.
AS a general rule, the main ingredient of a cake is flour and without it you have no cake.
Like any good rule there is always an exception and the one that comes to mind is Victoria Beckham who recently celebrated her birthday with a ‘Melon Cake’!
A ‘Melon Cake’ I ask you – how boring – give me an ordinary cake any day. Putting Victoria aside I’d like to come back to my main point; a cake without flour is not a cake.
Now when we scrutinise this a little further questions begin to arise.
For instance, if I removed one grain or two grains of flour, would I still have a cake?
Answer; Definitely Yes.
If I removed 100 grains of flour from the mixture would I still have a cake?
Answer; Definitely Yes.
If I removed 5,000 grains of flour?
Answer; Beginning to affect the texture.
If I removed 20,000 grains of flour?
Answer; Probably end up in a mush.
The bottom line here is – no flour, no cake.
There is some method (Shakespeare’s word for reason!!) for engaging in this type of example, because if we looked at worry and anxiety in a similar way, would we get a similar outcome. I believe we would.
If we treated worry and anxiety like a cake but the main ingredient or ‘worry and anxiety’ is thought instead of flour.
No thought = No worry and anxiety.
Now if I removed one thought would I still have worry and anxiety?
Answer; Definitely yes
If I removed 5,000 thoughts would I still have worry and anxiety?
Answer; Perhaps yes but the effect is becoming more noticeable
If I removed 50,000 thoughts would I still have worry and anxiety?
Answer; Perhaps the ‘Cake’ or worry and anxiety is beginning to disappear.
The main reason for this is when we remove thought from the equation, then worry and anxiety have lost their main ingredient.
The practice of removing thought is called Meditation and there are many ways of doing this.
The most important thing to realise here is the word ‘Practice’ and like any ‘Practice’ it takes time, attention and effort.
Needless to say I believe that this practice is well worthwhile if the ultimate outcome is the reduction or indeed removal of worry and anxiety from our lives.
Next week I am going to write about — My visit to Dzogchen Beara.
