Manipulating Phenomena

What do you do when you don’t like something?

Most people complain, resist, become emotional and go into opposition with the experience. We do this because we internally and externally label all phenomena, meaning thoughts, emotions, sensations or external events, into two categories: experiences that we like and experiences we don’t like. We then mentally grasp, attempt to hold on to and search for those experiences we like and avoid, reject and deny those we dislike. This fundamental, often unexamined, mental habit creates suffering and fools us into believing that we can actually manipulate phenomena. This exhausting approach obscures our true nature and the true nature of reality and phenomena.


We need to accept all phenomena first, then realize both conceptually and practically that all experience, no matter what mental category we've put it into, is impermanent. Then we need to come to the direct realization and integration that we are not the thoughts, emotions, body, identities, experiences, this "I", etc that we project onto reality. We ultimately are awareness; fluid, expansive and boundless. Awareness births, breathes and is all phenomena without any mental separations.


When we move beyond the fixation of dualistic thinking and functioning, we realize and experience all phenomena as variations of the one source, love, or as defined in Tibetan Buddhism “bliss/emptiness" or "awareness/emptiness”. This seems far-fetched to someone who has never experienced it. It is a hard concept to understand if you habitually take all experience at face value and live from a solid sense of self that depends upon permanence and labels. It takes exposure to these teachings, time, dedication, contemplation and meditation to truly understand and actualize this truth.


Manipulating phenomena is futile and an unskillful use of our energy. Try to stop or change a thought or an experience and you’ll see what I mean. We habitually function from the basis of ignorance and confusion about the true nature of all phenomena because of how we’ve been taught relate to life. What if we could be in harmony with all of life and its endless variety of experiences and from that place wisely respond and act rather than clinging to what we like and denying what we don’t? How differently we would relate to our lives!


I encourage you to practice. Life gives us endless opportunities, since many of our experiences are not exactly how we would like them to be. Be the wide open sky, accept and experience your vastness and unlimited potential and you will be in the flow with life. From this place, you will be able to intelligently use your mind and physical capacities no matter what phenomena you experience


Love,
Lisa