Tuesday, January 17, 2017

The Pendulum of Emotion- finding pure joy


 
 
 
Think of your consciousness as a calm still body of ever flowing water. The overall height of the water is always the same even when we add the waves of emotion. It is the waves that disturbs the calmness of the water; the higher the wave the deeper the trough. The waves of happiness are counter balanced by the trough of sadness. That is because all of life is a duality. It is like a pendulum swinging back and forth. The only way we know anything is by its opposite swing.  The swing of success is only realized by its opposite swing of failure. The only place where joy, love and peace are not balanced by opposites is in pure still ever flowing consciousness. It is a state void of opposites. To understand this we first need to become aware of the waves and the troughs and how the pendulum swings.  When we practice yoga we seek balance. We only discover it by experiencing a loss of balance.  In seeking to find peace we need to understand all that is counter to peace; impatience, anger, hatred and fear. The pendulum of life is like the waves of the ocean. It will rise and then it will fall.

The farther the pendulum swings in one direction the farther it must swing back. We get caught up in thinking that if we push the pendulum toward more possessions, greater fame and intense pleasure we will increase our happiness. The problem is the pendulum always swings back. The only way to end the eternal rising and falling of life is to be content right here right now. That is why we do the sitting Zen; to experience moments of pure joy. Let’s get started.

 

The farther the pendulum swings in one direction the farther it must swing back. The only way to find happiness is to be content with what you have, with what comes into your life and what leaves your life. It is ego consciousness that keeps you in the constant swing of emotions.  Bend your ego to your higher power and you will discover the wisdom of pure joy.

Doctor Lynn

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