In the next two weeks we will practice noticing and transcending resistance.
The Buddha taught that we must practice dropping that which leads towards suffering and cultivate that which leads to freedom.
In the book, I don't want to, I don't feel like it: How resistance controls your life and what to do about it, we learn:
- Ego-I clings firmly to a point of view that life can (and should) be other than what it is.
- Its perspective is that there is something wrong with what is.
- It operates on the premise that it can change what it is dissatisfied with and that those changes will lead to a different, and better, outcome.
Because ego-I is not real, its illusory world must constantly be maintained. Its maintenance strategy is resisting anything that suggests it is not real. It opposes anything that threatens its imaginary point of view or its illusory existence.
Resistance--
I don't want to,
I don't feel like it,
I can't, I won't--
is the process by which "I" maintains itself.
Participation Goal
This is a self-guided R/L Practice Intensive. Each day, read the prompt first thing in the morning. You may want to print it out and post it where you will see it frequently, carry it in your pocket, or record it. Throughout the day, practice with this prompt. Record at least once what you see.
Today's topic: Day 1
Resistance (I don't want to, I don't feel like it, I can't, I won't) is the process by which "I" maintains itself. R/L about how “I” maintains itself through resistance.
Today's topic: Day 2
Looking at the “how” of things gives us a new lens to explore the process of resistance. Use this lens to explore the process of resistance today. R/L
Today's topic: Day 3
The process of resistance wants something other than what is. Notice beliefs about how things "should" or "could" be & R/L how comparison keeps you from thiseherenow.
Today's topic: Day 4
For most people, "I don't feel like it" is a constant, invisible barrier of resistance. When "I" doesn't feel like it, do it anyway and R/L about what you notice.
Today's topic: Day 5
When we stay with sensations that ego-identity labels "unpleasant,” we have a radically different experience. R/L about not resisting unpleasant sensations.
Today's topic: Day 6
Resistance to repetition is really resistance to life. Throughout the day today, watch how repetition plays a role in resistance. R/L about what you see.
Today's topic: Day 7
There is a payoff for everything we do and don't do. What is the payoff for continuing to be a person who “can't”? R/L about something you can't do & the payoff for this.
Today's topic: Day 8
"I already know that." "I should know that." "I have to get it right and I only have one shot at it." How does ego use these three forms of resistance? R/L (124 characters)
Today's topic: Day 9
Ego-I establishes a belief in right and wrong. How does suffering over making a "right" decision reflect resistance to accepting "no right/no wrong?" R/L about this.
Today's topic: Day 10
Instead of resisting what causes us to suffer, Life invites us to practice being in love with what we seek. Today, R/L about being in love with the life you seek.
Today's topic: Day 11
Practice looking for what you are drawn to & cultivate an orientation to Life that is attraction instead of resistance. R/L about living in resonance, not resistance.
Today's topic: Day 12
Today, practice gratitude and explore this question: Can resistance exist in the face of gratitude? R/L what you notice.
Today's topic: Day 13
Resistance separates. It is a process of assessment, evaluation, judgment, and criticism. What happens when you practice oneness instead? R/L
Today's topic: Day 14
When we practice being wholeheartedly present in thisherenow, we are not practicing ego-identity maintenance. R/L about the absence of resistance in thisherenow.