Releasing Attachment to Views; The Path of Least Resistance

"Busy as a bee." How often have you heard someone say that? This saying reminds me of our minds and how busy they can become.

I was chatting with a friend recently who shared with me some of the challenges they are facing right now. As I listened, I remembered that the mind is always thinking and creating, and we become attached to the view we are creating at that time.

In Zen Meditation Practice we are taught to empty our minds and to release attachment to views, as this is what causes our suffering. This is easier said than done because our habits become an energy. But, with practice, it definitely works. We can make a new habit energy. All we have to do is recognize it and then stop. This is a part of Mindfulness practice.

We can use the mind as an ally or we can choose to have the mind act as our enemy. We can choose to respond differently, in each moment.

Case in point: As I've traveled down the path of cancer, I've learned, or maybe it is better to say I've remembered, that after I've gone through whatever I've had to go through, I realize that my mind conjured up the worst case scenarios beforehand, and that made it harder to go through whatever it was I had to go through. If I remember to let go, flow, and as one friend of mine says, "drop the rope," and release attachments to my ideas about things, such as a colostomy, then I can relax more with the process and be completely open to a new and better perception. Another friend advises "Let it all fall down." It will be 'what is,' so don't struggle against it.

When we attach to a certain view, and what we attach to is always our choice, it causes unnecessary suffering. Fact is, everything is impermanent, including our views. The practice of impermanence is an important practice to have.

The next time you find yourself attached to a certain view and going into the Western mode of trying to 'fix' something or trying to 'control' something to make it fit your view, you are going to suffer. Take a moment and notice how this feels. Then, practice releasing your attachment to that view, whatever it is. Make a different choice, which is always your option, and see how everything before you changes. Now, notice how that feels.

"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."

Marjie reminded me of this when we had left the surgeon's office Monday evening. We had a great and talented surgeon explaining to us about a colostomy and how it works. The fear I had conjured in my mind about colostomy had been overwhelming. I spent a lot of time imagining how awful it would be and how much it would change my life. Fact is, again, I was attached to a certain view, and that view was incorrect. While going through the exam that afternoon, I said a little prayer as I always do. I started to say, "Please don't let me have to go through 'that,'" but I caught myself and changed it. Instead, I said, "Whatever I need to do to have my life work better, please help that happen, and I will be grateful for it. Thank you." I felt an immediate release from the attachment to the negative view, I quit resisting, and in an instant it became a positive.

This is true of everything.

I thank Marjie for reminding me of that Monday afternoon. She repeated that teaching to me, Elizabeth, and Maribeth, and we all smiled and nodded, appreciating the reminder. Marjie was also reminding herself. This is why it's called practice.

Here's a favorite picture of Marjie, standing in an open field in Iowa. It's a good picture to post here because I like to imagine that Marjie is releasing her attachment to her views. Try it - this picture shows how freeing and wonderful that can be!

As you stroll down the path of least resistance, water the seeds of non-attachment and see what grows. Take all the garbage you create in your mind and turn it into fertilizer, and behold the wonder of the garden you create. I can do it, and you can, too.

Beautiful!