For Buddhism, the irrepressible desire to intervene to change reality produces several errors that block the conscience.
Last update: Augusts 27, 2020
- errors that block the conscience they are caused by the typical Western tendency to want to interrupt the natural course of things. We think we can control everything, when in reality it is not. Each process must come to life and last as long as necessary. It starts and ends when it has to.
For Buddhism, this unstoppable desire to intervene to change reality produces several errors that block consciousness.
It happens when we deny what happens to us or act wrongly to solve a problem that is tormenting us. Far from finding an escape route, all this turns into an obstacle, preventing us from seeing the exit.
For Eastern culture, consciousness is understood as the ability to see, hear and understand the present moment. It is a clarity that emerges only when a balance is found between one's emotions and the management of one's desires. Life is not tailor-made for us: we have to adapt and learn to flow with it. For this purpose, it is important to know how to identify the errors that block the conscience.
“I don't let myself be forced or defend myself, I want to make myself understood without saying anything. Who can understand me; I understand myself ".
-Felix Lope de Vega y Carpio-
3 mistakes that block the conscience
1. Search obsessively
The very concept of research means giving up the idea that something is already complete in itself. Research presupposes a tension between the desire to find something and not knowing where it is. Each search contains anguish within itself. However, when this becomes obsessive, it turns into one of the errors that block consciousness.
We talk about looking for a truth, an answer or an experience. Many times this happens because we are convinced that when we find the object we are looking for, the situation will change radically. This never happens. Nonetheless, many people place all their expectations on that something.
The present brings with it everything we need: this is the teaching of Buddhism. It is in it that we find all that we deserve, that we can understand and assimilate. Everything that we do not possess, know or experience here and now is not present because it must be. The obsessive search only confuses us.
2. Force change
Certain changes occur when the ideal conditions are in place for them to occur. It is something that flows by itself when we are ready for it to be. Therefore, forcing certain situations does not make any sense.
Buddhists push us to reflect and become aware of our thoughts, feelings and behaviors, without judging ourselves. Declaring war on ourselves is one of the mistakes that block the conscience. As we discover who we are, what we think and feel, the negative aspects will begin to lose importance.
We don't have to punish ourselves or go against ourselves to change. If we haven't changed some aspect of ourselves that we don't like, it probably means we don't understand it yet. When we do, change will occur.
3. The prison of having to be
Duty is not something that is imposed on ourselves. Too many "must be" come from outside and many times we choose to obey you automatically. All this triggers cycles in which we are unable to adapt to these duties or to give them up. As a result, the guilt is constant. One feels constantly at fault.
A duty that is not undertaken with enthusiasm and full conviction is only a means of inflicting pain on oneself. It takes us away from our essence, it does nothing but satisfy the expectations of others and prevents us from facing the fear of renunciation. It is an alienating and tormented situation. It does not allow us to discover who we really are and causes a continuous inner struggle in us.
Duty is also something that flows naturally. We impose limits and restrictions on ourselves because we know that by giving up on something now, we can achieve greater benefits in the future. This is why we must devote ourselves to duty with conviction and joy, not with sadness and oppression.
All the errors that block the conscience have to do with the tendency not to accept reality and to force the natural course of things. All this is the fruit of the ego, that inner drive that leads us to put our ego above reality. This prevents us from seeing and understanding and leads us along the path of suffering.
