how do you know if acceptance is just in your mind?

[Jack River]

On 12/11/2018 at 9:34 AM, isabel said:

 

if you have negative thoughts or feelings in your body, is that resistance?

 

The very labeling of negative thoughts and feelings implies resistance fosho. This means when such thoughts/feelings arise we are reacting psychologically by identifying with thought(the past-prior experience with what we interpreted as “negative/positive” at that moment). Those reactions are then reactivated by the words/images/feelings that arise from moment to moment in the present moment by interaction with ourselves/ others/environment. 

Resistance is any movement away from what is. Any psychological movement of desire pursuing pleasure.

The labeling of “negative” thoughts and feelings are born of labeling the “positive” thoughts/feelings. As it is said that to seek pleasure is to ask for fear/pain/conflict/suffering. To invite one side of the coin implies you get the other. 

Resistance is any movement of the self seeking psychological security in thought. For a self to seek security in its own content(knowledge/experience/memory) is resistance/attachment/identification(psychological time). 

By labelling a thought/feeling as preferable(positive) and to depend on the thought/feeling again and again is born pleasure. And again to seek psychological security in “the positive” it is implicit that that positive thought/feeling will be impermanent. Therefore “the negative” thoughts/feelings  are awaiting around the corner.

All of this arises when the self clings to what is familiar to it(past experiences). The self meets the now with its continual changing nature which makes the self feel impermanent/uncertain. By identifying with past experiences(positive thoughts/emotions/feelings) that gives a sense of security/permanence/certainty to the continuity of the self(time). 

By indulging in this movement of identification with thought(knowledge/experience/memory) we are escaping what is actual from moment to moment. To escape what is in search for psychological security, in the end sustains psychological insecurity. 

That is how this positive/negative dynamic starts and maintains its own continuity between the thought/emotion cycle of cause and effect, experiencer and “its” experience. 

This is the cycle of attachment/resistance/identification(psychological time). 

This can all be observed directly by the common dude and dudet?

 

Edited December 13, 2018 by Jack River

[Jack River]

It can be seen that accepting is the positive and to condemn/repress/control etc. is the negative..both being a movement of resistance to what-is..continuity of the self(the past)(psychological becoming or not becoming).

To accept or to condemn is this positive/negative dynamic of the chooser who chooses between the opposites. The nature of the self/thought is to do so. 

Starting off it may be wise to simply be aware when this is taking place. When this is taking place it implies there is no attention. So to be aware of inattention seems to really help my dude/dudet??

Edited December 13, 2018 by Jack River

[Barna]

Acceptance is not something that you "do". Acceptance is a fact of reality. 

Look around. Everything that you see, hear, feel is already accepted by consciousness, otherwise you wouldn't experience it. 

Space already accepts every object in it. Silence already accepts every sound in it. 

Acceptance means to realize that you are one with the accepting field of existence.

[WelcometoReality]

8 minutes ago, Barna said:

Acceptance is not something that you "do". Acceptance is a fact of reality. 

Look around. Everything that you see, hear, feel is already accepted by consciousness, otherwise you wouldn't experience it. 

Space already accepts every object in it. Silence already accepts every sound in it. 

Acceptance means to realize that you are one with the accepting field of existence.

These are good pointers. You could also say that acceptance is the realization that there is nothing to do.

Any form of doership is resistance to what is.

[ground]

On 11.12.2018 at 6:34 PM, isabel said:

if you have negative thoughts or feelings in your body, is that resistance?

No that's just negative thoughts or feelings. No issue.

On 11.12.2018 at 6:34 PM, isabel said:

so if you don't have resistance to anything then you don't suffer, is that right?

If you don't impute truth to anything, i.e. if you do not affirm anything that appears, then negative thoughts or feelings don't arise.

 

On 11.12.2018 at 6:34 PM, isabel said:

but my real question is how do you know if the acceptance is just in your mind?

Affirmation or imputation of truth is just a mental factor. This factor can be extinguished.If you can identify this factor and extinguish it then you know.

On 11.12.2018 at 6:34 PM, isabel said:

also, what is acceptance exactly? does it mean that you are in that moment knowing your true self, something like that?

Acceptance is not appropriate in the context of liberation. Someone who pursues liberation trains in overcoming both, acceptance and rejection. Someone who does not pursue liberation may take a different approach.

 

 

Edited December 13, 2018 by ground

[Barna]

17 minutes ago, WelcometoReality said:

These are good pointers. You could also say that acceptance is the realization that there is nothing to do.

Any form of doership is resistance to what is.

Yes, I agree. In the state of acceptance there's nothing to do. And anything can be done through you.

And I would like to add that acceptance is not required for anything because life already accepts everything on your behalf. But there's greater peace in you when you know that you're one with life.

[Joseph Maynor]

Acceptance is allowing reality to be whatever it is and seeing that your own Egoic desire for reality to be one way or another is irrelevant from realty's point of view.  The same person dies, yet you can take two different Egos (persons) who would have two very different reactions about it.  A stranger would have a very different reaction to the person's death than a daughter of the person would.  Yet, from reality's point of view, the death of the person just is what it is.  When you can see how your own Ego boos and hoorays reality, and how arbitrary that is, you can learn to just let reality be whatever it is and accept whatever that is, even if you feel the sting of Egoically wanting things to be otherwise.

Edited December 13, 2018 by Joseph Maynor

[isabel]

you guys, thank you all so much

it's so amazing that I can ask questions like this and actually get answers, truly amazing