Episode 172: Clarity

In this episode, I'd like to explore the topic of confusion  •  a traditional chant has the line, “Grant your blessing so that the path may clarify confusion”  •  as you practice meditation and see how your mind works, you begin to uncover deep patterns of confusion — not confusion in the ordinary sense, but fundamental misperceptions that can lead to increased suffering for ourselves and others  •  for instance, it’s important to clarify our relationship with time: not confusing what you have experienced in the past, what you're experiencing now, and what you might experience in the future  •  in meditation practice we notice how much of the time we're dwelling and obsessing about things that happened in the past or about things in the future that may or may not ever happen  •  in meditation practice we actually invite our confusions and misunderstandings to reveal themselves so we can figure out how to deal with them and how to free ourselves from the traps that they set  • when we extend a warm welcome to our confusion, it actually freaks them out, so to speak, because misunderstandings and confusions thrive on our ignorance and avoidance  •  the idea is to find some kind of middle way: we're not trying to fix anything, and we're not trying to avoid anything; we're just taking a fresh look and cultivating a little more self understanding and clarity.