According to Jim

Stopping the War

“One young man came to meditation with a deep distrust for authority. He had rebelled in his family, understandably, for he had quite an abusive mother. He had rebelled in school and dropped out to join the counterculture. He had fought with a girlfriend who, he said, wanted to control him. Then he went to India and Thailand to find his freedom. After an initial positive experience in mediation, he signed up for a period of practice in a monastery. He decided to practice very strictly and make himself clear and pure and peaceful. However after a short time he found himself in conflict again. The daily chores didn’t leave him enough time to meditate nonstop. The sound of visitors and an occasional car were disturbing his mediation. The teacher, he flet, wasn’t giving enough guidance, and due to this, his meditation was weak and his mind wouldn’t stop. He struggled to quiet himself and resolved to do it his own way but ended up fighting himself.
“Finally, the teacher called him to task and the end of a group meditation. “You are struggling with everything. How is it that the food bothers you, the sounds bother you, the chores bother you, even your mind bothers you? Doesn’t it seem odd? What I want to know is when you hear a car come by, does it really come in and bother you, or are you going out to bother it? Who is bothering whom?
“The purpose of spiritual discipline is to give us a way to stop the war, not by force of will, but organically, through understanding and gradual training. Ongoing spiritual practice can help us cultivate a new way of relating to life in which we let go of our battles.”
Excerpted from “A Path With Heart” by Jack Kornfield