Cattāri Brahmavihārā

I intended to write about this yesterday but it was late bythe time I finished meditation. Anyway, these more other-oriented training aspirations that I am working with seem to be having a positive effect upon my outlook and behavior so I feel that they are, at the very least, worth sticking to even if they have been largely designed by an unenlightened worldling. Still, there are times when I find myself wandering about in confusion without the energy or understanding needed to use discursive techniques. So, imagine my delight when o rediscovered the power of smiling practice.

Bhante Vimalaramsi makes much of smiling as a key component in his metta instructions and although I have used it before I eventually switched to another practice due to my own incontinence. And yet nothing has proven to be quite as powerful in overcoming sticky and torpid mind states than a sustained, mindful smiling countenance.
Now, don’t get me wrong and think I’m advocating simply slapping a maudlin grin on your face and walking out the door because, for me at least, it has taken some time to figure out how to do this well. What I have learned is that I don’t need to go around smiling like a maniacal idiot or imbecile but, once I have the feeling of a genuine and gentle smile on my face, I simply need to soften it fom time to time to keep it going. The idea of softening gas proven especially useful on NYC streets where most people either walk around in stone-faced aversion or with lips puckered in photojournalistic modeling poses. Why does it work so well? Not sure but it’s a great lesson in humility and a reminder that maybe we don’t have it all figured out.