Daniel Nguyen
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Thank you for the question Jaime.
I think in the Power of Flickering Thoughts reading, Trungpa Rinpoche says, “We are not fundamentally incapable of being mindful, but we are unable to develop exertion or striving on the path.”
This may be a benign example, but my friends and I were joking that probably the pandemic has made a fortune for a service like Uber Eats (and I’m probably guilty of contributing to this). It’s sort of pleasurable, fast, and convenient to order out all the time, and have a seemingly endless menu. Then, we might order too much… and leave leftover in the plastic container that is not even compostable. And as I imagine society as a whole starting to do that, then I guess, at a certain point, we might wonder how we managed to produce so much trash all of a sudden.
I think the suggestion of lack of mindfulness or exertion in this case, might be the laziness of not wanting/being able to enjoy some part of the eating process? Maybe going groceries and choosing food takes too much work or time after a long day. Or maybe washing the dishes is considered unpleasant, so things pile up in the corner (hence, Skip the Dishes…). So I guess progressively, speed takes over, and we forget or are unwilling to relate to things properly, or with care–something to that effect. I’m not suggesting we don’t do takeout obviously, but more, it’s an interesting practice to notice which parts of our experience we might reject, or be unwilling to work with fully. There’s an interesting edge there.
I hope that helps.
The quote is from the chapter entitled: “Point Two: The Main Practice, Which Training in Bodhichitta.”
It starts at the end of paragraph 12, and continues in paragraph 13:
“[…] The five ultimate bodhichitta slogans are steps toward a compassionate approach. […] And actually, ultimate bodhichitta is preparation for relative bodhichitta. Before we cultivate compassion, we first need to understand how to be properly. How to love your grandma and how to love your flea or your mosquito—that comes much later. If we do not have an understanding of ultimate bodhichitta, then we do not have any understanding of the actual working basis of being compassion and kind to somebody.”
Hi Seann,
Sorry for the late reply, just saw this now. Would you like to email me at nyinthun.ptr@gmail.com?
Thanks,
Daniel
