A Shift in Perception.
It's easy to get frustrated with ourselves when we have difficulty practicing the Dharma. I sometimes remark how it is easier to fall into bad habits than good ones. Why, is this? Well, personally, I believe a lot of it involves our primitive brains. Despite our advanced level of evolution and consciousness, the human brain is still a product of samsara. It is, therefore, flawed like any other aspect of samsara.
According to neuropsychologist, Dr. Rick Hanson, the brain is like "velcro for negative experiences but Teflon for positive ones." The scientific analysis is that this evolved from the days when we lived a primitive existence that depended upon recognizing dangers, and threats to survival. He gives the example of "carrots and sticks." We have two options, risk reward (carrots) or avoid dangers (sticks) The brain evolved to realize that missing a reward (food) doesn't necessarily portend immediate disaster. There will be more carrots (food) along the way, and you can still survive. If you fail to notice a "stick" (other predators, or predatory humans), however, that "stick" will smack you in the head, and kill you, or your family.
This evolutionary "alarm system" has helped propel our species forward to eventually become the dominate species on planet Earth. However, it has programmed our brain to ignore the positive in favor for the negative. This might save us physically, but it often comes with a price--mental suffering, which prevents us from leading fulfilling lives with meaning and purpose. In generations past, mental happiness and peace was ignored by our instincts because we didn't have the luxury of developing that aspect of our lives. It took all our energy, time and efforts to keep food on the table--and a safe roof over our heads. As the dominate species, we now live in a reality where there aren't as many dangers to avoid, yet our brain hasn't evolved with it, so it still favors the negative.
I believe that as humanity settled in co-operative civilizations, the threats to safety of life and our species lowered. We could band together to better defeat dangers, which allowed us the time, space and desire to focus, finally, on our mental health, as well. I believe this is when spirituality exploded in popularity. This would coincide with the major religions of today. Monotheism (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) and polytheism (Hinduism -- out of which, Meditation developed and broke-off to be its own spiritual tradition) all emerged around the globe at relatively the same time.
I write this all out to provide context to a break-through I realized with my psychologist. Having the disease of schizoaffective disorder, I sometimes focus on the negative even more than the average person. This often comes out when I'm driving. I get frustrated at all the dangerous and inconsiderate drivers on the road, so much so that it ruins my mental peace, but my psychologist gave me a trick to help me. When I'm out driving, she said to shift my perceptions toward the good drivers. She said, practice focusing (and counting) all the good drivers you see instead of the bad ones. This will change my perceptions toward seeing the good more often than bad--not just while driving, but it will spread into how I perceive everything.
I often liken practicing the Dharma to training a wild animal. Our brain and mind are those wild animals. Untrained, our mind can trample us like a wild horse, but as we train our minds through practicing the Dharma, that wild horse becomes tame to the point where it can be controlled to work with us, rather than against us. Only then can we hope to find true relief from our suffering.
According to neuropsychologist, Dr. Rick Hanson, the brain is like "velcro for negative experiences but Teflon for positive ones." The scientific analysis is that this evolved from the days when we lived a primitive existence that depended upon recognizing dangers, and threats to survival. He gives the example of "carrots and sticks." We have two options, risk reward (carrots) or avoid dangers (sticks) The brain evolved to realize that missing a reward (food) doesn't necessarily portend immediate disaster. There will be more carrots (food) along the way, and you can still survive. If you fail to notice a "stick" (other predators, or predatory humans), however, that "stick" will smack you in the head, and kill you, or your family.
This evolutionary "alarm system" has helped propel our species forward to eventually become the dominate species on planet Earth. However, it has programmed our brain to ignore the positive in favor for the negative. This might save us physically, but it often comes with a price--mental suffering, which prevents us from leading fulfilling lives with meaning and purpose. In generations past, mental happiness and peace was ignored by our instincts because we didn't have the luxury of developing that aspect of our lives. It took all our energy, time and efforts to keep food on the table--and a safe roof over our heads. As the dominate species, we now live in a reality where there aren't as many dangers to avoid, yet our brain hasn't evolved with it, so it still favors the negative.
I believe that as humanity settled in co-operative civilizations, the threats to safety of life and our species lowered. We could band together to better defeat dangers, which allowed us the time, space and desire to focus, finally, on our mental health, as well. I believe this is when spirituality exploded in popularity. This would coincide with the major religions of today. Monotheism (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) and polytheism (Hinduism -- out of which, Meditation developed and broke-off to be its own spiritual tradition) all emerged around the globe at relatively the same time.
I write this all out to provide context to a break-through I realized with my psychologist. Having the disease of schizoaffective disorder, I sometimes focus on the negative even more than the average person. This often comes out when I'm driving. I get frustrated at all the dangerous and inconsiderate drivers on the road, so much so that it ruins my mental peace, but my psychologist gave me a trick to help me. When I'm out driving, she said to shift my perceptions toward the good drivers. She said, practice focusing (and counting) all the good drivers you see instead of the bad ones. This will change my perceptions toward seeing the good more often than bad--not just while driving, but it will spread into how I perceive everything.
I often liken practicing the Dharma to training a wild animal. Our brain and mind are those wild animals. Untrained, our mind can trample us like a wild horse, but as we train our minds through practicing the Dharma, that wild horse becomes tame to the point where it can be controlled to work with us, rather than against us. Only then can we hope to find true relief from our suffering.
~i bow to the buddha within all beings~
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