Friday, July 17, 2020

12:31 AM
A Buddhist narrative tells that the Buddha sent a disciple to take water to a muddy lake, over and over again, despite the fact that the latter was evidently irritated by the request since the water was undrinkable.




 But the last time he reached the lake, he found it crystal clear and clean. The Buddha explained to him that the mud settles on its own, it is enough to simply wait, exactly as it happens to our mind, that to find calm and balance when it is disturbed or undecided on what to do, it needs patience. 
  
On the other hand, Buddhism has always said it, calming the mind is the best way to find the answers you need, leaving the state of perpetual irritation and mental confusion that keeps us under siege, making us nervous and stressed. 
  
In this regard, in the book " The peaceful tranquillity of mental silence " by Lama Yeshe, a Tibetan Buddhist monk, we read: 
  
If you are troubled by the problems created by thoughts, instead of trying to stop these problems by clinging to some other idea, which is impossible, examine silently how thoughts cause you difficulty. Sometimes a silent mind is very important, but "silent" does not mean closed. The silent mind is alert and awake; a mind that searches for the nature of reality. In the calm one finds all the answers. Doing nothing, when you don't know what to do, is the solution. " 
  
One of the causes of our constant dissatisfaction would be precisely the thoughts that alternate in the head, and that does not leave us a single moment in peace. Thanks to practices such as meditation we can slowly calm this uncontrolled flow and bring the mind back to a state of tranquillity. 
  
Only by silencing thoughts do the answers come, the ones we really need. But there is no logic that holds because it is not the reason that finds them, but another part of us. 
  
To do this we should learn, as Lama Yeshe suggests in the interview book cited, to observe our thoughts while remaining silent, both internally and externally: 
  
You are not the whirlwind of thoughts that pound your head, you are just the observer who is in the middle of the problem. You are consciousness, which is waiting to be heard. How to achieve this state of calm that allows us to solve problems? Certainly through silence. In order to be able to live in joy and lucidity, silence, both internal and external, is fundamental. A physical closure with a head full of noise is useless. Silence inside and out. " 
  Worth a try! 
Source: Redefine Life