Anxiety and Trouble

For a few days now I have been reading a most interesting book on Morita Therapy by David K. Reynolds, a book with the unlikely title of "Playing Ball on Running Water." To give the briefest of summaries of Morita therapy, we might say that, in the author's own words, "The purposes of Morita therapy are quite clear. They are to teach students to accept feelings as they are, to know their purposes, and to do what needs to be done." Well, that's straitforward and pedestrian enough. But later in the book Mr. Reynolds has this to say about anxiety:

"It is not a new idea that difficulties in life generate the construction of purpose. Happiness, peace, and a life of ease would destroy us. [What a concept!] Without anxiety and trouble, we could not survive. Without conflict and struggle, life would not choose to continue. It is not that suffering is good; it is necessary for our existence. To say this is not to say that all pain must be passively accepted. We are responsible for doing battle with the ills that plague us and others. Yet, if we were ever to succeed in eliminating all discontent, our human species would be doomed. We struggle, and in that struggle lies life's meaning. We are born fighters; we will find something to oppose. If we cannot find a worthy foe, we create one, even if that foe is ourselves. When our last enemy is vanquished, we shall die -- as individuals, as a species.

"So don't seek anxiety-free living; don't strive for constant bliss. Choose rather to continue your struggle. Resolve to react forcefully to the challenges of reality. Hold to your goals. Fight your fight. And live with purpose."

Now how's that for provocative? And I always thought that anxiety and trouble were my enemies. I am going to have to rethink this whole thing all over again.

The Choice

I went and heard Leonard Jacobson speak a couple weeks ago. I had read one of his books a few years ago and thought it excellent, and so I had high expectations for his talk. Even so, I was not disappointed. This fellow really seems to have awakened. I picked up his latest book the same evening, and find it, like his other book and talk, to be first-rate. Here is a brief excerpt from "Journey into Now":

"Each moment you have a choice. Will you be in the present moment in the truth of life or will you be in the illusory world of your thinking mind? With gentle remembering, you can choose to be present.

"You are not trying to stop thinking. You are not trying to escape from the mind. You are not trying to become enlightened. You are making a choice to be present, simply because the present moment is the truth of life and you are free to make that choice.

"As you choose the present moment, your mind will become silent. Relax into the silence. Deepen into Presence. Enjoy all that God has to offer you in this moment. Enjoy the fullness and abundance of this moment."

The subtitle of his book is "Clear Guidance on the Path of Spiritual Awakening," and this is exactly what Jacobson offers readers in his latest book. Highly recommended.