of cars, gasoline, donkeys and carrots

A quote from Mindfulness, Bliss and Beyond, by Ajahn Brahm: "Just as gasoline is the fuel that propels a car, so discontent is the fuel that moves the mind. When a car runs out of gas, it gently rolls to a stop. One doesn't need to use the brake. In the same way, when the mind runs out of discontent... it gently comes to a stop. One doesn't need to use the brake of willpower. The mind comes to a state of stillness quite naturally."

And of course, when the mind is still, the problem disappears. It's a mobius strip of an idea—the very best kind. Forgiveness, in A Course in Miracles is this very idea: "Love holds no grievances." or "Your brother's errors are not of him, any more than yours are of you. Accept his errors as real, and you have attacked yourself."

So what does it mean when the mind is moved by discontent? It means that in whatever way we are saying "now is not good enough," we are at the same time creating the feeling of "not good enough." Without the thought, "now is not good enough" the experiential not-good-enoughness of the moment does not exist.

If you follow what I am saying, it should be clear that there is cause and effect operating in this equation. You invest the thought "now is not good enough" with identification, which gives it the breath of life and creates the embodied experience of discontent. But now that you have identified with the thought, it does a kind of dastardly thing. It says, "You need to fix this!" and proceeds to create a feeling of solid selfhood, dedicated to completing the task.

So the very thought, without which there would be no discontent, then tells you how to fix the "now" to make it better—only the advice it gives you is guaranteed not to work because the problem is imaginary. As Guy Finley says: The doctor who gave you the poison in the first place is now trying to sell you the antidote.

What the evil doctor sells you is a list of "if only" proclamations. If only I had more money. If only I had a relationship. If only I had a thinner body. If only I were better looking. If only I were enlightened. And so on.

We buy into this delusion because once we have identified with that aspect of the body-mind, we believe that happiness is a process of accumulation... of getting. Getting experiences, getting stuff, getting enlightenment.

Ajahn Brahm relates a great little traditional story about a smart Buddhist donkey and a carrot on a string. I'll paraphrase it here: If you find yourself hooked up to a cartload of junk by your master the discontented thought, and you're pulling it along frantically because it has promised that if you keep running you'll get the carrot that is suspended on a string two feet in front of your face by a stick attached to your halter, here's what you do: have some self respect and stop short. Just stop!

The carrot will swing out like a pendulum, seemingly further away than ever, and as you remain motionless, completely content to be resting, and utterly letting go, not caring one way or the other, it will swing back towards your opened mouth.

Comments

[Leslie]

Dear Marian-
That was the best one yet.
Thank you.
-Leslie

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1836588796]

Marian, this post really resonates with me. I've been noticing more and more that by holding grievances or arguing with reality, what we are unconsciously seeking is to strengthen our sense of self. Your post takes this idea to the next level! Thank you.

[Peter]

mmmm-delicious organic carrot! Thanks!