Relieve Suffering with Balance

I am certain you have probably heard many times that the mind is a powerful tool with the power to manifest whatever it is you think you want in your life.  And based on this idea in conjunction with the Law of Attraction, we understand that should our thoughts hang out in the negative zone, we will manifest or bring into our lives those negative things. On the contrary, should we keep our thoughts positive, that is what we will manifest. 

And maybe it is from this idea that someone came up with the idea of creating a vision board.  A vision board is typically a reminder of all the things you want and, as well, a reminder how happy you will feel once you have them.   I think reminders to stay focused on the positive are great because we are creatures of habit and our mind tends to pull us elsewhere if being positive is new to us.

But, Tosha Silver questions in the book Outrageous Openness, what if our tools of manifestation, like vision boards, become a source of clinging and grasping? This would then equate to attachment, which is unhealthy and leads to suffering as stated in the Yoga Sutras.

The elimination of suffering is a key element in Buddhist belief and is based on the concepts that suffering is inevitable or part of life but that suffering can be overcome by following the Eightfold Path.  Now add to that the Dalai Lama has said,  “suffering is caused by ignorance”.

When I hear the word suffering, I think of the worst things possible; the things that would make one's heart and soul feel broken.

But, "In Buddhist philosophy “suffering” includes regrets, desires, worries, depression, anger, and any other form of unhappiness (no matter how subtle), that is preventing you from living a happy and fulfilled life, and ultimately reaching a state of enlightenment." Jason Marshall

One of the most overused expressions is the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result.  But we do! Why? We are usually pretty certain we can fix things and make them better or different.  When we keep hanging out with the friend who depletes our energy and makes us crazy because it will be different this time, we are being ignorant.

But don't take down your vision board just yet; not all of us form unhealthy attachments to the objects we desire.

"This is the key to manifestation. Over 75% of people tend to be visual learners which makes visualizing and visual images so effective. When you work with the way your conscious and unconscious mind takes in ideas, you are much more likely to shift the energy you are sending out around your intentions."  http://www.creativeaffirmations.com/vision-boards.html

However, this website went on to list a whole lot of types of vision boards you could create: "The Gratitude Board, The Hodgepodge (a number of visions), The Love Board, The Money Board, The Habit Board, The Specifics (one situation), The Travel Board, The Qualities Board (personal qualities), The Career / Business Board, The Family Board, The Bucket List Board, The Home Board."

I read that and felt exhausted; that's a lot of work!  If you are making a vision board for every one of those things, you might want to consider an attachment.  What we need in every aspect of our life is balance.

In the foreward of Outrageous Openness, Dr. Christiane Northrup sums up the premise of the book by saying, "the perfect solution to any problem is already picked, you will be guided to it in the right way at the right time...You simply sit back, offer the challenge you're facing to the Divine, and wait for a nudge."

---