The Anxiety of Something Missing
La ansiedad de que algo falta
A student raises the difficulty of anxiety, particularly the anxiety of waiting, and the teacher explores the possibility that what feels missing is never actually absent.
The Anxiety of Something Missing
A student raises the difficulty of anxiety, particularly the anxiety of waiting, and the teacher explores the possibility that what feels missing is never actually absent.
The anxiety of waiting is very difficult. The anxiety in the moment when you have to wait is really hard.
And what I'm proposing is: even and especially there, consider the possibility that something is not missing. Even especially in the anxiety, there is something prior to anxiety.
One approach: releasing the desire for anxiety to end
One teacher I've studied with would say the only way you can be okay is by not wanting to be okay. That creates the desire for the anxiety to be gone. So what he was saying is that you can be free by not wanting the anxiety to be gone, by letting go of the desire for anxiety to be gone.
But I'm going at it in a different way. Notice that there is the belief that something is missing, and consequently what's missing is peace, because there's anxiety. The anxiety is taking something away. What I'm saying is: contemplate the possibility that what you feel is missing is also present when there is anxiety, is also present when there's pain, is also present when there's everything that you can ever experience.
What is truly missing?
Obviously, when there's pain we prefer there not be pain. But I'm talking about this really profound, subtle sense that something is missing.
I really like doctors who wait and don't jump to action. I have to go, but I might have said this before: where I live, the air pressure does all kinds of things to some people, especially those with sensitive nervous systems. I was feeling it today, the whole day since I woke up, and it dissipated during the meditation. I just wanted to let you know. It works in mysterious ways. The truth works in mysterious ways. I so appreciated hearing people. There's so much to relate to.
What I see going on all around, these earth-shattering situations all over the world, and then in me it sometimes feels, without connection, like just my old stuff is earth-shattering too. Then to come to this group, it's not earth-shattering, and yet it's more powerful. Where can I find a group like this? It's such a rare, rare thing.
Thank you. There's something really beautiful and special that happens when people come together and share the intention of simply being present and being together.