| I have wasted countless hours of my life watching | | | | I can certainly do so when some little thing in life |
| TV, and the idea that television is "an opiate of the | | | | doesn't go my way. This is the power of mindfulness |
| masses" is probably not far from the truth. That | | | | and taking stock, often, of how good we often |
| being said, I'm no snob and get hooked into shows | | | | really have things. |
| just like anyone else. Of all of the shows I've | | | | On the subject of mindfulness and Eastern Religion, it |
| watched in my life Seinfeld was truly the one that | | | | is also interesting to consider an idea in Tibetan |
| got me through some dark hours in my life, and the | | | | Buddhism called "Crazy Wisdom" or yeshe |
| show continues to be a big part of my life years | | | | chölwa, which translates literally to wisdom |
| later in syndication. | | | | gone wild. This was popularized by the erratic yet |
| I bring this up because I want to call attention to one | | | | brilliant Tibetan philosopher ChogyamTrungpa |
| particular episode called "The Opposite." For people | | | | Rinpoche, who, although thought to be a deity much |
| unfamiliar with this episode, it is the one where | | | | like the Dalia Lama in his native Tibet, moved to |
| George Costanza decided that, because his every | | | | America and opened up a number of centers for |
| instinct in life has produced an undesirable result, that | | | | spiritual enlightenment with people such as Allen |
| therefore doing the opposite of what his instincts | | | | Ginsburg and William Burroughs as instructors. |
| told him must therefore be right. When George | | | | Purveyors of Crazy Wisdom such as Trungpa were |
| implements this idea into his life all of a sudden | | | | called Siddhas who "expressed the unconditional |
| wonderful things begin to happen to him. What | | | | freedom of enlightenment through divinely inspired |
| George had unwittingly stumbled onto was a concept | | | | foolishness... vastly preferring to celebrate the |
| known as Paradoxical Intention. | | | | inherent freedom and sacredness of authentic being, |
| The term Paradoxical Intention was originally coined | | | | rather than clinging to external religious forms and |
| by an amazing man named Victor Frankl who wrote | | | | moral systems. Through their playful eccentricity, |
| Man's Search for Meaning webwinds.com/frankl | | | | these rambunctious spiritual tricksters served to free |
| frankl.htmabout his experiences in a concentration | | | | others from delusion, social inhibitions, specious |
| camp and subsequent life as a psychiatrist where he | | | | morality, complacence -- in short, all variety of |
| conceived his unique philosophy known as | | | | mind-forged manacles." |
| Logotherapy. One of the key treatments Frankl used | | | | These spiritual fools had what was called a "cosmic |
| was Paradoxical Intention, in a nutshell "suggesting to | | | | sense of humor" that saw through the illusions of |
| the patient, with expression of appropriate humor, | | | | society's conventions towards a greater |
| that they do, or expose themselves to, that which | | | | interconnectedness of being. Although this is certainly |
| they fear." One example would be telling someone | | | | getting into the area of metaphysics, these teachers |
| who keeps struggling with dieting that you want | | | | in a nutshell, were fools because they understood we |
| them, for the next week to eat absolutely as much | | | | are a universe of fools, who became foolishly |
| as they can. This kind of advice often disturbs a | | | | attached to our possessions and our conventions, |
| person's cognitions, and often the pure absurdity of | | | | while failing to see how these attachments lead to |
| the suggestions helps people to better understand | | | | suffering. |
| their original self-defeating ways of thinking. | | | | So do our attachments lead to suffering? Absolutely. |
| Related to the concept of Paradoxical Intention is the | | | | We often cling to our own ideas and the seriousness |
| idea of acting "as if." This gives a person permission | | | | of our little private universes, when in the grander |
| to act in ways contrary to their usual ways of | | | | scheme the things we worry about are actually quite |
| dealing with the world. In other words a shy and | | | | silly. We waste so much of our precious time here on |
| isolated person could act "as if" their life was full of | | | | earth worrying about things that never come to |
| joy and laughter for a couple of weeks to see if this | | | | fruition. Meanwhile we continue to hurdle through |
| creates any changes in their life during this time, and | | | | space on a little blue ball that cares nothing for our |
| you know what? It usually always does!! This is the | | | | unpaid electric bills, unmowed lawns, and unfair |
| power of emotional choice. This was especially true in | | | | bosses. The Siddhas understood this absurdity, and in |
| the life of Victor Frankl, who, during his darkest days | | | | their world these silly fools were considered the |
| in a concentration camp was able to think about his | | | | wisest of the wise. Perhaps there is a lesson here |
| love for his wife and experience happiness, even as | | | | about not taking ourselves to seriously, as it is often |
| the threat of continued torture and imminent death | | | | the silly and the foolish who ultimately may be the |
| hung over his head. I try to tell myself that if a man | | | | wisest. |
| can chose happiness under those circumstances, than | | | | |