Four Limitless Qualities

http://www.terragalleria.com/index.html

Some of us spend our lives cultivating our resentments and addictions and desires. We spend so much time on these cravings that we end up becoming them. We remain in a viscous cycle of want, need, and resentment when things don't go exactly our way. How to break this cycle? Well, one way that has been done for centuries with the Buddhist tradition is the "Four Limitless Qualities." The practice is to aspire to loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. They are as follows:

May all sentient beings enjoy happiness and the root of happiness.

May we be free from suffering and the root of suffering.

May we not be separated from the great happiness devoid of suffering.

May we dwell in the great equanimity free from passion, aggression, and prejudice.

The bodhichitta practices are ways to sow the seeds of well-being, not only for ourselves, but for others. I am not trying to negate anyone's religion. I think this is a way of thinking, less a religious practice. But like all things, it takes practice in learning to want for others as you do yourself. It often starts with training our mind to jump the tracks, so to speak, and learn a new language of thought. The mind/brain loves to stay in it's ruts. It likes same. Which of course, keeps us in the same patterns that also make us miserable. Here then, is one way to consider throwing off the shackles that bind, and begin to heal our hearts and start serving our souls.

In these practices, we start with ourselves and those we love the most. We express the wish that we enjoy happiness and the root of happiness. Next we include someone we love. Using the thought that they enjoy happiness and the root of happiness. Then we extend it to a widening circle of friends and relationships. Begin where the aspirations feel genuine, where we already feel love, compassion, joy and equanimity. Then we move on to the neutral people in our life, and eventually to people we don't like. Remember this is a practice! It is intended as a workout to expand the heart beyond it's current capabilities. Then move on to the next one on suffering, and so on.

Expect resistance. We are learning to open our hearts and move closer to our fears. Aspiration practices have the power to loosen up useless habits and melt our fixations and defenses. We are learning to be steadfast. By acknowledging love, compassion, joy and equanimity that we feel now, and nurturing them through this practice, they will strengthen on their own.

Happiness is being free of anger, resentment, guilt, greed, envy, the list goes on. It is through our thoughts that our reality is constantly forming. Learning to train our thinking is fundamental to creating the kind of world we want.

Just Thinkin'

One thing about driving along, you have plenty of time to just think. And quite frankly, I think many of you are finding yourself in "thinking mode" right along with me. (Thanks to this world-wide economic tsunami.) As I visit all of your blogs, however, I find myself becoming more and more excited about our future.

Pema Chodron, in her book "When Things Fall Apart", talks about when we are faced with the "gorilla in the mirror", i.e., all of our defenses are not working, and we are unable to manipulate the situation to make ourselves come out looking good. Now many of you are saying - "But I didn't do anything to bring on this economic mess - this doesn't fit my situation." And you are right, but just for a moment, think how the following excerpt can relate to you in any difficult personal situation you may find yourself in right now:

"It's as if you just looked at yourself in the mirror, and you saw a gorilla. The mirror's there; it's showing you, and what you see looks bad. You try to angle the mirror so you will look a little better, but no matter what you do, you still look like a gorilla. That's being nailed by life, the place where you have no choice except to embrace what's happening or push it away." She goes on to talk about other things like "leaning into the points", allowing ourselves to feel sad, mad, disappointed, embarrassed, whatever the situation calls for. But after a certain amount of time doing that, use the situation as a guide to show us where we might be stuck. Use it as an opportunity.

Could this meltdown be an opportunity? Blog after blog of talented, really talented, people are looking at themselves and asking if maybe they should make those widgets they always wanted to make, or write, or do their art, or start a company, or have an animal shelter. Maybe they won't make as much money, but maybe they don't need as much money. 

What do you think? Could this be an opportunity for an explosion of creativity in the marketplace? What would it look like if people were working from a place of passion? Do you have a passion for something you have always wanted to do, but never found the opportunity?