The most important thing for a human being is to learn to let their energy out. (Energy will develop and strengthen as part of this process, and not vice versa.) This is what we mean by freedom. Smiling is only useful if it frees up this process. It is a smile of courage rather than a smile of contentment or appeasement. We are not trying to become like the giggling Tibetans or the reactionary New Agers, we are trying to become warriors. Imitate the smile of a warrior about to enter battle. He smiles and laughs to dispel the fear trying to drag him down into the mire of self, to dispel the reluctance to engage (the reluctance to die). A correct smile should instil terror in the heart of the enemy because it is a sure sign that you mean business and are about to explode in their direction with everything you have.
Each moment you find yourself in is pregnant with possibilities - the manifold now. The normal approach is to use the thinking mind to pick or plan a single path through the unfathomable chaos of unfolding reality. We recommend instead you use lightness and humour to cut through the singular linearity of the thinking mind and connect to the totality of this complex. Your engagement can be total - you just have to make a mental leap and realise that reality doesn't happen despite you it happens for you and with you - you are the manifold now.
Each moment you find yourself in is pregnant with possibilities - the manifold now. The normal approach is to use the thinking mind to pick or plan a single path through the unfathomable chaos of unfolding reality. We recommend instead you use lightness and humour to cut through the singular linearity of the thinking mind and connect to the totality of this complex. Your engagement can be total - you just have to make a mental leap and realise that reality doesn't happen despite you it happens for you and with you - you are the manifold now.
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Stimulated by an email from Pat: "You have been blogging recently about taking responsibility for one's own life. I have always been aware of that need. My difficulty (one of the many) is wanting to take responsibility for other people as well. Sitting down in my pleasant Tai Chi room and smiling at a universe where thousands are drowning in mud or molten lava or whatever seems like well-fed middle-class complacency to me. Smiling and compassion traditionally go together but I find them difficult."
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