In this session we consider and explore the difference between concept and experience.

I find it really hard to contemplate, sometimes I manage it well but I need to be really focused. When I try I find my mind wandering into every day issues yet i don’t seem to have a problem meditating.

I notice when I judge someone or something (and by judging I mean assigning a moral value to my assessment of something, as opposed to discerning where I am not making a moral attribution) I am avoiding an emotion or feeling. The judgement of the the "thing" acts to replace the emotion that preceded it. I cannot be judging someone and be simultaneously genuinely feeling the truth of my emotions. As an example I was busy harshly judging someone at work for sabotaging a project I was working on. I was fuelled with so much anger and injustice. Narratives spinning away about how I could get revenge. Make it right again. I realised the anger and indignation I felt arising from judging was masking what I was really feeling. Hurt. Sadness. Pain. Even some shame I didn't help the person when they needed it. Judging this person blocked the truth of my experience. I fell out of authenticity. This process also generated a lot of suffering. Does anyone else recognise this within them as an insight? Judgement blocks our truth. Suffering is generated in how we relate (avoiding in this case) to our feelings and emotions. Not as much from the feelings themselves. The feelings dissolved immediately and suffering stopped as soon as I let myself feel them ☺️

When people say they want more control over their lives, they often mean they want things to go their way. But if your sense of control depends on outside circumstances, where is the control in your life actually coming from? You’re relying on something outside of you to make you feel in control. This admits that you AREN’T in control, circumstances are! Try to recall a recent moment when something did not go as planned. Someone responded differently than you expected or the situation simply changed. Without deciding whether your response was good or bad, ask: what part of what I did next was actually chosen? One place to investigate control is not in making life obey your plans, but in whether you can participate deliberately when it does not. We will work on this and more in my next live online workshop, Taking Control of Your Life. It will take place on Saturday, September 5. If you want to work with me, you are welcome to join here: https://chenghsin.link/workshop/tc I look forward to seeing you there. Brendan