04-10-2013, 10:34 AM
One can get overly serious, overly eager, overly intense, overly attempting to reach and make something "happen" by great, strenuous exercise of personal will, whether in terms of attempting to serve others, or more specifically in terms of changing ones own state of consciousness.
This can leave one depleted, over-extended, and, as you said, burnt out.
I think there should be a balance between striving and allowing, using effort and relaxing, focus and distraction, etc. As indicated above, burn out is likely a situation of imbalance in the direction of personal will and effort. Too much trying and attempt to control and attachment to outcome, too little allowing and resting and being with the moment *as it is*.
Thusly it is always a good idea to find time to relax, rest, and enjoy oneself with distraction and, to the extent it's not self-destructive or harmful to others, pleasure, ease, release. This is especially well if one is feeling particularly toasted, in exhaustion, and/or doubt, and/or disappointment, and/or disillusionment.
I see the conscious mind as the captain of a ship in some ways. The captain sets the course, does her best to read the waves, star, and sky in order to navigate the path, make decisions as the circumstances change, work with the crew, etc. But the captain is not carrying the entire ship. She must step back and allow the crew to do its work *according to* the intentions set by the captain.
How does this translate to this situation? In terms of your personal will and effort, you can set and refine your intention. You can more skillfully choose your course, distill and aim your desires, and analyze the available data at hand. But you have to step back and allow the deeper self (i.e., the crew) to its part, processing your intentions and allowing that information to sink in. I think most of the work, actually, takes place below the threshold of waking, conscious awareness.
In this way you're not attached to outcome. You set the intentions, you do the work that is within your sphere of responsibility and capability, and the rest happens as it will.
When you feel the energy and the need and the inspiration to return to the job at hand, you return, remembering that you are not getting to your "destination", so to speak, by personal will - you are rather setting the intention, and allowing the remainder of self to respond to that intention. Naturally the more pure and consistent and patient unattached-to-outcome the intention, the more efficacious will be its effect and manifestation.
I just had my coffee. Hopefully this makes sense. If not, Lynn offered some solid advice: visit the spiritual lavatory. Frequently. = )
This can leave one depleted, over-extended, and, as you said, burnt out.
I think there should be a balance between striving and allowing, using effort and relaxing, focus and distraction, etc. As indicated above, burn out is likely a situation of imbalance in the direction of personal will and effort. Too much trying and attempt to control and attachment to outcome, too little allowing and resting and being with the moment *as it is*.
Thusly it is always a good idea to find time to relax, rest, and enjoy oneself with distraction and, to the extent it's not self-destructive or harmful to others, pleasure, ease, release. This is especially well if one is feeling particularly toasted, in exhaustion, and/or doubt, and/or disappointment, and/or disillusionment.
I see the conscious mind as the captain of a ship in some ways. The captain sets the course, does her best to read the waves, star, and sky in order to navigate the path, make decisions as the circumstances change, work with the crew, etc. But the captain is not carrying the entire ship. She must step back and allow the crew to do its work *according to* the intentions set by the captain.
How does this translate to this situation? In terms of your personal will and effort, you can set and refine your intention. You can more skillfully choose your course, distill and aim your desires, and analyze the available data at hand. But you have to step back and allow the deeper self (i.e., the crew) to its part, processing your intentions and allowing that information to sink in. I think most of the work, actually, takes place below the threshold of waking, conscious awareness.
In this way you're not attached to outcome. You set the intentions, you do the work that is within your sphere of responsibility and capability, and the rest happens as it will.
When you feel the energy and the need and the inspiration to return to the job at hand, you return, remembering that you are not getting to your "destination", so to speak, by personal will - you are rather setting the intention, and allowing the remainder of self to respond to that intention. Naturally the more pure and consistent and patient unattached-to-outcome the intention, the more efficacious will be its effect and manifestation.
I just had my coffee. Hopefully this makes sense. If not, Lynn offered some solid advice: visit the spiritual lavatory. Frequently. = )
Explanation by the tongue makes most things clear, but love unexplained is clearer. - Rumi
![[+]](https://www.bring4th.org/forums/images/collapse_collapsed.png)