Six Buddhist Practices To Stay Calm In A Tumultuous World | Kaira Jewel Lingo, Valerie Brown and Marisela Gomez
Oct 9, 2024
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Kaira Jewel Lingo, a former ordained Buddhist nun and meditation teacher, joins Valerie Brown, a former lawyer turned Dharma teacher, and Marisela Gomez, a physician and public health scholar. They discuss six transformative Buddhist practices for navigating life's chaos, particularly during the upcoming U.S. elections. The trio shares the valuable mindfulness technique of The Four Chairs for conflict resolution, the importance of transforming anger into compassion, and the power of journaling for personal growth and emotional clarity.
The podcast highlights 'The Four Chairs' exercise as a powerful method to process emotions and foster self-compassion.
Practicing intentional pauses before reacting can significantly enhance emotional awareness and promote healthier interactions.
Mindful listening is emphasized as a technique to navigate polarizing conversations, enabling compassionate engagement and understanding.
Deep dives
Buddhist Practices for Calmness
Several Buddhist practices are offered to help maintain calmness in a chaotic world. Among them is a unique exercise called 'The Four Chairs,' which facilitates emotional processing by allowing individuals to explore their responses to past harmful exchanges. This exercise involves sitting in four different chairs, where one can express initial anger, reflect on personal blame, offer self-compassion, and finally, extend compassion toward the other party. Such an approach helps individuals better understand their emotions and cultivate a compassionate mindset towards themselves and others.
The Importance of Pausing
The practice of pausing is emphasized as a crucial technique for managing emotional responses. It encourages individuals to take a moment to breathe and reflect before reacting, allowing them to step outside of habitual patterns of behavior. This intentional pause fosters awareness of one's feelings, helping to discern the triggers of anger and frustration without allowing those emotions to dictate responses. Such mindfulness cultivates emotional stability and supports healthier interactions with the self and others.
Mindful Listening Amid Polarization
Mindful listening is explored as a strategy to navigate conversations that can be polarizing. It involves pausing to create internal calmness and then deeply looking into the underlying emotions triggered by specific events or exchanges. By anchoring oneself in joy and positive reflections about personal identity, individuals can approach challenging conversations with a compassionate mindset. This practice reduces feelings of separation and opens doors to understanding and connection between opposing perspectives.
Harnessing Technology Mindfully
Mindfulness practices are applied to the use of electronic devices to counteract their often distracting nature. A structured practice encourages users to slow down their engagement with phones by pausing and reflecting on their motivations before interaction. By gaining awareness of the emotional drives behind the impulse to check messages or social media, individuals can reclaim their focus and control over technology's influence in their lives. This mindful approach transforms habitual phone usage into a more intentional and thoughtful practice.
Journaling as a Meditative Practice
Journaling is identified as a valuable extension of meditation practice, allowing for deeper self-reflection and discernment. By taking a few minutes to write about personal feelings and thoughts, individuals can connect with their inner values and clarify their intentions. This practice not only aids in mindfulness but also fosters a sense of direction amidst daily distractions and reactive patterns. Combining meditation with journaling creates a powerful tool for understanding oneself and making conscious choices in alignment with one's aspirations.
This stuff can be done by anyone, anywhere, anytime.
Kaira Jewel Lingo, a frequent flier on this show, was an ordained Buddhist nun for 15 years. Now she lives in New York, writes books, and teaches meditation all over the world. Valerie Brown is a former lawyer and lobbyist who traded in her high-pressure job to teach the dharma. She also works as an executive coach. And Marisela Gomez is a physician, public health scholar and longtime meditator.