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The Process


In a way, I use The Path and The Process somewhat interchangeably. That may change because it may create some confusion - hence the two separate posts.

While The Path is the journey we're on, The Process is the work we're doing.

I picked this photo because it could be someone setting some salt aside for cooking or it could be someone preparing ingredients for a potion. The point being that it looks like some kind of work is about to take place, mundane or magical.

The Process I think consists of the action that we take. This doesn't necessarily change The Path, but it does change our experience of it.

For example, one of my first visions of the path and the process was after a group meditation class. I stopped at Barnes and Noble and was drawn to a section that led me to a book called, Buddhism Is Not What You Think: Finding Freedom Beyond Beliefs (I highly recommend this book). I read the first chapter or two and set it down to ponder what I'd just read.

That is when an image came to mind:

A landscape of plots for as far as I could see opened up in my minds eye. On many of them there were people I knew. One was occupied by my rich neighbors laying out on lounge chairs, drinking lemonade - their lot was rich and lush. I noticed this about many lots, that the occupants weren't working them but the fruits of their plots were great.

Then I saw myself on my lot, it was essentially a picture from the great depression, a veritable dust bowl. I was planting seeds, trying to water the garden, hauling rocks, all the while with this mountainous pack on my back. Atlas Shrugge anyone? I was burnt from the sun, thirsty from the work, exhausted, dusty, and disappointed by the results. This was startling but an accurate picture of how I saw the reality of my life.

Then the image swirled and it was clear that the first image had been my interpretation of reality while this new one was closer to the truth. The world was covered in water, there were no discernible ploys or paths per say. Everyone was in their very own pea pod. Some were lounging as the pea pod made its own unique way, some were lying rigidly at the bottom and there I was - eyes closed, paddling away, rocking my pod, screaming in frustration because no matter how hard I paddled the pod went its own way.

That's when I got it - the pods are our paths and we have very little or no control over where they go. What we do, what we see, and how we interact with the other people around us, those are the choices that we have and that is where the process comes in, that is where our choice to either practice awareness or not comes into play.

Often The Path and The Process are referred to as "doing the work," or "doing your work." It can sometimes be scary, overwhelming, disappointing, or pointless feeling but eventually what we thought we knew is revealed to only be shadows of reality and reality holds adventure, joy, and peace.


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