Life is like the famous Buddhist paradox or Koan, What is the sound of
one hand clapping? This places us
outside the limitations of the rational mind. In life there is no right or wrong
answer to this paradox as there are really no right or wrong answers to life. How you live your life is based upon your
morals and ethics, your level of consciousness and your a state of being. Like the
Koan, paradoxically the content of
your life is irrelevant and at the same time the content is necessary for the
process of learning. It is only through the process that we learn, but the content
is the teacher. You cannot discover love without an object to love.
The content of our lives provides us with the opportunity to discover,
correct and adjust our being. Anger, for example, arises throughout our lives.
It is not wrong nor is it right. We are presented with situations that create
anger and then asked what we choose to do with them. We can be cruel or we can be
kind. The choice is ours, and how and what we choose determines our karma.
There is no right or wrong answer. It is simply cause an effect. If you act cruelly
you become a cruel person. So it is
suggested that with all of life’s content we choose wisely because life
presents itself to us for the “soul” purpose of using the process of life to
remove vices and add virtues. Yoga is about the process and not about the content
of the poses and yet we need the poses to help us discover balance, flexibility,
strength and peace. Pay attention to the process and not the content.
Awareness is the task of exploring our vices and virtues. This is our
purpose and our meaning; simply to gain virtues and leave behind our
vices. Our daunting task is to uncover
the elements of self that need correction and replace them with virtues. The
content of our lives is a vehicle full of potential for the “soul” purpose of
bringing us awareness. It is only the potential. Unless we consciously choose
to bring about constructive change our lives will appear to be chaotic,
confusing and disappointing. The process of life is not about the content, but
about the relationship we have with life and whether we choose to make it harmonious
or tumultuous. This
process of discovery is found through the contents of our lives. When we
discover our true mission, the drama and dynamics of life give way to the
process of enlightenment.
What is the sound of one
hand clapping?
Doctor Lynn
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