Even a relatively minor action, if undertaken with a conscious
awareness of how imprints make us see an otherwise "neutral" or "empty"
world as we do, will lead to tremendous results.
Why do you
make knee jerk decisions? Why do you make bad choices? Why don’t you
take the time to reflect on your life and start making some different
choices? New goals? And ultimately, how do you control your mind so
that you feel more objectivity, happiness and peace?
I’ve
researched these complex questions for years and I’ve finally found an
explanation that makes sense and has opened my eyes wide open. This way
of explaining our minds, and ultimately whether we live our lives
filled with peace and happiness comes from some of the most ancient and
important Asian teachings.
Your mind records about sixty-five
discrete images or imprints in the space of a finger snap. These
imprints enter a place in your subconscious. All these imprints reside
in your mind like a vast repository. Some stronger than others.
For
example, money is a tool you use in life that has been imprinted over
and over in your mind almost all your life. All these imprints have
flowered over the years. Every action, thought or word has planted an
imprint in your mind, which is the gate of our own awareness of ourselves. The strength of imprints in your mind also depends on your intentions, emotions, self-recognition...etc.
Your imprints determine what and how you perceive the world around you.
Say
for example you have known someone for a while and you decide he or she
is irritating. You have labelled them as irritating. You have been
influenced by a history of your mind imprints to come to this
conclusion. Some stronger than others. If this person reminds you of
your irritating father and he yelled at you last night, this particular
imprint is very strong. There could have been a host of different
emotional past imprints that help you define this person as irritating.
However, another person finds this person as wonderful, another finds
this person compassionate. They have also had different imprints
affecting them throughout their lives.
So let me try to fit all this in with the first paragraph of this entry.
If
we become consciously aware of our imprints, and instead of seeing an
irritating person we empty our mind of imprints, we will be able to see
that person as a clean slate or objectively, and perhaps in time learn
to like them. It is our perception and judgement supported by years of
imprints that is fooling us. Once we see someone in the present and we
use a neutral attitude towards them, we release the flood of potential
past imprints that have formed our perception. Thus objectivity,
understanding and perhaps compassion have a much better chance of
emerging.
This theory applies to everything in life. You may
think that a particularly rainy day is completely ruining your day. In
grade two you fell off your bike during a storm and broke your leg,
hence one of many, many imprints of rainy days, bad weather, dark
clouds…. etc. But the rainy day is just that, a rainy day. Perhaps
another person is gathering drinking water from this rain day and is
incredibly happy. If you come to understand that the rainy day is not
personally attacking you and look at it from an empty or neutral mind,
a peaceful feeling will develop and the rain and ensuing rainbow will
eventually look incredibly beautiful to you.
The more you
become conscious of your imprints and the more you practise creating
compassionate, loving and honest imprints, big or small, the more life
rewards you with moments of peace and wonderful experiences.
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