Practice Without Response
by Ryushun Kusanagi
In this practical guide to living better, the Buddhist scholar Ryushun Kusanagi reiterates a key message of his thinking. We inevitability encounter difficulties in life and it is all too easy to be get bogged down by the idea that “life is hard”, but by understanding and cultivating the right ways of thinking you can overcome anything, because worry ultimately arises from our internal reactions, rather than external events. This idea can be difficult to fully appreciate for commuters stuck in rush hour crowds or contemplating the idea that a stressful project may fail, but Ryushun explains how our habitual reactions and attachment to negative thinking can lead us into such pitfalls. The process of changing this situation begins with cultivating a greater sense of empathy for others. Focusing on the causes of problems and putting them into words can help you to observe your inner reactions and be mindful of how the body responds, allowing you to categorize thoughts more appropriately, clear your mind, and view difficulties in a more productive light. Avoiding the rush to label what befalls us as “good” or “bad” is a powerful tool. We tend to make all sorts of assumptions about what is happening or not happening, and our own pretence of understanding not only fails to protect us from criticism, but also prevents us from being happy. Concentrating on what is useful, rather than the need to be right, frees us from these toxic patterns of judgement. It is also essential to acknowledge emotions such as anger when they arise and free yourself from their grip by taking a wider perspective on the world around us and building self-confidence through the exercises explained by the author. The next step of Ryushun’s process is to stop allowing negative emotions to dictate how you live, either by allowing them to escalate or by denying their existence. This involves learning to avoid judging others or emotionally reacting to memories from the past, again through the use of mindful recognition to identify when we make such judgements or responses. This helps us to understand what Buddhists mean when they talk about the “right direction” and gives us the empathy to deal with people we find difficult – a useful tool in any life! Ryushun takes these concepts further by showing how the opinions of others can affect us. Learning how to identify our instinctive reactions to others and keeping depression at a distance enables us to let go of longstanding emotional issues, stop comparing ourselves to others, and focus on living our own lives. In a similar way, Ryushun examines how competition can serve as a delusion that drives our futile struggle for the “taste of victory”. With reference to Zen tradition, he outlines the importance of assessing our own motives and working to live a life that is truly praiseworthy, rather than existing in fear of “failure” or “defeat”. The author ends this bestselling book with an exhortation to keep returning to the right path, no matter how many “course corrections” we need to make to get there. For Ryshun, the right path is not only about relying on the tenets of Buddhism, but also to have faith that you will ultimately overcome any difficulties you encounter and reach the goals outlined in this insightful work.
