In previous blogs, I’ve outlined how certain attitudes can be helpful as we enter into mindfulness training. By cultivating qualities such as commitment, courage, and cheerfulness, we can incline our minds toward living more wisely. Here are 3 more approaches of mind we can train in, and some suggestions for how to discover them.
Co-operationA wise teacher was asked: “What’s the secret to your happiness?” The reply came back: “A wholehearted cooperation with the unavoidable.” When the present moment is boring, irritating, frightening, or painful, we may not want to co-operate. We may fear it will feel like resignation or self-betrayal, or that we’ll be overwhelmed. But when we can’t change much about our situation, we can change our approach to it.
The word co-operate means “to work with,” and this requires alignment. We can stop trying to fix things by battling: with pain, depression, anxiety, or whatever else ails us. We can let go of chasing future pleasures in a way that blinds us to present-moment joy. Ceasing our striving to get somewhere else, we gently drop into feeling where we are. We can start to relax. Releasing our tension, we’re no longer in a state of war,…
