Regard all experiences as dreams.

Photo by Ellen Barcel

I recently discovered a new form of graffiti called yarn bombing. Colorful knitted or crocheted blocks of yarn are used to cover public objects, such as trees, statues and posts. It made me think of what happens in my mind when I meditate. First, I am completely focused on the breath; thoughts may float by, but I don’t get snagged by any of them. But then “Something Important” passes through my head – usually a thought about the past or the future. I take that thought and start crocheting madly around it, forming a colorful story that is usually filled with emotional energy. Eventually I recognize I’m not following my breath, and I snap back into the present moment. I suddenly realize what felt so real during my discursive thought was only a mental creation. Waking up from those thoughts and feelings are, as the second slogan states, like waking up from a dream. Knitting such stories, whether in meditation or during daily activities, leaves very few gaps of space to see from a larger perspective. Yet seeing them as vibrant, imaginative fantasies reminds me that what I create in my mind does not necessarily make them real. 

For more information on the second slogan, go here.

Slogan Two

Regard all experiences as dreams.

From the Lojong for the Layperson booklet:

                This statement should not be mistaken for a doctrine of nothingness – things aren’t literally a dream. Judy Lief explains that this slogan helps us “face up to our desire to make everything solid,” which we are apt to interpret as security. Yet everything is in a state of transition; even a mountain changes from day to day. Our thoughts and emotions are insubstantial too. The anger and rage we had toward the careless driver last week are now only a dim memory. As Pema Chodron states, “Every situation is a passing memory.” What we perceive is not in a fixed position but a state of flux. Pretending otherwise is like an attempt to, in Traleg Kyabgon’s words, “scoop water with a net.”

Photo: Smoke from Palo Santo incense in an abalone shell.

     Do you remember the mood rings from the 1970s? The glass stone had heat-sensitive liquid crystals in a strip beneath it that made it change colors based on the temperature. The first one I bought seemed to show no color change - it stayed black no matter how hard I stared at it. Eventually I forgot about it and got busy with other things. I was surprised to discover later it had turned a lovely shade of green. We all have moments when our emotions seem so intense and overwhelming; our thoughts tell us life will never change and will always be this way. But nothing is rigid and fixed, whether thoughts, emotions or circumstances. Like the wispy smoke in the card, they may appear permanent, but we are just observing one phase of an ongoing procession.