Just pause – Mindfulbalance

When you can’t get what you want, your underlying tendencies to get exasperated or feel let down come up – and they then interpret the situation as ‘lazy disorganized people’ or ‘no one considers my feelings’. Actually there are generally a number of causes as to why things don’t go my way — the Buddha just called it ‘dukkha’ – but the immediate reaction and interpretation are an indication of tendencies in one’s own mind. 

So just to pause at that point – reactions are normal, but we can read them, learn what they are, and that they take us into suffering. We don’t have to guess at why things aren’t going according to plan; and jumping to a conclusion is always a move into the shadows of one’s own mind. 

So, pause. A pause is not a disapproval or a judgement; it’s an opening of attention into awareness. And that allows us to respond to our reactions with mindfulness and compassion. 

Pausing is an essential, deep and accessible practice.

Ajahn Sucitto