HOW CLEARING RESIDUES CHANGES OUR PERSPECTIVE.

I am often aware of a constant background struggle, painful, of wanting a different experience from the one I am having, and, of the desire to hold onto pleasant experiences to the point where those experiences become lifeless.

These two sides of the same coin, attachment and aversion, create a kind of stickiness and ultimately a stuckness that maintains us in a state of, from mild misery, to painful suffering. The Buddha spoke extensively about this as one of the prime causes of suffering. I never seem to be quite free of wanting or not wanting, even when I forsee that the results will be painful.

What would it be like to be free of this stickiness that drains us, fogs up the mind, creates physical tension, stress, and suffering?

The Tibetans use the term ‘View’ to describe a way of seeing free of the obscurations of samsara, that struggle to resist or cling to life as it is.

But, let’s be more liberal with our definition of View, and define view as the way we look both inwardly and outwardly. We all have a unique point of view; how we see ourselves, others, and life.  Our view seems real, true, almost solid until something shakes us. We’re in luck if something shakes us because it gives us the opportunity to grow. In our practice of Kum Nye, we do want to be shaken; we want to go to the edges of our comfortable view, which we may seldom otherwise question.

If we were climbing a mountain, we’d be able to appreciate different views as we ascended, and as we climb more, we’d have a greater perspective. Initially though, we do experience inertia we move from comfortable surroundings into the unknown. As we continue, the inertia gives way to feelings of refreshment and excitement as we see our progress.

As we ascend, we feel lighter, more buoyant, and free. We also develop a greater sense of appreciation for the expansive vistas.

Astronauts orbiting the planet have commented on their profound feeling of love for the planet, and also expressed feeling a sense of intimacy with earth.

I think this is true of Kum Nye; the more elevation we establish, the more spacious and expansive. And yet, instead of feeling distant and indifferent, we feel more intimacy and contact with life.

Also, we gradually move from a perspective of involvement with the demands and problems of living, to a greater appreciation for life itself. Early in practice, we might develop the awareness that time is our own. In other words, we are not so externally pressured away from our inner experience.

Kum Nye begins to lighten us, so that we are more aware of ourselves as a light being, an energy form, and less a dense, physical body. We don’t even need to focus our practice in this way,  it is the natural result of stimulating and expanding feeling.

As our practice develops, our view, our perception shifts and becomes more expansive and inclusive. You might say there is more to see, and more to love. Also, we begin to see the singular essence behind everything, not as a concept, but as a direct experience.

We move towards a view rejecting nothing, we become more accepting of what presents itself to us. In our practice, we expand beyond feelings and sensations as concepts based in duality, towards their clarity and openness. The term often used is ‘one taste’. As we deepen into feelings, we discover primordial stillness everywhere; in every sound, in everything we see, and in every sensation.

The ultimate view is also perfection, the knowledge that all occurs perfectly; there is no need to make something happen, or try to make something not happen. To some, this might invite laziness and over-tolerance, so it’s important to distinguish between perspective, how we see, and conduct, how we navigate and interact. While deeply appreciating innate perfection, we learn to be selective, and chose to behave for the greatest good.

We can experience a greater sense of unity and we may explore this unity in phases, beginning as a concept, and then we develop the skill of recognizing union with everyone and everything. This recognition is also the birthplace of compassion and appreciation for life as it is.

Don McGinnis is a Certified Kum Nye Instructor and offers workshops, retreats, classes and online classes inn Kum Nye, and other body centered practices. To find out more go to Moving Presence Center

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