Gaining a sense of solidity and being free

Being present in the Here and Now lends us a sense of solidity and freedom.

Perhaps I can illustrate this statement by describing what as happened today in my life. A few years ago I registered a criminal complaint against one of my colleagues who cheated me of a very large sum of money. This person was arrested in due course and subsequently released on bail. I strongly suspect that the Investigating police officer has taken money from the accused in order to mismanage the case. Till date – more than 2 years after the arrest – the accused has not been charge sheeted. The Investigating officer whom I suspect, has been suspended from service due to another matter and as yet my case has not been assigned to another officer.

I am now following up with the Mumbai police so that my case makes progress but my efforts are bearing little fruit. The accused has still not been charge sheeted, much less any properties or monies recovered.

With all these matters on my mind today, I found myself worrying and making myself miserable. A few years ago this miserable mood may have continued for days. But Eastern Philosophy has helped me to snap out of it.

I observed the sensations in my body as I was taught to do in Vipassana. I concentrated on mindfully drinking my cup of coffee in the morning. Later I walked over to Barista café for a cup of my favorite beverage. I observed my breath and the sensations in my feet as they landed on the ground as I walked. And by doing this I recovered my sense of well being and was at peace.

Most of us are caught up in our worries for a major part of each day. We are running all the time. Running after wealth, sex, fame power and prestige. The race never stops. We need to practice being free.

As Thich Nhat Hanh says:- “Freedom here is not political freedom. Freedom here is freedom from regret, freedom from fear, from anxiety and sorrow. This state of freedom we can achieve by being rooted in the Here and Now. I have arrived; I am home in the Here and Now.”

We need to continuously bring ourselves back to the present moment. When we are not actually doing our work it makes little sense to be brooding over or thinking about our jobs. A narrow focus of mind will prevent us from relaxing even in our moments of rest. And if we practice awareness of the Here and Now we can be free of the grasping anxious ego even when we are involved in our activities.

This needs a constant watchfulness. I noticed myself thinking of my case many times today even after I had decided that there was nothing that I could do about it right now. I had to constantly bring my awareness back to the present moment by making an effort. We need to continuously keep reminding ourselves to stay in the present and make the effort whenever we find ourselves caught up in our thoughts.

And when you arrive in the present moment you will be solid and free. What freedom means I have explained earlier. By solidity I mean that you will have a presence about you, a quality of self awareness which leads to peace. You will be aware of your body as it moves, of each in breath and out breath. By staying aware you will have a presence and a solidity about you that not only you but others will also notice.

This will not be easy. You will be working to reverse the habits passed on through generations. Thich Nhat Hanh writes about his acquaintance with the Untouchable community in India. The Untouchables led by Dr. B R Ambedkar had decided to convert to Buddhism and Thich Nhat Hanh had gone to India to lend his support.

The friend who organized Hanh’s trip was in the habit of being tense and anxious. Hanh noticed it and encouraged him to practice mindfulness. But barely had a couple of minutes passed that the Untouchable friend was back to feeling anxious. Thich Nhat Hanh drew two conclusions from this. One was that we need to keep reminding ourselves to be mindful, nobody else can do it for us. Hanh had reminded his friend to be mindful but the effect had lasted for barely a couple of minutes. The second conclusion, Hanh says, was that the Untouchable community had been ill treated for so long that they had to get into the habit to being tense and anxious. And these habits were being passed on from generation to generation. It is but natural to feel yourself tense and anxious if you feel yourself to be persecuted. And it is also natural to pass on these traits to your children.

Similarly – although most of us have never been systematically persecuted – we may have inherited habits of tenseness and anxiety from our parents. Day to day life is filled with responsibilities and most of us get into the habit of worrying excessively. We need to practice mindfulness ourselves to be happy in the Here and Now and also pass on the practice of mindfulness to our children so that they will lead happy lives.

I hope you enjoyed this article and that it will be useful to you.

Stay tuned for more in this continuing series.

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