I just finished reading Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche’s latest post on The Huffington Post’s Religion section titled “Buddhist Insights for Accepting and Respecting our Emotions” and wanted to ring in with a few of my personal observations and notes.
The concept of an individual ‘emotional signature’ that is referred to in the article is something that resonated with me as I really have valued examining my habitual reactions to situations over time. The ‘Tanya-isms’ that I display range from biting my lip or hair twirling when irritated, nervous or frustrated to the tell tale eye rolling that I do when showboaters enter into the pond. Being married or in a long term relationship gives us an additional flashlight that shines on these habitual behaviours.
I really appreciated Ponlop Rinpoche’s mention of there not being anything wrong with emotions, as many people often think that belief systems such as Buddhism are about relinquishing these feelings and becoming either a blank slate or an ecstatically happy and blissed out nutter. I relate to the perspective posited in the blog post which calls for people to listen in to the messages that are conveyed by our emotions but employing mindfulness to tune into what our emotions are saying.
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I think this goes along with the whole “sit with it” philosophy of getting to the actual stuff of emotions. And, you know, being human. I agree with you, wholeheartedly.