four energetic states of awareness

may all sentient beings enjoy happiness and the root of happiness. may they be free from suffering and the root of suffering. may they not be separated from the great happiness devoid of suffering. may they dwell in the great equanimity free from passion, aggression, and prejudice.

the Four Limitless Ones : Buddhist chant

as we will come to see, the root of happiness is loving-kindness. freedom from suffering is compassion. the great happiness devoid of suffering is joy, and the freedom from attachment, aversion, and indifference is equanimity. these are four highly energized states that we all embody and can access. they represent four ways of living with presence.

when the three poisons of passion (must have), aggression (must not have), and prejudice (the root of the separate self), are not present in the mind, it naturally dwells in the Brahma Viharas, a Sanskrit term meaning four heavenly abodes (the abodes of Brahman). this is how these four energetic states of awareness were originally known. much later, in Mahayana Buddhism, they became known as the Four Limitless Ones, or the Four Immeasurables. in these teachings the Brahma Viharas came into their fullness. the states are limitless because they move right beyond ego, thought, and feeling. when they mature in the psyche, they have the capacity to be transformational to self and other. and few practices can match their ability to expose ego. whatever we call them, these four energetic states of awareness are: equanimity, loving-kindness, compassion, and joy.

the four immeasurable states operate at a higher level of attention, a level that opens the door to profound, natural emotional responses to the exigencies of life. equanimity dismantles our reactive judgments and prejudices about other people so that we understand and appreciate them as they are. loving-kindness is a radiant warmth, independent of personal likes or dislikes, that stops us from shutting down to others. compassion counteracts discomfort, withdrawal, or contraction in the face of other’s pain so that we are truly present with them. and joy — unapologetic joy in being and passion for life — eliminates any envy or criticism of other people’s success or happiness.

Ken McCleod

high energy states

what do we mean by a “high energy state”? all states of consistent attention are higher energy states. we know them by their stability of focus and clarity of awareness. so far, the only high energy state you may be aware of in your experience is the state of meditation: a form of Being that presents with a stable mind and expanded awareness, a state that can lead to deep stillness and insight, since it is fully present.

the four energetic states are also filled with energy, because they are not conceptual or thought-based. they are the states within which thought takes place, and also include knowing-feeling. they are therefore also known as heart-practices. we simply cannot stay in our conceptual mind if we truly want to know these states. we have to feel-recognize our way in. a state is an attitude that takes hold of the whole body, because it is so natural to the body. when we practice with these states, we become more present to life, and are enabled to weather her storms. we are also undoing ego in the process, because these states exist beyond or prior to ego. we begin to recognize the awareness mind as distinct from the egoic mind. we discover our sanity and our insanity.

when we’re attentive and present, we naturally encounter these states in our practice. they are the natural faces of awareness that we can cultivate in meeting the world. when we are with loved ones, we naturally and easily feel loving-kindness. when we encounter physical and psychological pain, we can cultivate compassion. where we encounter success and achievement, we can practice joy, and where we meet difficult situations, we can practice equanimity.

as we will see, all four states inter-relate to build and sustain each other. in the original teachings around these practices, we are heeded to practice actively with each one for a period of one to two months, daily. only in this way can we really contemplate each, notice its presence or non-presence in our life, and cultivate it to deeper embodiment. once we have a connection with the state, we learn to bring it into the appropriate situations in our life. this is a life-long commitment, where we can learn the art of conscious presence.

each of the four immeasurables is a natural quality of awakened heart or mind… they are called ‘limitless’ because they are not constrained by the limits of a nonexistent ego; they are aspects of the boundless mind of the bodhisattva.

Karen Kissel Wegela

four faces of love

and now here is my secret, a very simple secret: it is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 

since these states are most clear when ego’s grasping is inactive, the capacity of each state is limitless in love, and increases with conscious effort. the states are also called limitless because of our growing capacity to extend this energy to a limitless number of beings. we may begin by feeling only for ourselves, then extend to those most cherished by us, then to those who we feel neutral about and those we have difficult relationships with, and finally, we can expand the state to include all beings, including our plant and animal brothers and sisters. ultimately, we can recognize this moment and its limitless spaciousness.

loving-kindness is our capacity for love and open-heartedness. compassion is our capacity to remain present in the face of suffering. joy is our capacity for boundless appreciation and gratitude. and equanimity is our capacity to be with experience, as it is. we do not need to hold onto experience, drive away experience, or be closed to experience.

we can ideally practice these states as a formal practice, and as a form of mindfulness in our daily activity. we become adept at these practices when we can use them to return to a state of presence when we are triggered or reactive.

the formal practice

there are different ways of working with these practices, depending on our situation. we will look at the formal sitting practice as a way of cultivating the state, and make suggestions for mindfulness in everyday life. if the practice remains at a conceptual level, you will understand the concepts in this program, and may even be able to describe the path of practice, but you won’t know the states in your own experience. you will also not be cultivating the state, but merely remembering the description of it. you can take this as your measure throughout practice. the more deeply we can feel the states of equanimity, loving-kindness, compassion, and joy, the more deeply our practice is reaching. its main observable effects are a decrease in reactivity and an increase in presence.

the purpose of the practice

the real purpose of cultivating these states is to slowly dismantle the reactive patterns that keep us removed from presence. we usually react unconsciously, without bringing our attention into the moment. this is a passive approach, and functions automatically. the four states of active attention bring us into a more embodied response to life and her difficult situations. we become an active participant in our own life, and this moment.

a meditation method is a way of bringing attention to the operation of habituated patterns. practice is effective only when attention and conditioned patterns actually meet, and the conditioned patterns are experienced in attention. if you merely reexperience conditioned patterns without attention, the patterns are reinforced… when attention and conditioning meet, the reactive process of the conditioning is stopped. the reactive process can’t function in the presence of attention because the energy it runs on is going into attention.

Ken McCleod

the method

a good way to do these practices is to think of them as a ritual, a process that you step through, attentively, step by step. the effects vary greatly from person to person, and from practice session to session. what we are paying attention to are the steps, not doing them by rote, but allowing ourselves to experience whatever we experience without losing track of where we are in the practice.

McCleod suggests that we take four efforts into the practice:

1. know the purpose: cut through our reactive passivity
2. trust the method: stay on course with the method and experience each step
3. understand what happens in the practice: be attentive to changes and stay aware of the steps
4. accept the rules: these vary from day to day and are all less important than the presence that you're slowly growing.

it is important to connect with your intention and know what you want to get from your practice. then ask yourself whether the practice you intend to engage will actually take you in that direction. all four state-practices have a similar structure, and the structure provided here has been adapted from McCleod: Wake Up To Your Life. we’re only providing the most generic form. if you want more information, you can find the book and read the chapter on the Brahma Viharas.

establishing the base of attention

begin your practice by resting attention on the breath and establish a base of attentive energy. typically, mental activity (including dullness and tension) takes about twenty minutes to subside, and our work is to keep the attention on the breath until the mind has quietened down.

the steps

uncovering the state (observation, reorganization, consistency). all the states are expressions of Being, or original mind — that is, unconditioned mind. you are not creating the state, but rather allowing it to be uncovered by moving through the process and moving through your habitual patterns or reactions that stand in the way.

we can cultivate the state of loving-kindness by remembering an experience of warmth and love freely given by another. look back into your own experience, and find an example where you were touched or moved by someone’s loving-kindness. it can be someone you know very well or a stranger that showed you loving-kindness. for compassion, remember a time when another was willing to be with you in your pain, whether physical or emotional. to cultivate joy, which is also often called empathetic joy, remember an experience where someone was happy for your success. for equanimity, remember an experience of not being judged.

now that you have a sense of the state you want to work with, let's look more deeply into the reactions that we have towards others. imagine three people in front of you, one at a time. make the first person someone towards whom you feel warmly, the second someone you feel indifferent towards, and the third someone towards whom you feel antipathy or a desire to avoid. pay deep attention to your reactions towards each of these people. by looking into these reactions we can learn a great deal, and find ways to reorganize our patterns.

observation reveals the reactive pattern. for equanimity, we pay deep attention to our reaction to the presence of others. for loving-kindness, we pay attention to our reaction (defenses, resistance) to opening to others. for compassion, we observe our reaction to the suffering of others. and for joy, we explore our reaction to the happiness of others. see what happens in the bodymind when you imagine yourself in these reactions. our task is to become aware of what is preventing the pure state of awareness from arising:

• prejudice prevents equanimity
• shutting our heart to another or the situation prevents loving-kindness
• the fear of suffering prevents our compassion
• feeling deficient or lacking prevents joy.

don't try to avoid feelings of discomfort. rather allow yourself to become intimate with the reaction and its slow undoing. hold everything that comes up in attention. we are using our attention to observe how patterns operate or function. we’re using our attention to discover what it is that prevents us from feeling pure equanimity, loving-kindness, compassion, or joy. we want to include and transcend, not repress and regress or stagnate.

the act of observation changes your relationship with the reactive patterns. you see them as patterns, not as what you are or as what is real. as you continue to observe, you will see other ways of working with what arises in experience.

Ken McCleod

reorganization finds a way of working with this pattern, and the sign that we are ready for this is when we can see the pattern of the reaction clearly. the pattern is now our object of attention. we contemplate how the reactiveness operates in our relationships, and in our internal feelings, thoughts, and memory. we begin to notice that the pattern is an experience, not a fixed element of who we are. in this way we slowly break down our identification with the pattern. we also realize that it is not necessary to give in to the pattern. we can notice the reaction arising, let it play itself out internally, and watch it subside. it soon becomes clear that the same can be done in external situations. we can allow the reactiveness to arise, and watch it play out in ourselves and subside. in this way we slowly discover new behaviors and attitudes that are possible in the reactive situation.

consistency applies the method until the pattern no longer functions. with consistency we use our attention to cut through the pattern of our reaction, again and again, until the pattern falls apart. we may either feel a release from the pattern, or may discover some more deeply seated conditioning. in the latter case, our work is to hold the whole pattern in our mind and see it as a process. at some point, we experience a shift. this can either happen suddenly, or we may realize with time that we’re no longer reacting according to the old pattern. the shift itself is an opening, or relaxing, as well as the arising of the pure state.

for each state a particular quality is knowable in our experience. for equanimity the shift is marked by clarity, for loving-kindness it appears as openness, compassion is marked by fearlessness, and for joy, it is presence. now we simply allow ourselves to sit in the openness and understanding of the state. all of this does not happen in an easy seamless flow, but rather a cutting through with attention, again and again. we practice this way until the immeasurable or state becomes more stable in our experience.

extending the state
now we extend the state to include more and more people. we are already aware of the state within ourselves, so we can include the person we love, and then the one we feel indifferent to, and then the one we would rather avoid. work at stabilizing the pure state, even if you do it over many sessions. finally, extend towards all people in the world, wishing for them to know this state, and if you can experience it, including all living beings.

uniting the state with awareness
whatever sense we have of the state, we now look directly into this experience by asking ourselves what the experience is. we don’t want an intellectual answer, we want to allow the question to direct us into the state itself, so that it becomes prominent in awareness. on some days we may have vivid experiences of the states, and on others we may hardly have any sense. that is totally ok. we’re not here to attain something. we’re here to learn something.

letting go of effort
rest in the state, or the sensation of breathing.

what we come to realize in working with the four states is that our feelings towards another person are based on our internal representation of the person. we see the person how we want to, rather than how they really are. in working with the people close to us, we begin to see things we did not see before. we slowly dismantle our prejudices or preferences, allowing ourselves to return to the presence that we are, again and again.

let’s look into each state more deeply. allow yourself time to experience the qualities that are described.

equanimity

equanimity (Sanskrit: upeksha) is the state that is most easily misunderstood. many people imagine equanimity to be a state of detachment, a stepping away from pain or difficulty. equanimity is not the absence of feeling, but rather the radical acceptance of every feeling. it is the balancing factor that keeps us stable in opening our heart.

…equanimity is about developing limitless ‘affectionate loving-kindness’ toward all beings. moreover, equanimity means having a welcoming attitude toward all experiences and states of mind.

Karen Kissel Wegela

the true state of equanimity, just like the state of meditation, does not remove the sharp and vivid qualities of presence. even when we find things difficult and unharmonious, it all gets included in the acceptance and allowing of equanimity. we remain warm to our experience, allowing of all the sharp edges, the smoother corners, and the in-between. we are not attached to our experience, nor are we detached from it. we are allowing all feelings to be as they are, and yet, mind is calm and clearly present.

one of the ways we can cultivate this state is by recognizing the sameness in all humans; the reality that we all suffer pain and want happiness. all beings have the same heart and grow to awaken this heart. every being, at their core, desires to benefit others and their environment.

this practice is particularly difficult when we deal with someone with whom we share no common ground. it is also very easy to misunderstand the state by engaging in spiritual bypassing, a term that was first used by John Welwood, and came to be defined as: avoiding emotions, conflict, or pain, based on the mistaken belief that it is somehow spiritual to be calm and above it all. equanimity is not about being above or beyond. it comes about by seeing how causes and conditions played out in the life of the other. would we have a different relationship to that person if those causes and conditions were different? and in the case of a friend, if they were in the role of a rival, would we still love them as deeply, and be able to see them with equanimity? can you see how other people are like you in a fundamental way?

the idea of this formal practice is to show us that our deeply positive feelings for some beings and our strong negative feelings for others are the result of temporary causes and conditions. the aim is not to reduce our loving feelings but rather show us that we could have a much larger outlook about who is worthy of affection.

Karen Kissel Wegela

if you are already a meditator, you will be deeply aware of how the meditation state is one of the most powerful ways of cultivating equanimity. in our meditation practice we meet every experience with openness and curiosity, and then we let go. we begin to counter our impulsive habits of preferring some experience and pushing others away. in this way we cultivate the limitless warmth and non-judgmental being of equanimity.

equanimity is the base of loving-kindness, since it removes prejudice. loving-kindness serves as a base for compassion because it does not shut down. compassion serves as a base for joy because it is not self-centered. and joy serves as the base for presence because it removes the need for external validation.

Ken McCleod

practicing equanimity is difficult. we first become aware of how many prejudices we hold, and then we use equanimity to slowly pry ourselves lose from these prejudices. the first difficulty is that we cannot do these practices with the intellect or conceptual mind, because the intellect is often involved in the reactive pattern. we can easily think our way through these practices and understand the basic concepts, but this changes nothing about our reactions when we are with people who we feel attracted to, aversive of, or indifferent towards. and the purpose of the practice is the dismantling of these reactions.

at every stage of the practice, a price has to be paid for clarity. the price is the loss of an illusion. in equanimity, you lose the illusion that your preferences and prejudices accurately reflect what is real.

Ken McCleod

our internal representation of a person may be radically different from who the person really is. our internal representation is based on how we’ve organized the data we’ve received over time and from different sources. when, for example, we have difficulty imagining a person we dislike doing something good, we can be sure that we are attached to our internal representation. in the same way, imagining a friend doing a “bad” thing may lead to a reaction that tells us, again, that we are attached to our internal representation.

we are always in danger of lapsing back into the intellect. believing that we know what equanimity is, we may think that recalling the feeling is enough. it is not. it is only when we can feel the same equanimity towards someone we’re attracted to, someone we have an aversion to, and someone we feel indifferent towards, that the practice reaches fullness.

the central point in equanimity is that everyone is trying to be happy and trying to avoid suffering. understanding this point cuts through the fence and puts you in touch with the essential humanity of all people.

Ken McCleod

in the traditional teachings, each state has a near enemy and a far enemy. the near enemy is the egocentric state that most easily imitates the immeasurable state, and the far enemy is its opposite state. the near enemy of equanimity is indifference. there is no energy in the state of indifference, whereas equanimity is a highly energetic state. the far enemy of equanimity is craving, or prejudice.

loving-kindness

loving-kindness (Sanskrit: maitri) is the wish for all beings to be happy. not as an intellectual concept, but as a direct experience of the state. we allow the heartfelt quality of the state to touch us, experientially. Chögyam Trungpa gives this immeasurable a different name. he calls it an unconditional friendliness, that we develop first to ourselves, and then to others. this unconditional friendliness is the opposite of our tendency to push away some part of our experience. loving-kindness allows everything to be present, without being manipulated by it. it is a willingness to allow whatever arises in awareness, and a welcoming attitude towards it, without pushing anything away. even from this description one can sense that it is not a passive state, but instead, a state of high energy and presence.

the state itself is warm, non-aggressive, and gentle. there are a few behaviors or attitudes that can mimic it but are not authentically it. the first is liking yourself or pampering yourself. to like something is a form of judgment, because the opposite (don’t like) is excluded. mindlessly watching series or going to the spa are also not regarded as loving-kindness, as both are passive states, whereas loving-kindness is an active state. tuning out to experience is also not loving-kindness. when the state is active, we do not try to push experience away, or become attached to an outcome. when we do become attached, feelings get neglected and pushed away. when we try to fix another’s pain, they simply get more convinced their pain is somehow wrong. instead, we can focus on having a gentle friendliness, making space for all of experience. we can open our heart to our own and others’ experience.

the immeasurables transform relationship by cutting through subject-object dualism to unite the giver and receiver in a moment of presence, a moment that carries the energy of the immeasurable and plants it in the heart of the receiver.

Ken McCleod

for McCleod, every moment where we touch another with the energy of these four mental states a seed is planted, and a transmission takes place. the person is reminded of their humanity and their dignity, and they are treated with love. these practices, just like meditation, remind us of the importance to focus on the experience, rather than thinking or intellectualizing. in a moment of anger, thought may tell me that i want to be peaceful, so i repress the feeling in order to fulfill my ideal. it is better for me to recognize the anger and work with it directly, rather than trying to hide it under an intellectual concept of loving-kindness or compassion.

where equanimity takes down the razor-wire fence of prejudices and preferences, loving-kindness is more like the spring sun that warms the ground so that grass and flowers can grow. human kindness is like sunshine, and loving-kindness practice is letting that sunshine warm your heart so that you, too, radiate warmth to the world around you.

Ken McCleod

in our day-to-day life, we can make a point of noticing common courtesies, like offering a drink or holding a door open. notice when they are extended freely or required by social convention. notice the difference in energy. if you have the attitude that there is no real kindness in the world, how does this serve you? or, you may feel that you don’t really deserve kindness, so that a kind act from another makes you feel shame. this belief stems from feeling that you are not good enough. look into the reactive pattern with questions such as:

• what is intellect or habit telling me i've done wrong?
• what makes me unworthy of receiving kindness?

we’re not trying to find analytical or intellectual answers. feel your way into the answers or insights that appear in mind. let the questions take you deep inside and experience the unworthiness that you feel. this will soon expose the self-image that you hold. now look into the patterns of receiving kindness and being left with a feeling of obligation. notice how this feeling is based on fear and causes you to cling to your illusion of independence. when we do this kind of work, we may experience lots of uncomfortable feelings. we may remember moments of unskillfulness and hurt. and yet, even as we feel those feelings, a quiet loving-kindness is growing in us. we are seeing more clearly, and we come to know where we want to place our attention. be willing to look at your patterns deeply and learn from your experience. understand the fears that keep you shut down and with a closed heart. you may even feel this contracted and icy heart. let the attention rest on it, until it develops some spacious openness. do this again, and again, reaching into your own pain and staying with it until it relaxes. when you work with loving-kindness in terms of others, notice how strange it feels when you are able to hold loving-kindness for a person with whom you have a difficult relationship, and how you can contain your personal feelings enough to extend love. this is also the place where we discover that loving-kindness has nothing to do with like or dislike. we can feel deep loving-kindness even for someone we typically avoid.

for loving-kindness the near enemies are indulgence and selfish affection (sentimentality), towards either self or others. the far enemies are harbored ill-will, hatred, and aggression.

compassion

compassion (Sanskrit: karuna) is the wish for all beings to be free of suffering. this includes the suffering we experience in struggling to avoid pain. in some teachings the state is described as “clarity imbued with warmth.” genuine compassion practice is not easy. most of us are very afraid of difficult and painful states, and the purpose of compassion is to go beyond this fear, to be present for and acknowledge suffering. true compassion is not “idiot compassion,” a term popularized by Chögyam Trungpa.

idiot compassion is the well-intentioned but ineffectual kindness that does not help others cut through their confusion but instead supports the habitual patterns and ego-clinging that perpetuates their suffering… true compassion has been described as ‘ruthless’… another way to say the same thing is to say that true compassion doesn’t care about ego. if we are to act compassionately, we may have to be willing not to be liked or even understood.

Karen Kissel Wegela

another false form of compassion is codependency. compassion truly benefits the other, and is not motivated by the terror of being alone and not needed. the more we can free of ourselves of our helper identity, the deeper our compassion can reach.

one Tibetan image that is used to understand compassion is riveting and completely different from our sentimental or sweet altruism. in this image a mother sees her baby being swept away in a raging torrent and she stands and watches helplessly, since she has no arms. the image awakens us to the ‘just this’ of reality, and simultaneously burns us with the essence of her feeling. it leaves us vulnerable in our own inability and our groundlessness.

there are three levels of compassion:

1. at the first level, we include all sentient beings in our compassion, simply because everyone and everything suffers.
2. at the second level our compassion goes beyond temporary suffering, addressing the basic confusion that underlies all suffering. at this level we meet and address ignorance and develop our own ability to stand in our true feeling.
3. at the third level compassion becomes completely non-referential, and therefore spontaneous. it has become part of the organism’s habit and natural way, and is no longer thought of or planned. at this stage it is inconceivable to not be compassionate.

compassion practice is difficult because it inevitably brings up painful feelings. and this is exactly why we want to take it to heart. after the radiant feelings we can be left with when practicing loving-kindness, the despair we may feel when practicing compassion can cause fear. when we see a person or animal in pain, there is an immediate and deep reaction. we feel the impulse to do something about the pain. we’re scared of how the pain will touch us, so we want to fix the pain. but this is a reaction, not a response. the practice of compassion does not allow for running away into fixing or helplessness. notice that your desire to fix comes from your own fear and discomfort. it does not help another that you cannot stand their pain, or your own.

relaxing the contraction of pain and finding compassion is hard. we repeatedly encounter fear. in time, as we do the practice, we become aware that it is possible to feel the fear and stand in it. as we bring attention to the fear itself, it relaxes. initially we feel the fear reaction in the physical body, and as it starts to relax, it shifts to the emotional body. we may cry for the person or situation. and in this rawness and confusion, we find that the heart is no longer contracted. we are in the difficulty, simply feeling. we are now able to choose a response to the situation.

while the sadness is painful beyond measure, you realize that you have somehow become one with it and one with the pain of the world. through compassion, you have entered into presence and the mystery of being… a moment’s heartfelt compassion will change you more profoundly than a lifetime spent in feeling that you are compassionate.

Ken McCleod

compassion can be applied especially in situations where no solution or fix exists. when we allow ourselves to realize that there is no good solution, and therefore veer away from blame and fixing, we can recognize the pain that radiates in all directions. the compassion is in accepting the pain and making space for it. having done this, we land in a space where we can respond to the situation.

the near enemy of compassion is overwhelm, or pity. when we pity another, we put ourselves above them, and it becomes about “me”, rather than the other. the far enemy is cruelty.

in order to have compassion for others, we have to have compassion for ourselves. in particular, to care about other people who are fearful, angry, jealous, overpowered by addictions of all kinds, arrogant, proud, miserly, selfish, mean — you name it — to have compassion and to care for these people, means not to run from the pain of finding these things in ourselves. in fact, one's whole attitude toward pain can change. instead of fending it off and hiding from it, one could open one's heart and allow oneself to feel that pain, feel it as something that will soften and purify us and make us far more loving and kind.

Pema Chödrön

joy

joy (Sanskrit: mudita) is often called ‘empathetic joy,’ and describes the state of rejoicing and feeling joy in others’ well-being or success. as a state, joy is openhearted and expansive in delight; the opposite of the closed heart that is self-absorbed and contracted. we are feeling with in the joy of the other, and have direct experience of our own joy. we can conjure the state by imagining or remembering a joyous child or pet, allowing ourselves to feel the joy that the other is experiencing, empathically. eventually, we can see that the people we find most challenging can also experience joy, and this helps us to humanize them. we can also cultivate joy by experiencing our own or others’ achievements.

the state of joy is a very helpful experience when we’re contracted in jealousy or envy. we can focus on the joy or accomplishment of the other, and really allow ourselves to uncover this state of joy in ourselves. cultivating this state in our daily experience may help to shift us into making different choices for our life. generally, recognizing experiences of gratitude and appreciation are ways of accessing our joy. at its deepest level, the state of joy can even be experienced in bringing to mind those people who have caused us suffering. when we see the person we’ve become due to all these influences, challenges, or hardships, we may feel deep gratitude for the process of life.

when we look into the experiences of loving-kindness and anger, we notice that they cannot co-exist. in the same way, joy cannot co-exist with jealousy or envy. there’s a harshly critical attitude behind our jealousy, because we believe we’re not receiving enough. this attitude is also behind envy, because we believe we are not enough. we may actually notice this criticism to ourselves, and we may also become aware of how we’re projecting this onto the world. this criticism typically stems from an internalized expectation about who we should be, and this expectation is giving us the marching orders.

working with joy brings us into contact with our adaptation to a conventional culture, first in our parents, and then in our broader society. we may see how often we act out of an obligatory joy. we feel we cannot survive outside the unspoken rules of society. we notice how shame and punishment are used to leave us dependent on this system. as we grow up, we adopt this system’s view of who and what we are. we become aware of how far the obligatory joy is removed from pure joy.

the near enemy for joy is exuberance or over-excitement, which is “all about me.” the far enemy is resentment, or envy.

the states as presence

practicing with these energetic states of awareness is not limited to our formal practice. we may learn a lot about ourselves and how to move our reaction during formal practice, but it is in our real-life situations that we are tested most intensely. it is also in these situations that we can practice most deeply.

in situations of judgment or prejudice, we can use our experience with the practice of equanimity. here you will be appreciative of the sitting practice you’ve already done. it is only through this avenue that we can start practicing the state in our actual daily experience. judgement arises in the body as a physical reaction to our experience, in our emotion it arises as prejudice, and in our mind it arises as a disturbance. McCleod uses the example of receiving a call from a telemarketer. we can notice the arousal in the body and relax physically. we may notice the reactiveness in our emotion (prejudice) and may choose to simply stay present to the caller, treating them with respect, and then letting go. at the awareness level, we may reach the place where no matter what arises, we are able to stay free from being disturbed or confused.

loving-kindness counteracts shutting down to what arises within experience. in the body we shut down, ignore, or deny what is happening. in our emotions we collapse into the other/situation, as if they’re our whole world. and in the mind, we shut down through selecting to only focus on part of our experience. loving-kindness notices all that is here, the difficult part of the experience, and the sunlight pouring through the window. the open warmth we feel towards the situation or others means that we begin to treat everyone with respect, courtesy, and consideration.

compassion counteracts the fear of pain and discomfort. in the body, this fear arises as physical longing to be free of pain. in our emotion, we contract from this pain or discomfort, and in our mind a reaction arises as an attempt to control. we can easily use our reaction to a beggar to find the reality of these experiences. as our practice increases, we find that in the body we can allow the longing but not be ruled or pushed by it. in our emotion compassion is the capacity to stay present to the suffering without the need to react to the fear. in the mind, compassion dismantles our need for control. we can now freely attend to what needs attention and accept what cannot be done.

the practice of joy leads to dismantling the patterns of grasping at experience to validate our sense of self. in the body it arises as a reaction for self-preservation. in emotion, it arises as envy or jealousy that drives a need for validation. in the mind it is an inner sense of lack, and competition. with joy we become free of the need for external validation and our energy is freed up to go into the conscious activities of our life.

even when we’ve done some consistent practice with each of these states, in our daily life we may again return to our habitual patterns. “i understand these four states, but now i’m dealing with a real problem.” of course, there is no problem for which these states would not naturally be the best response.

these states can devolve as we experience them. equanimity easily devolves into detachment or indifference, which are forms of shutting down. to remedy this, we can use loving-kindness to look into the reactive pattern. loving-kindness easily devolves into possessiveness— the other or situation exists for our pleasure, and their difficulties are an intrusion into our idealized world of safety and love. it is compassion that remedies the breakdown of loving-kindness. by bringing our attention to the suffering in self or other, we can see the situation as it is, rather than a projection of our intellect. compassion grows the ability to be consciously present to pain, but when it collapses, it leads to despair. we are put in touch with the pain of the world, and it can be overwhelming. we are demanding too much of ourselves without realizing. we make ourselves personally responsible for things that are often completely outside our capacity. the remedy here is joy. joy frees us from these conditioned expectations and brings us back to presence.

summary

working with the four natural states includes a lot of information, and can initially feel overwhelming. let’s find a few ways to express it more succinctly and make it easier to recognize in practice.

• through removing prejudice, equanimity forms the base for loving-kindness. loving-kindness does not shut down, forming the base for compassion. compassion is not self-centered, and so creates the base for joy. joy removes the need for validation and becomes the base for presence.
• equanimity provides us the capacity to be with experience as it is. loving-kindness provides us with love and openness. compassion brings us the capacity to remain present with pain. joy provides us with the capacity for appreciation and gratitude.
• prejudice prevents equanimity. a closed heart prevents loving-kindness. fear of suffering prevents compassion. and feeling deficient prevents joy.
• the qualities we sense most deeply in the arising of these states within our experience are as follows: equanimity arises with clarity; loving-kindness arises with warm openness; compassion arises with fearlessness; joy arises with presence.

if someone slanders you, what should you do? just make the waters calm. in other words, just forget it. this is not an easy practice. but if you hang on to the slander, you will become angry. you will fight. this just perpetuates the problem. this problem is not confined to slander or blame; it applies to praise and admiration as well. if you are admired, don’t hang on to admiration. just get on with what needs to be done.

Dainin Katagiri