Minds Say, "No!" They Just Do
You have probably heard of the Buddhists' "No-mind." Let me introduce you to its counterpart No!-mind. No!-mind was referenced in the previous blog post as a part of the mind that undermines our best intentions.
No!-mind can be very frustrating as long as it remains mysterious. A lot of my work with clients centers on revealing the machinations of No!-mind.
Minds Are Like Toddlers
Think of a toddler going through that stage of development where the answer to everything is "No!" What happens to the habit of mind that is developed at that time? Does it remain lurking somewhere inside?
Minds Say No! In Many Ways
No!-mind wears many costumes. It may say, "I don't deserve it," "I am bored by it," "It is too hard for me," "I am too busy," "I have already done that," "I can't," "I am not lucky that way," "That is unworthy of me," "That is disgusting," "Someone already took mine," "I cannot...," "I am not good at..." There are so many ways to say, "No."
Oddly, Saying No! Is Foundational to Experiencing Mind At All. Egad
And what of this Buddhist No-mind? If No-mind is the truth, what is this thing I am calling my mind? The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali identify No!-mind as foundational to experiencing oneself as having a separate mind.
"I say 'No!' therefore I am." It is very reassuring in a way. No! NO! NO!!! Can you feel the wonder of it? That feeling of pushing-away is actually, in part, creating the feeling that mind exists.
If you look for it, you may find a little No!-mind in almost every thought-process you experience.
You Can Learn Skills And Master No!-mind
So, if, in fact, No!-mind is an essential element of our individual human identity, it makes a whole lot of sense to do work on our goals with support.
I can help you identify the myriad costume changes that No!-mind undertakes as you struggle toward your goal.
Employing No-mind in the mastery of No!-mind is another skill that I can teach you.
Christopher Isherwood on No!-Mind... Because, Christopher Isherwood.
Christopher Isherwood co-wrote with Swami Prabhavananda a commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. In the commentary, the experience, roughly speaking, of an individual mind is called ignorance. That's kind of harsh. Oh well. It turns out wonderfully in the end, so let's hang in there.
Here is Isherwood and Prabhavananda's translation of Yoga Sutra 2.3
These obstacles--the causes of man's suffering--are ignorance, egoism, attachment, aversion, and the desire to cling to life.
Isherwood and Prabhavananda here use the word aversion the way I am using No!-mind. In Sanskrit, the word is dvesha.
The constant, necessary presence of No!-mind in the fabrication of our human individuality makes it, let us say, amusing, to undertake positive, transformative change. Again, I point to the good sense it makes to have support, and I enthusiastically make myself available for this.
In Yoga Sutra 2.8, Patanjali defines dvesha. Isherwood and Prabhavananda translate:
Aversion is that which dwells on pain.
Their commentary states:
Aversion is also a form of bondage. We are tied to what we hate or fear. That is why, in our lives, the same problem, the same danger or difficulty, will present itself over and over again in various aspects, as long as we continue to resist or run way from it instead of examining and solving it.
No!-mind Accompanies Positive Change
I add that there is a little bit of hate and fear involved in every effort we make to achieve a positive goal. When one part of the mind becomes the authority that says, "You would be better off doing X," No!-mind is there to assert that we are just f@*!ing fine as we are, thank you very much.
I Am Here To Help You Make Your Wishes Into Realities
Don't let No!-mind dominate your better angels. Call me, and I will teach you the skills that will allow you to get 'er done. Check, check, check, right down your 'to do list." Will be a hoot, too.
Turn your "to-do" list into your "ta-dah!" list. Oh. I am on a roll.
jelyrose@gmail.com / 646-831-2675
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