Q: There Is A Great Storm Raging In My Mind And In My Heart_PART_01

(approx. 14 minutes) KEYWORDS: "There is a great storm raging in my mind and in my heart. Feelings of pain, anger, righteous indignation, frustration, futility and despair over the Israel/Palestine situation. I think the main cause of agitation is wanting to help, whilst recognising our capacity to influence things is minimal. Surely, if we know suffering is happening, if we believe injustice is being committed, don't we have an obligation to do what we can to work for freedom from suffering? I have heard Dhamma teachings about the importance of inner work and would appreciate any thoughts you can offer on this painful topic." Heart-felt pain, bigger picture perspective, dispassionate, cold-hearted, getting lost, striking a balance, sadness, fear, anger, rage, faith, Dhammapada verse 197, verse 198, solutions, Four Brahman Viharas, empathy, equanimity, kindness, compassion, joy, compassion fatigue, stability, cultivation, conceptual, kamma, vortex, deep in-breath, embodied mindfulness, intensity, zoom out further, question identity, emotional activity, awareness, the knowing and the known, grounded, anatta, an invitation to enquire.

PRAISE and BLAME: full moon - 24th March, 2024

"There never was,
nor will there be,
nor is there now,
anyone who is only blamed
or wholly praised."

DHAMMAPADA v. 228

Apparent reality is one thing; actuality is something else. On the apparent level, receiving praise is good and receiving blame is bad. From a practice perspective, both are useful. If, when we are praised, we become inflated with self-importance, we suffer. We might not notice it at the time, but we will later on. Perhaps we will have to wait until we are blamed and become deflated and experience that sort of suffering. It is useful to learn to see that it is not the praise or the blame that causes our suffering, it is the way we meet them. Are we still identifying as the activity taking place in our hearts and minds, or are we remembering our refuge in the Buddha, in just-knowing awareness?