Anxiety contracts the mind into claustrophobia — and in that tightness only two emotions remain
duḥkha — duḥ + kha, «дурное, тесное пространство»; citta-vṛtti — движения сознания, сужающиеся вместе с ним
Anxiety contracts the mind into claustrophobia — and in that tightness only two emotions remain
duḥkha — duḥ + kha, «дурное, тесное пространство»; citta-vṛtti — движения сознания, сужающиеся вместе с ним
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"When you feel anxiety, it is a type of mental claustrophobia, because the citta has contracted in the ākāśa. Consciousness becomes more and more contracted until the whole spectrum of emotions disappears and only two are left — lust and vengeance."
Anxiety feels like stuffiness: the thoughts have no room, and not one right answer comes. It is a mechanism rather than a character flaw: the citta has contracted in the ākāśa, and the functions of the mind can no longer go on. The tighter the contraction, the shorter the spectrum — the fine feelings go first, and at the very bottom two coarse movements remain: lust and vengeance. From there comes the thing a person later blames himself for: in anxiety he turns completely self-centred, as if he were the only thing in the universe. The instrument through which he perceives everything has shrunk. So the way out is different: give the mind space again — by the very sound that expands the citta.
For one round, notice where it is tight inside, and hold the mind on the sound of the name.