Metal Element: Connecting To Its Incisive Judgement

A journey through the influence of the Chinese Metal element in our lives, particularly mentioning the power of the sword. But when should it be used? We consider checking and balances such as equanimity, awareness and sensitivity in meditation and gratitude exercises. Finally, we do a meditation/contemplation to reveal the strength of our focus on resistance. Doing this, we find that the gentle power of acceptance can emerge naturally; the sword can stay in its scabbard.

Transcript

Hello,

Thank you for joining me today.

We're going to take a look at the nature of a path that cuts between right and wrong and sometimes that's between what we want and what we don't want.

And there are times when we make that very clear division between right and wrong as if cutting with the sword of the metal element.

The influence of the metal element in ourselves,

Particularly on judgment and equanimity,

Is our subject today.

Right now,

Let's take the emotive judgment of right and wrong out of the picture and turn to the Chinese Yin Yang symbol.

The path between black and white is the curved division between yin and yang in the symbol.

The dark yin is on one side of the line,

The light yang on the other side.

Traveling along the path between them,

There is a continuously changing balance of yin to one side and yang to the other.

So where is this in our lives?

Imagine sitting on a mountaintop and experiencing sunset as I once did in India,

Watching through the decline of the yang sun of the day and the rise of the yin darkness of the night.

Nothing to do,

Just witness in awe each moment of this amazing but daily shifting balance between yin and yang.

Witnessing the sunset is possible to do with an attitude of equanimity.

Equanimity means that we do not sit in judgment of day or night.

There is no denying the long shadows cast by the setting sun or the cooling of the air that comes quickly as darkness falls.

We respect day and night for their unique qualities.

But what if we value each only for the opportunities it affords to us?

For example,

I can sleep soundly when it's dark.

Then is this equanimity?

Not if we stick to the strict definition of equanimity as a freedom from all points of self-reference.

And yet equanimity is not devoid of our caring attention.

It is not a state of apathy.

If you ask me about a decision that you're trying to make that doesn't involve me,

Then I can respond with care for you with equanimity rather than saying,

Hey,

Just do what you like.

So equanimity is an ability to be present with care and respect.

Only with that attitude will we value a situation in every aspect and our initial attention can flourish into a genuine knowing.

Sitting comfortably,

Take a few deep breaths.

And now settle into natural breathing.

At any moment of any day,

Other people will be engaged in their meditation or mindfulness practice.

We had an event this summer called MOM,

Moments of Mass Mindfulness,

Carefully timed so that many other people were meditating at the same time.

Many believe that the success of this and other events are bringing about major shifts in levels of awareness,

Acceptance and equanimity.

Right now,

Believe that someone is connected to your meditation.

Perhaps you can do this by feeling as if their breath and yours flow together across the miles and even continents that may separate you.

In a group,

You might want to practice by believing that someone in the room is in sync with your breathing.

Continue with this,

Noticing what arises.

Can you feel their silent companionship?

Do you feel a shared purpose,

Even compassion or a sense that you must continue for their sake because your joint meditation is more than the sum of the two contributors?

Perhaps there is more than one person breathing with you and a web of shared awareness is being woven around the planet.

At any time,

If you lose the connection,

Go back to the joining of your breath,

Joining on the inhale,

Then joining on the exhale.

You do not need to have an image of anyone else.

It might work better if you focus on the qualities of your inhale and exhale when they are joined in some undefined way to others.

Their support might make you feel breathed rather than breathing.

Pause this recording if you would like to continue with this meditation.

Continuing now,

Notice that we did not and indeed could not know anything of the actual people in this shared meditation.

I just asked you to know that others were there and breathing with you.

I hope that you enjoyed that meditation,

Which was a new one for me and a way of removing ourselves from all the judgment that often spills into shared experiences.

Let's take a step away from disembodied breathing into our day-to-day life and work on a positive exchange that is,

Like judgment,

Usually spontaneous but comes from a different and potentially nourishing place.

I suggest that you notice for a few days your feelings around compliments using a form of the gratitude exercise.

A compliment is a reaching out of you to someone else or someone else to you,

A noticing that is a gift but can be very easily overlooked,

Perhaps not graciously accepted.

The exercise is to notice your reactions and feelings when you give and receive compliments.

Do they fall on deaf ears or are they dismissed by you or someone else or are they heartfelt and appreciated?

Perhaps by raising awareness of compliments,

Those that are given or those that are received,

We will be more grateful for these transactions where something of value has been seen and appreciated.

Yes,

Seen and appreciated but only reaches its mark if it is accepted.

This is the gratitude exercise that I have chosen for the metal element.

Do practice it and enjoy the glimpses of precious connection with other people that it gives to you.

In contrast to acceptance of compliments,

We'll turn back to the failure to accept,

Leading to judgment.

Here's something that Eckhart Tolle says on the subject.

The mental suffering you create is always some form of non-acceptance,

Some form of unconscious resistance to what is.

On the level of thought,

The resistance is some form of judgment.

Judgment takes us away from equanimity where there is an equally valid and valuable yin and yang into the territory of right and wrong.

By being judgmental,

We can bring the sword of righteousness down with a heavy hand.

Part of all of us,

That part which resonates with the Chinese element of metal,

Likes clarity.

To different degrees,

We like the straightforwardness of black,

Not right,

And white,

Absolutely right.

This is not just a childish way of wanting to protect our fragile egos,

Although you should watch out for that one.

It can be,

I think,

An intelligent way of handling some situations as long as we have clarity and awareness.

And that's what Eckhart Tolle goes on to say.

I'll read his quote now.

Awareness is the key.

Most judgmental thoughts are of a negative kind,

Of course.

So notice as much as you can your negative thoughts about other people,

Individuals,

Or groups,

Yourself,

A place,

A situation you find yourself in,

Something that is happening but shouldn't,

Etc.

Notice the mind's tendency to find fault with people and situations,

To complain,

To pronounce righteous judgment.

I agree that awareness is key.

But I would add that when we are aware,

Fully in the moment,

And our sword is bright and skillfully wielded,

Then it can be a delicate,

Sensitive weapon with the power to bring closure.

But even as an enthusiastic sword player,

I would say that we should use our swords less and more appropriately.

How can we do this?

There is a Chinese tale of the dexterous butcher whose knife never became blunt.

His attention was focused,

Yet light.

He worked as if performing a dance.

By following the effortless Taoist way,

He found the natural contours which revealed openings where the knife could find plenty of room to move.

It met no resistance.

Let's take a little while to think about what we can learn from this.

Choose something that you would like to cut out of your life.

It might,

For example,

Be a behavior,

Shyness,

Sarcasm,

Not going out,

For example.

An unwanted situation,

A weight problem,

Friendship,

Living arrangement or problem with some aspect of work.

Something that you're not happy about and that seems unchanging.

Let's call it a situation.

Sitting comfortably now,

Settle with the breath.

Whatever you have chosen to cut out of your life,

Examine your attitude towards it.

You might do this with the mind or with feelings,

Physical or emotional.

Let thoughts and feelings come up and label them as thought,

Feeling or perhaps both.

There are no other options.

Don't force this,

Just let it happen.

When you find that one thought leads to another,

Then label it repeatedly.

So you might say for the first time thought and then for the second thought again.

Continue doing this for a while but without changing your original choice of situation.

Something that you feel is an unwanted constant feature in your life.

Don't get involved with working out ways to remove or change the situation or in objections to ways of doing that.

Just keep on exploring why you don't want it in your life now.

Pause if you like and continue this.

Realise now that all the thoughts and feelings are resistance to the situation.

All are giving it a power in your life that in short it will persist.

All are fruits of the judgement that you made to reject this situation.

Sit with awareness of the scale of the resistance.

Notice if it is mainly thoughts,

Mainly feelings or if it's both,

In what relative quantities.

Finally,

Rest from this resistance.

You don't need to reject it but can you just be aware of it?

And how is it now,

Sitting with the situation that you did not want?

Coming out of this contemplational meditation do you feel more comfortable knowing that it is your resistance that has given this situation such power over your peace of mind and possibly power over your ability to feel comfortable in your body?

You may need to do this exercise more than once and if you do that you may find that the situation loses its power and just becomes the way things are now.

A path to acceptance has emerged.

In this gentle way the power of acceptance will reveal itself as an alternative to the sword of judgement.

Not always but sometimes.

When we are able to hold the qualities of a moment in a pure,

Clear,

Sensitive way with equanimity then,

And only then should the sword come out of its scabbard,

Only then can we work like the dexterous butcher.

Thank you for joining me today.

Go safely and go well until the next recording.