Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Need to put on the little pants...

The spiritual teacher Pema Chödrön recently came to my attention, most likely because there was a lesson I needed to hear. She talked about how certain things hook us - give us an emotional charge - and we have a difficult time letting them go. That emotional charge can be anger, outrage, or just simply that it captures and contains us - hooks us into a thought or action pattern that is not constructive.
What strikes me as I ponder the idea of being hooked by something is the internal process - the feeling of pleasure in "sticking it to" someone. It's the sense that someone's pants are too big and I should show them either that their pants aren't so big or I have big pants too. Hooked.
Once I get the hook out of my mouth, I don't think my pants are so big. And it's not a problem that they think they have big pants. It's their pants. If they want big pants, they will discover some day that the big pants require a big belt. But I better worry about my big pants needing a belt if I don't get a grip.
We all see what we are ready to see. Quite often we need to suffer before our spirits can awaken. OR we can stop - stop - silence - listen. We can awaken our spirit and understand that biting the hook creates something that is not necessary or productive to our growing. And that suffering is an opportunity - a beginning - a launching point. Be at peace, in love and with great anticipation.
Little pants allow greater mobility and less room for hooks to catch.

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