Changing Outmoded Perspectives Through Mindfulness

Our minds are akin to plants and we must selectively water the seeds that will cultivate our best selves. Source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHclGdRtEUEHLhVhz8eJFuwxCEobXbQTnQKZ1jPkpnt9ZpuCRJi73_A9fwtM92tzhVuLdmaouTl2CHCP85GQjJMCfyWt_k6ECmUJhuamQgI60E8fVuL257R5ibPq5bec40DqQt_AkZlR6t/s1600/SDC11410.JPG

Our minds can readily accept new modes of thinking to displace obsolete modes like a carpenter changing a weak peg with a newer, stronger one. Source: http://media.merchantcircle.com/37279693/man%20building%20house_full.jpeg

Mindfulness in general is at the heart of self-improvement through modifying undesired thoughts, feelings, or habits by understanding and accepting them. Source: http://www.today.ucla.edu/portal/ut/artwork/9/6/9/6/6/96966/mindfulness-istock-prv.jpg

One can change a feeling, thought, or habit that is undesirable through mindfulness and by adopting this mindfulness to ideas such as “selective watering” and “changing the peg.” Mindfulness is the idea of being fully aware of our surroundings and is described by Hanh in “The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching” as “the energy that can help us stop.” (38) Mindfulness allows us to determine the “nutriments” that we are ingesting that are causing us to suffer. The practice can also allow us to see the world for its beauty and the happiness it grants us. Mindfulness is not distraction, however. It is the acceptance of our life, experiences, and current situation without judgment. For example, the practice of mindful walking allows one to fully invest in the act of walking and the beauty of the world around the individual. Many people (author included) move from place to place without notice of the natural world. Other practices that enhance mindfulness include that of the senses (e.g. mindful eating and mindful listening) and mindful breathing. These practices allow for one to be focused in the present and to distance oneself from issues/memories in the past. Such practices are beneficial in changing a feeling such as anxiety. Anxiety itself is one of the negative feelings (dukkha) identified within Buddhism. It is a “message” for one to change their state of mind, a negative physical experience that is intended to cause reflection on the thoughts and situations promoting the experience. I have learned to assuage this emotional state through mindfulness. For example, I was recently anxious about studying for an exam. I used mindfulness to help me discover the fears and other negative perceptions that I had concerning the exam in order to construct a realistic appraisal of what I needed to do to prepare. I did not use mindfulness to distract me from my anxiety and rather “listened” to my anxiety in order to accomplish my goal of doing well on the exam. Therefore, mindfulness can be a powerful tool in helping one to accept, understand, and alter the negative thoughts one is presently experiencing.

            The concept of “selective watering” is the idea that our consciousness is itself a selective entity as we form both the perceptions and concept of objects around our inherent beliefs about the world. For example, Thich Nhat Hanh asserts in “The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching” that: “If ten people look at a cloud, there will be ten different perceptions of it. Whether it is perceived as a dog, a hammer or a coat depends on our mind…” (53) These perceptions are cultivated by our past experiences. For example, our interpersonal relationships with other people in the present day are rooted in both our past “history” with the person and our experiences with similar people. These experiences are subjective and influence our cognition concerning that person. Our opinions concerning others and the objects that comprise our reality are similar forms of subjective thought. Buddhism argues that there is no “true” or “right” perspective concerning that of reality because a perspective automatically colors reality. The “right view” is one free of perspective – difficult at best. There can be a shift towards this philosophy through mindfulness as this allows us to cultivate an existence free of conceptions and assumptions. The concept of “selective watering” is the idea of “nurturing” the “seed” of mindfulness through training. Perceptions disrupt this process because they interfere with mindfulness by attaching emotions and judgments to people, scenarios, and other aspects of our life. Thus, the concepts of “selective watering” and “right view” are interconnected with the concept of mindfulness. Selective watering through mindfulness can alter a thought as thoughts are manifestations of our perceptions. I have used such a process to cull the impulsive, undesired thoughts I have had about others. The philosophy is useful for understanding the root of such thoughts rather than suppressing them or otherwise rationalizing them. Such practices are useless because the thoughts will continue unless their font is discovered. Practicing mindfulness allows one to accept the thoughts and understand the perceptions that guide them. Such perceptions have typically been rooted in my past experiences with other people and are not related at all to the person in question who is receiving the thought. These negative experiences are the primary motivation for the thoughts and culling them has prevented such thoughts from resurfacing.

            The concept of “changing the peg” is the idea that one can “push out” an old thought or idea as a carpenter would push out a peg that is not supportive of the structure he is building. In this way, the old thought or “mental formation” is superseded by a new thought. This process allows for the cultivation of thoughts that are both healthy and novel. It is not beneficial to attach permanence to such thought patterns, however. Hanh argues this in “The Heart of the Buddha”: “To put suffering on the same level as impermanence is an error. Impermanence and nonself are “universal.” They are a “mark” of all things.” (21) Attaching permanence to thoughts, emotions, objects, people, or relationships is an error because all of these items are inherently impermanent. Buddhism argues for this understanding, to assume nothing concerning the future state of these objects. For example, I have a tree in the back of my house that appears to be over a century old. It is a gargantuan tree and its overall health is unknown. There is a risk of it collapsing on a shed or a car. I used to deny, when I was younger, that the tree would never fall down. However, there is a serious risk of at least a bough collapsing from a storm or similar event. Therefore, it is unwise to attach permanence to the tree’s present state, to attach a hope to it that the tree will remain structurally sound forever. This was an example of “changing the peg” as it relates to a thought: the irrational belief that the tree would remain in its present state was superseded by a realistic appraisal of the tree’s condition. This concept can also be utilized to alter an unwelcome habit. For example, I used to leave the water running when I brushed my teeth. I realized that this is an unwelcome habit because it wastes water. The old mental formation that encouraged the habit believed in the efficiency of the practice. This mental formation was soon discarded in the wake of my growing environmental conscientiousness. The
“old peg” was the belief system and selfishness that I had created around the practice and the “new peg” was the understanding that my actions were environmentally unsustainable. This new mental formation allowed me to both cultivate new thoughts and actions, thereby eliminating the desire for the habit. The concept of “changing the peg” continually reinforces mindfulness: by assessing current thoughts and behaviors (positive or negative), one can determine the root of these thoughts and behaviors. Finding the source of negative thoughts and behaviors (such as habits) is the first step in defeating them.