Making Peace With Yourself: The Practice of Removing the Object

We don't like fear, pain, emotional fatigue, anger, sadness. We follow Master Thich Nhat Hanh's practice of "removing the object".

Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerous

We don't like fear, pain, emotional fatigue, anger, sadness. However, we all carry with us a certain dose, sure, which derives from the wounds and pains experienced - more or less consciously - in childhood and we try not to feel them: distracting ourselves, engaging in other activities. But they, sly and impertinent, sooner or later return. They are resentful. The more we shy away from them, the more they chase us.

But there is a way out: to heal. The path is illustrated, step by step, with poetry and kindness, by Thich Nhat Hanh, in his book Make peace with yourself (Terra Nuova Edizioni). It is a question of allowing ourselves the possibility of being affected, bringing to light the most remote inner conflicts and thus transforming them into strength and awareness: new energies, alive, for our life, which allow us to express ourselves more freely, having eliminated the weights that limit us in the relationships and personal fulfillment.

Of course, it is also possible to learn to let go of the annoyances and tensions that affect the present life in the background. One practice, in particular (among the several mentioned in the book), is as simple as it is effective; his name is revealing: "remove the object".

Thich Nhat Hanh reveals that Master Linji, a Chinese Zen master, used the expression "remove the object" to indicate the action of removing disturbing thoughts about a situation, a person, a story to return to the present, the here and now of the body and emotions. It is not a question of avoiding but of allowing something deeper and more important to happen: “we can identify the internal knots and embrace them tenderly, let the tensions relax and relax; then we can heal ”.

And here it is; there practice of "removing the object" (to do in a quiet place, perhaps seated, with your back kept straight; you start by simply listening and following your breath; eyes closed to facilitate relaxation and self-listening):

Index

Breathing in, I find my inspiration again

exhaling, I find my exhalation

Breathing in, I recall the object (my problem, situation, person ...)

exhaling, I open myself to this problem

Breathing in, I let go of all thoughts about the object

exhaling, I embrace the energy of my body

Breathing in, I bring attention and feel my body, sensations and emotions

exhaling, I embrace my body, sensations and emotions, whatever they are

Breathing in, I bring my inspiration into my body, sensations and emotions, whatever they are

exhaling, I release the tensions in my body and emotions

Breathing in, I am aware of my inspiration

exhaling, I am aware of my exhalation.

The instructions must be followed for at least a couple of minutes per step.

Read also:

• How to cultivate and find inner peace
• Inner peace: a path to take to be happy
• The 20 rules of the Native Americans to find peace and harmony

Warnings: sometimes the body's energy, sensations, emotions can seem too heavy, painful, overwhelming. In that case, you should try to stay in contact for at least twenty seconds, as long as possible (as long as you can, until "it's not too much") and then open your eyes and look at something, for example outside the window. . When you feel ready again, try to contact that emotion again for a while. Changing the object of attention (inside / outside) "helps to find a solid foundation outside of us and space within us".

Good practice.