A Stone in Hand Revisited: Catching the Next Ripple

So I started considering “A Stone in Hand” as the total experience of a single moment. It is not ours to hold onto forever; no experience ever stays.

In moving from one moment to another, we ride a ripple, letting go of one in order to experience the next.

It does not take much for a ripple to become a rapid, just a bit of drama, any emotion. Then, the ride is rife with distraction and fear. We cling, fearing to let go, but knowing we must.

The three difficulties (or the three difficult practices) are:

1. to recognize your neurosis as neurosis,
2. then not to do the habitual thing but
to do something different to interrupt
the neurotic habit, and
3. to make this practice a way of life

(Pema Chödrön)

We invest in our neuroses, make them habits. They are hard to give up; it means we must change. When we stop ourselves—even mid-habit–we begin to let go of our neurosis. We move into the experience of the next moment, unencumbered.

It is a lifelong practice, to move gently into and out of our neuroses, to catch the next ripple and ride.

Aim for Even posts offer equanimity in daily doses. No day or dose is ever the same, even if the aim is. You may read about the origins of Aim for Even here or on this site’s About page.