It’s good to face the discontent in one’s heart, instead of distracting oneself in various ways. The discontentment that one feels is very difficult to face because it makes us feel very uncomfortable. What if one could find within oneself the capacity, the strength to quietly face oneself? This would mean, having the strength to allow oneself to be uncomfortable.
Practically how is this possible? by learning to be a simple witness. One can start with just five minutes of spending time, observing the sensations in one’s body. The sensations in one’s body are not all going to be comfortable.Can one just observe them without reacting, without distracting oneself, without trying to change them?
This is a very useful practice that one can become familiar with. By simply observing the unpleasant uncomfortable, maybe even painful sensations in the body, one begins to realise that it’s okay to simply witness them. You may even find that you begin to understand that you are different from sensations in the body, and so it is okay to observe them. Slowly, over time, you may even be able to recognise what emotions are connected to the unpleasant, uncomfortable sensations in the body.
The interesting thing about both sensations and emotions which seem to reside in the body is that they move, meaning that they don’t stay the same. You will find that as you observe them, they seem to change. You also begin to observe that you are there as the unchanging witness of the changing sensations, the changing emotions maybe even the changing thoughts. You may even begin to become aware of how your breath changes with the changing sensations, emotions, thoughts.
Once you begin to become familiar with yourself, as the unchanging witness of whatever is going on in your body, mind sense complex, you will find it much more easy to face the sense of discontentment you may be feeling with yourself. Once you find yourself able to face the sense of discontentment, without the need to distract yourself, you can ask yourself the question that where is this discontentment coming from? What is the source of this sense of discontentment? How old is it? Is it that you are discontented with the world, or is it that you are discontented with your idea of who you are? When you distract yourself from the feeling of discontentment, what exactly is it that you are seeking? Are you seeking to right the world, or are you seeking to see yourself contented?
By distracting yourself, are you able to solve the basic issue of being discontented with yourself?
How can you be contented with yourself? Do you need to fix yourself or do you need to be free from your conclusion that you are discontented? How can you be free from your conclusion that you are discontented, without fixing yourself?
Discontentment with oneself, is the source of the craving for contentment for happiness, which is really behind the need to distract oneself. Discontentment with oneself is the source of Kama or desire or craving for anything - be it a person, situation, thing. Fulfilling the craving is not a solution. Because fulfilling the craving does not remove the sense of discontentment with self. It only fuels the craving for more.
Once you can recognise that no amount of fulfilment of one cravings is going to remove the sense of discontentment with oneself, you are ready to study Vedanta. To study Vedanta, go to a traditional teacher and study, don’t study on your own. Why?
