Unexpected Freedom

Unexpected Freedomand look directly at the phenomenon itself and generate acounter-force. If, for instance, the mind is caught up inanger, what can help is to generate the forces of lovingkindness and compassion.There is a further degree of obstruction in which we needto analyse the distraction before the mind is released from it.We have to ask, ‘What is going on here? What is the nature ofthis anger anyway?’ We have to really consider the passionand its energy, and bring to mind the contemplations on thethree characteristics of impermanence, unsatisfactorinessand not-self.Finally, there are some disturbances which come to usabout which the Buddha said that all we can do is push ourtongue up against the roof of our mouth, grit our teeth andendure until it passes. This level of intensity is such that wecan’t deal with it at the time of its arising.I have found it very helpful to become quite clear aboutthese differing levels of intensity of distraction. It is not thecase that we should be applying the same kind of efforttowards every distraction that arises in meditation. To knowthat sometimes we can’t deal with a distraction right now isimportant. When strong passion arises, sometimes all wecan do is endure it, not act on it. We don’t allow it to go upinto our head and fuel compulsive thinking. Carefully andmindfully we hold the experience of anger as and where wefirst notice it, in our body and our mind. This is notrepression – which is a blind reaction – so we don’t need tobe afraid of this practice. This is a conscious choice towithhold our tendency to indulge. If we do indulge in it andact with body, speech or mind, we are creating kamma,which, like throwing a stone into a pond, creates ripples. Wemight think at the time that to release the tension will makeus feel better, but the reality is altogether different, and so the74