How we Get Rid of the Unpleasant - (3903)

Introduction

Here are some ways that our mind tries to get rid of the unpleasant thoughts, emotions and sensations that arise in us.

Just before I list them, if we know what our mind does we can switch to what our essence does. Sounds promising doesn't it?

List

The mind uses aversion. Aversion is not the best strategy in dealing with the unpleasant. But the mind still uses it.

The feelings of aversions are contraction, discouragement, self-pity and bargaining.

The remedy is to be totally clear and open to the arising and feeling of it. Consciously watching it, conscious attention.

If we don't open up fully to it, we feel fear, then it gets worse, and we start to ask how long will it last and we feel even more nervous. 

We can use bargaining in our mind. We think: "I'll work on it, observe it, understand it and be conscious of it and open to it if it goes away". This does not cure it.

The remedy to aversion once again is clear conscious openness. Recognition without judgment.

To be open means to not even see what hurts or bothers us as a block, or as something harmful. 

When we think we will practice to get rid of a block. We are still in a kind of aversion. We need the most powerful non-judgement capacity to be totally open.

Everything on the level of mind and emotion in us is impermanent, all these unpleasant emotions come and go.

We get aversion with the past and with things that have not happened yet. We paint these scenarios and images in our mind and then we get scared of what we paint.

End (3903).