1996-07_05 Vipassana Retreat, Part 5 of 8 - Q&A 10

Talk: 19960705-Larry_Rosenberg-UNK-vipassana_retreat_part_5_of_8-43309 Start_time: 01:18:43 Display_question: May I share two instances of being mindful? Keyword_search: mindful, world, rush, enjoyable, condemn, worry, feel, bad, mind, speed, tension, relax, Cambridge, car, fast, calm, judgmental, listen, mind, state, cloud, arise, pass away, quality, label, image Question_content: Questioner: I’ve had two instances during this retreat of finding myself being mindful out in the world that seemed to work really good. One was yesterday: I was walking up to my cabin, which is always very… when I was in a rush. And I suddenly realized I was in a rush. And instead of condemning myself and saying, “You shouldn’t be rushing,” I just felt what it was like to be in a rush. And it was actually enjoyable. Larry: To be in a rush? Questioner: Yeah. Or to feel being in a rush without worrying about feeling bad about rushing or anything. Larry: Yeah. Right. Questioner: All my body did was rush rush rush rush rush for a while. It seemed to be okay. It wasn't... Larry: Yeah. So, it's the mind that changed, you fixed the mind. The body was going at the same speed. Questioner: Yeah, I didn't fight the body. I was listening. Larry: Okay, let's play on that theme a little because this is something that comes up often in Cambridge. It's an urban center, and people often come from work to practice in the evening. And sometimes they have to drive rapidly to get there on time. And typically people will say, you see people come in huffing and puffing and full of tension. It's like they're rushing to get someplace where they look to relax, which doesn't make much sense. But then again, sometimes the car does have to go fast in order to get there. But the car may have to speed, but the mind doesn't have to. So, the mind can be actually good drivers can drive very fast and they're not dangerous at all. They're probably quite calm and at home in the speed. So, it's that kind of thing. There are endless refinements on it. Yeah. We have a spider joining us. Questioner: The other instance was that I've been on retreats, and I find that I get very judgmental. I talked to retreat people about this, and it seems to be somewhat common. But I found myself, people I don't know and I’ve never talked to and they never talked to me… <inaudible>. And I found myself doing that yesterday, with the change of instead of believing what I was saying about this person, I found myself listening to myself making the judgment, but being aware I was making the judgment that the person really wasn't what I was deciding. Larry: Exactly. Questioner: Which is the first time that's ever happened. Larry: Okay. Questioner: Totally bought into whatever I made up about that person and believed that that's what it was. Larry: Okay. Keep doing that. That one is a very important one. All the ones you're mentioning are because we do so much of it typically. And it isn't the person that your mind has created a label or an image of them. And they're probably doing it to you too. “He looks very judgmental to me. Look at that sour puss.” But as, you can’t stop the mind from doing that. And there's no need to annihilate those mind states but rather just see them. They're clouds. They arise, they pass away. Hear them, look at them. And it will change the quality of your life very, very much. Not to mention the people you come in contact with. Yeah, please. End_time: 01:22:05