Eckhart Tolle offers an interesting pointer in one of his books.
When you are struggling with some issue, the instruction is to ask:
What problem do I have, in this moment?
The initial response will likely be a thought: I’m stressed, I slept poorly, I ate the almond croissant etc.
But the question is to ask what problem you have, right now, in this moment. Not just then or in a few minutes.
Last night, I was listening to Adyashanti’s Process of Self talk on the Waking Up app.
He says that our culture doesn’t really understand contemplation anymore: what it means to sit and contemplate something.
Our cultural view of contemplation is thinking hard on something until the right belief pops out. We hear “know thyself” and immediately latch on to our beliefs, our past and our narratives.
But that’s just ruminating, not contemplating. We think everything has a solution and that the solution takes the form of a propositional belief: facts, rules, theories and beliefs.
Coming soon to a psyche near you.