yeah, It's just, It's just normal and actually make the fleeting nature of relationships and, And my, You know, And circumstances and situations, Which actually leads to a sense of gratitude and, And love and wanting to care rather than, Rather than indifference actually. Yeah. Yeah. And you were yourself talking about that, I think in the book. Yeah. An example with your, With your, With Lanza, With your child, How just realizing that he's not going to be so young for such a long time actually makes you want, Makes you realize it's just a retaking care of. Yeah. It's the, Like it was like, I was calling it the awareness of small death. I think the awareness of death, But of every moment gives it its beauty somehow. Yeah. Yeah. But it's an yeah. Thanks for adding that to the understanding. And it's the idea of the impermanence when it's not experienced directly, That is not revealing like the ID of impermanence can lead to a conclusion that it's not worth taking care because things will disappear anyway, But it's very mental process. Like when you really go into the feeling of the impermanence, You just want to, To cherish beautiful moments and you can stand difficult moments more easily somehow. Yeah. Thanks David. Okay. So if anybody wants to say or add something then you can, And if not, We'll start the meditation.