Infants have an instinctive fear of falling. When being picked up or put down, they prefer to have their head and body firmly supported. If they feel insecure, healthy babies exhibit the Moro reflex: eyes wide, the arms are flung out to the sides as if in free-fall, followed quickly by curling and folding their body inward. Though children outgrow this reflex, shifting circumstances can still make adults nervous. We prefer our lives to be dependable and stable. The fourth slogan recognizes the reflexive action we often take when things get shaky and uncertain. We grab at anything that might help us nail down the buckling floor - even the dharma. Yet the purpose of the dharma is to wake us up, not make us feel better. As Chogyam Trungpa explained, "We are not particularly seeking enlightenment or the simple experience of tranquility - we are trying to get over our deception." The truth is that life is precarious and unpredictable. But grasping at an idea to make it appear more solid won't change reality. Here is the opportunity to let go and free-fall instead of pouring concrete.
For more information about the fourth slogan, go here.
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