PMAG -15 Contemplation Achievement May 2015 Contemplation June 2015 Achievement | Page 24
WELLNESS
WELLNESS
HEALTHY LIVING
Through Non-Resistance
H
ealthy living is rooted in “non-resistance to what
is”, that is, receptivity to what this moment brings.
Virtually every second each day, our ego-minds are
busy filtering our experiences through the lens of perceptions wired to support an illusory sense of security
in our limited beliefs.
Our egos thrive on feeling separate and divided,
taking all opportunities to attach a sense of “me” to
an idea, action or circumstance. We do this so that
we may feel more powerful than this moment, because in some ways, we fear what this moment offers. “This good/bad thing happened/
will happen because I did/will do this good/bad thing.”
We tend to try to fulfill our desires by painting our experiences to fit a pre-existing narrative
in our minds, whether that is “I am unworthy” or “I am extraordinary” or any other belief.
We may continually categorize, divide, shelf and compartmentalize information so that
we may temporarily feel better or worse about ourselves, giving us a sense of fleeting
meaning and passing purpose – only to grasp at the next moment to continue the cycle.
When we resist the moment, we feed our sense of separate self and inevitably suffer and
cause suffering. But when we open to what is, our monochrome, ego-driven world transforms into a technicolour world of boundless possibilities. We see that our limited self, our
sense of “me” that we thought was divided, is only a temporal illusion sustained by our
attachments. Our deeper, eternal self is an integral part of an intelligent, loving whole, no
more or less important than anything else in existence. We are literally one with the fabric
of life.
The following three qualities of healthy living provide us with practical tools to build a happier life. When we bear these in mind throughout the day as we practice non-resistance
to what is, we move from feeling restless againstness and disconnection with the world
and ourselves, to a lasting life of well-being.
2. UNDERSTANDING AND
HUMILITY
The other day, after
meditation, a thought
floated through my
mind: “There is no right or
wrong, just understanding
and misunderstanding.” I
am still exploring the truth
in this. I wonder – would
not all unrest and wars be
resolved through understanding? The trouble is,
in busily trying to get our
way, we often lack the
humility to let go of how
we think things should be
and miss opening to how
they are.
The famous Longfellow
quote comes to mind: “If
we could read the secret
history of our enemies, we
should find in each man’s
life sorrow and suffering
enough to disarm all hostility.” In order to find the
‘secret histories’ in each
other and in ourselves,
we must be willing to not
know. That means opening to this moment without resistance to what is.
With receptivity and an
attitude of knowing nothing, we discover the
universe within another
person, within ourselves
and within which we all
exist – all lying beyond
the limited grasp of our
ego/will.
Understanding requires
humility. Humility is to
feel no better or worse
than anyone or anything. Through this, we
can become receptive.
When we feel either better or worse than, we are
closed to this moment
for fear that our limited
ego, to which we cling,
will be challenged and
disappear. Understanding moves us away from
the grip of the illusion of
“me” as being fixed and
important, into a realization of interconnection
and wholeness.
3. COMPASSION
Only when we understand our innate interconnection can we learn to
witness our ego’s tendency to invest our vital lifeforce energy in feeling
separate and struggle.
In so doing, we engage
with thoughts, feelings,
actions that drain us.
Eventually, we become
ill, which is nature’s way
of reminding us that we
are out of alignment with
the universe’s compassionate flow. When we
meet illness with compassion, as a gift from a
compassionate universe,
we let go of feeling that
“life is happening to me”,
a feeling which resists
the ever-flowing effervescence of life. As we
release that which does
not serve, new life arises.
and health returns.
When we witness what is,
whether we may like or
dislike, we no longer play
into the ego’s dance of
wanting, pushing or pulling at life. We can watch
this moment unfold,
without imposing a wilful
narrative upon it. From
the foundation of understanding, through the
practice of witnessing,
the flower of compassion
arises. Compassion is an
expression of health as
the flowering of our inherent unity.
1. NON-HARMING
Painful emotions like anger and hatred hurt others and ourselves. Like a pebble dropped
into a pool of water, they radiate outward to create a ripple effect of harmfulness on the
planet. So do painful states of mind like being judgmental, blameful or victimized by life. In
these states, we are