"The less I think I know,
The more I really see..."
In a book about the 8 limbs of yoga I came across Aparigraha, which translated as nonpossessiveness or nonhoarding. Among other useful teachings Aparigraha warns us that we may need to be less possessive, less certain about our long held thoughts and beliefs.
You and I may look at the same object and perceive it very differently. Take the classic “Is the glass half full or half empty?” example. A rainy day for some people is a blessed gift to dry earth while for others it is a gloomy picnic saboteur.
I work as a therapist. And what do we do in this field? We meet with someone for 1 ½ hours, ask a sequence of questions, many of which are “cookie cutter” and then we develop an “assessment” of the person, a written document which immediately begins to guide our beliefs about that person and our clinical work.
The good thing is I do not have to take the “I am the expert and I have you figured out” orientation. I recently implemented a system of client feedback which allows clients to tell me what worked in a session, what didn’t, where I went wrong our made an assumption, etc. This came from a recent training and is considered a "cutting edge" approach. That is a glaring example of a tradition of therapist assumption!
Every new moment is fresh. Aparigraha can encourage us to leave behind what we believed last week, last year. How many of our beliefs and perceptions are 100% accurate? How many beliefs and thoughts actually cause unnecessary anguish?
A fresh perspective can occur in each moment if we simply allow ourselves to assume nothing. To breathe in, breathe out. To talk less, and listen more. To control less and let go more.
Thank you, Aparigraha.
