Hi Mike again; Agree with you that Living zen is not about acting out of that kind of sticky sentimentalism that blinds a person to see what is really there. However, there is nothing wrong at all about being sentimental for as long there is awareness about it. Emotions are part of all us human beings. Nothing wrong with it. When a emotion arise whether is positive or negative one just is aware of the emotion. If the emotion is negative one embraces it in the in and out breathing and stay with it. One doesn't push away that emotion. If the emotion is positive one also acknowledge it.
Why one shouldn't acknowledge a positive action but acknowledge a negative one?. It is not a little bit discriminating?. Why do you feel that acknowledging a good action is a lapping in the back?. Ideally, We should acknowledge everything. The First paragraph: >But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others > > may consider a small one. I wrote about it to Mac about it already. However, in response to your comment about it; You do have a point here when you say all moments just are. At the same time when one talks about a great moment not necesarely is labelling the moment that is the way you're perceiving. We all have moments that mark our lives. We all have those moments of inspiration or on the contrary. Acknowledging them in mindfulness free us from the labeling you imply. If a moment is felt as a very important moment there is not much point to deny it!. Second paragraph: I entirely agree with your insight here: "You can't do anything about how a person feels about you no matter what you do! All you can do is be the master of how you feel about them. If you believe you can do things to make a person feel a certain way about you then you are certainly setting yourself up for a disappointment and further your suffering. Remember the 'Serentity Prayer' to accept the things you can't change, to change the things you can and the wisdom to know the difference" Third Paragraph; (I've copied everything here because I don't see this in the same way as you do) "> Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we > might > > aswell dance. > > Again, by hoping for something in the future or for some other situation different to what we have now, we never truly face this moment and learn to accept what we have. Why should the taxi-driver be feeling that the old woman's life is somehow terribly sad and that he was her knight in shining armour? Maybe she felt she had a good, long life and now was her time to say goodbye to this life. Should we feel sorry for Muhammed Ali because he has Parkinsons disease? Or that that Jody is blind? How do we know that they haven't embraced and accepted what life has dealt them? When we become sentimental we tend to see the world, and the people in it, the way we think it should be and not how it actually is." Comment on Third Paragraph: "Life may not be the party we hoped for... It only means that life is hard which I have to agree. ...but while we are Here (not in the past, not in the future but just Here and NOW) we might as well dance. The writer is cheering himself/herself with a quite positive thought. Thanks for sharing. Mayka --- In [email protected], mike brown <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Hi Mayka, > > I'm sorry, but I have to respectfully disagree. Living zen is not about acting from feelings of sentimentality. Sentimentality is about seeing the world thru' rose-coloured glasses and not how things are. If we do that we give things/actions/people a label or value that isn't real and then become attached to them. Would Buddha have ever left his family to end people's suffering if he had not seen thru his sentimental attachment to his family? > > You said the last 3 paragraphs contained the moral of Jody's story. Let's take a look. > > >But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others > > may consider a small one. > > Here's the danger of sentimentality. What isn't a great moment? All moments just are. If we start labelling and becoming attached to certain moments we separate ourselves from living in this one moment that we have.. NOW! > > > > PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID, BUT > THEY > > WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL. > > You can't do anything about how a person feels about you no matter what you do! All you can do is be the master of how you feel about them. If you believe you can do things to make a person feel a certain way about you then you are certainly setting yourself up for a disappointment and further your suffering. Remember the 'Serentity Prayer' to accept the things you can't change, to change the things you can and the wisdom to know the difference. > > > Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we > might > > aswell dance. > > Again, by hoping for something in the future or for some other situation different to what we have now, we never truly face this moment and learn to accept what we have. Why should the taxi-driver be feeling that the old woman's life is somehow terribly sad and that he was her knight in shining armour? Maybe she felt she had a good, long life and now was her time to say goodbye to this life. Should we feel sorry for Muhammed Ali because he has Parkinsons disease? Or that that Jody is blind? How do we know that they haven't embraced and accepted what life has dealt them? When we become sentimental we tend to see the world, and the people in it, the way we think it should be and not how it actually is. > > Mike. > ------------------------------------ Current Book Discussion: any Zen book that you recently have read or are reading! Talk about it today!Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! 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