Hindrances

Bass with a lure dangling from its mouth

           Though we may be aware that negative character traits provoke our compulsions and addictions, it’s not always easy to let them go. We’ve come to think of them as the soothing balm that gives us what we want, or the forceful fire that burns away what we refuse to accept. Indeed, our rage may temporarily make us feel better than feeling powerless; our denial may briefly take away the sting of the truth. We get hooked into thinking these traits bring us some form of contentment. In reality, they offer only illusion. If we want to unhook ourselves, we need to be aware of the process that gets us to this point. The first stage involves an event that triggers an uncomfortable emotion. We may experience it as a tightening in the chest, numbness, a sinking feeling in the belly, or an energetic flush. Our mind goes into overdrive, shouting at us: “Do something – anything!” Hooks are most easily set when we feel insecure, so we often follow the mind’s suggestion and react. Yet we have another option: to experience the feeling without believing our thoughts. If we focus on the how the body feels instead of the story built around the emotion (“I’m going to lose my job!” “This pain is going to last forever!”), the physical sensation soon fades. When we don’t take the bait our mind generates, we find more space to relax and enjoy life. However this practice will bring a humbling realization: letting go of our hindrances is an ongoing, lifelong endeavor.

That tight feeling has the power to hook us into self-denigration, blame, anger, jealousy and other emotions which lead to words and actions that end up poisoning us. 

~ Pema Chodron

For more information on hindrances, see this post.