Reply To: Week 9 Essay
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I think that one of the karmas that I routinely do not employ skillfully is to pacify.
I run somewhat anxious and find myself enriching in order to pacify myself, which honestly can create some time intensive “repair situations”. It’s almost as though what wakes me up is what I’m observing during magnetizing. It seems to me that it’s mostly during a magnetizing phase that I catch on that I didn’t see very clearly before I engaged (enriched). Gentleness with myself with regard to this pattern is something I’m working on.
Also, I’m currently reading Oliver Burkeman’s Meditations for Mortals and he included this quotation from the philosopher, Hannah Arendt: “constantly bound by craving and fear to a future full of uncertainties, we strip each present moment of its calm, its intrinsic import, which we are unable to enjoy and so the future destroys the present.” I am struck that this weaves the 4th karma into the pattern I’m observing in myself and it lands a bit chillingly.
It’s also intriguing to me. If I can practice, realize (I’m not sure of the word that really fits) the wisdom of the heart sutra, in other words ahhhhh, more often perhaps this could start shifting the cycle of enriching to pacify before seeing clearly? I dunno and not knowing truly does feel like a good place to return to after engaging this homework! 🙏🏼