Laziness As Our Personal Teacher
La Pereza se manifiesta como Velocidad -by Pema Chodron
El camino del despertar es un proceso. Es un proceso de aprendizaje gradual de intimidad con nuestros llamados obstáculos. Entonces, en lugar de sentirnos desanimados por la pereza, podríamos mirar a nuestra pereza, sentir curiosidad por la pereza. Podríamos llegar a conocer la pereza profundamente.
Podemos unirnos a la pereza, ser nuestra pereza, conocer su olor y su gusto, sentirla plenamente en nuestros cuerpos. El camino espiritual es un proceso de relajación en este mismo momento de Ser. Tocamos hondo con este momento de apatía o pérdida de corazón, este momento de dolor, de evitar, de no podría importarme menos. Tocamos hondo y luego avanzamos. Este es el entrenamiento. Ya sea en meditación formal o en nuestros días y noches, podemos entrenar para dejar ir nuestros comentarios y ponernos en contacto con la sensación de calidad de nuestra experiencia. Podemos tocar nuestra experiencia sin quedar atrapados por la historia. Podemos tocar este momento de Ser y luego seguir adelante.
Estamos sentados en meditación o siguiendo nuestra rutina habitual, y se nos ocurre escuchar lo que estamos diciendo. Lo que escuchamos es, Oy vey, oy vey! Ay de mí. Soy un fracaso. No hay esperanza. Vemos lo que nos hacemos a nosotr@s mism@s, lo que nos decimos a nosotr@s mism@s, cómo nos desanimamos o intentamos distraernos. Luego dejamos que esas palabras vayan y nos toquen el corazón de este momento. Tocamos el centro de este momento de Ser y luego lo dejamos ir. Así es como entrenamos. Una y otra vez, esta es nuestra práctica.
Nos unimos a nuestra pérdida de corazón con honestidad y amabilidad. En lugar de alejarnos del dolor de la pereza, nos acercamos. Nos inclinamos hacia la ola. Nadamos en la ola.
En algún momento del proceso de quedarse con el momento, se nos puede ocurrir que hay muchos hermanos y hermanas descontent@s, sufriendo mientras nosotr@s estamos sufriendo. Al intimar con nuestro propio dolor, con nuestra propia pereza, estamos conectando con tod@s ell@s, entendiéndol@s, conociendo nuestro parentesco con tod@s ell@s.
[...] En lugar de continuar alejándonos, cerrándonos y bloqueándonos, nos apoyamos y nos relajamos. Así es como practicamos.
Entonces tal vez abramos la ventana o salgamos a caminar, o tal vez nos sentemos en silencio, pero hagamos lo que hagamos, se nos ocurre quedarnos con nosotr@s mism@s, ir detrás de las palabras, detrás de ignorar, y sentir la calidad de este momento de estar, en nuestros corazones, en nuestros estómagos, para nosotr@s y para tod@s los millones de otr@s que están en el mismo barco. Comenzamos a entrenarnos en la apertura y la compasión hacia este mismo momento. Este mismo momento de pereza se convierte en nuestro maestro personal. Este precioso momento se convierte en nuestra práctica profunda y curativa.
Pema Chodron is a renowned Buddhist teacher. Excerpt above is from an online article.
SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: What does 'unite with laziness' mean to you? Can you share a personal story of a time a moment of laziness became your personal teacher? What helps you lean into your laziness?
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5 Past Reflections
On Nov 22, 2017 Pravin Shah wrote :
Until recently, the word Laziness had a negative meaning for me like 'Procrastination', 'Coward', 'Loser' etc! But now, it has become my best friend. It is like a deliberate 'pause' in otherwise mostly 'unconscious' living! It is like a brief unscheduled Meditation moment. I love it. When I come out of 'Laziness', I am energized. Thanks.
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On Nov 21, 2017 Gail Hamley wrote :
I had learned to unite with bouts of depression which became a great teacher. Then just a few days ago I found myself grieving that I was lazy aka a failure. I accepted this laziness and let go of the judgments. A new understanding of myself emerged. I was striving, trying to run my own life and in the process I was losing the gifts offered to me in every moment. I was striving to be what I thought was ‘great’—
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On Nov 18, 2017 Jagdish P Dave wrote :
Everything that happens to me could be me my teacher if I do not resist it, fight it, fear it or freeze by denying it and doing nothing about it. As a human being, I experience ups and downs, pleasure and pain. Since I like and want pleasure, I try to avoid, deny and try to runaway from my pain. By avoiding it or believing or hoping that it is gone, I am fooling myself. What I disown slips into the shadow zone. Since I do not want to face my shadow and work through it, it darkens my light zone and prevents me from me being and accepting my authentic or real self. I need to wake up and embrace my fullness with all its colors. I relax myself and lean into that dark zone which is me. In order to be a whole human being, I need to accept my humanness and compassionately work through it.
The body has its natural rhythms. When I am tired, my body wants and needs to rest and relax and go to sleep. If I do not listen to the feedback that my body gives, I become my o... [View Full Comment]
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On Nov 18, 2017 david doane wrote :
To unite with laziness means to me to let it happen, accept it, be open to it, not fight it, and go with it. It will occur and subside, like any other feeling or experience, and I can unite with it and find out where it takes me. I've been lazy at times, not in the mood to do a task at hand, and at times I have united with the laziness and put the task aside, which felt good and freeing, and took a nap or did nothing or got into some activity that I did feel like doing. What helps me lean into my laziness, which I do too seldom, is understanding that laziness is what I feel when I don't want to do something that I am supposed to do, as determined by someone else or myself, and my laziness has something to offer. Laziness can open me to new possibilities and to finding what I do want to do. It can be an opening to finding my excitement. It can be my personal teacher. After a period of uniting with laziness I may even have renewed energy w... [View Full Comment]
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On Nov 17, 2017 Liz Helgesen wrote :
I've learned to allow and love my laziness! After suffering for years with unnecessary panic and guilt, I now 'lean in' to my laziness because I know and trust myself. As my personal history shows, my lethargy or exhaustion eventually passes and my engines rev back up and my work gets done. I know this. I trust this. This trust helps me 'lean in' to the laziness and give my self, guilt-free the moment or hour or day to recharge and practice just being.
With my love and gratitude for our Readings,
Liz