Echoes Of Andrew Corsie

What kind of mind?
What kind of mind do I have? It is an interesting question to ask, at least I think so because I don’t think about that very much. One thing I do know is that my mind is always on the go and doesn’t give me much time for a rest. The moment I stop for some form of quiet, which I try most days, my mind becomes like a banana tree with a family of starving monkeys ransacking it.
In the course I am doing we have been discussing reconciliation and the process of entering into the world’s of those we might support in conflict situations. In order to be open to the perspectives of others, indeed this is crucial in all human relating, what was being called for inclass was an ’empty mind’. We were comparing the Zen Buddhist teaching about emptying the mind with the kenosis (self emptying) of Jesus of Nazareth from the Christian perspective.
The problem with the word ’empty’ is that it has negative connotations – so maybe it is more useful to say ‘open’ instead? Open to receive, having the capacity to stand back and see a situation from different perspectives, not just my immediate one. Its a difficult thing to do, as it is a costly to open up to the views, values and opinions of others.Openness to see things as they are, not only the way I want to see it. Maybe another word could be ‘soft’? Having a soft mind, that is flexible, responsive compared to being ‘solid’ – immoveable, unchanging?
What kind of mind do I have?
The temptation is to freeze reality and keep things as they are, but reality isn’t like that, it cannot be frozen and is constanty changing.
Do we see/hear what is there or what we want to see? Do I see life as it is or life as I want it to be?
From this line of inquiry, I suppose conflict could be viewed as a ‘clash of perspectives’, when the way I want to view reality is different from yours and we cannot find agreement. I think we see this very much in the international arena, but also in the church and even in our homes. When we think we have the right perspective, we can do a lot of good, but also a lot of bad in seeking to act on that perspective. It is easy to be arrogant about your truth, while forgetting that life is bigger than my own mind and so there is a need for the dialogue to begin closer to home.
The odd thing is, the need is really to start with ‘self’. Because the one I am usually most at war with is me! The one whose perspectives I most challenge are mine. Maybe the conflict I get into are projections from my own inner dialogue?
What is challenging about the notion of an empty mind is that maybe that it makes me feel vulnerable? We crave security and create a life that supports that. It is risky to become vulnerable, to be open to the perspectives of the ‘other’. I open to their life with its history, values, emotions and all that makes for their common humanity to mine. It is effortful.
An empty mind may be about choosing to live without that protection and open to the possibilities that come from seeing life as it is and the other for who they are – whoever they are. What kind of mind might that be?