{"id":4021,"date":"2015-06-14T14:29:24","date_gmt":"2015-06-14T18:29:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/?p=4021"},"modified":"2015-06-16T15:18:39","modified_gmt":"2015-06-16T19:18:39","slug":"set-aside-greed-and-distress-with-reference-to-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2015\/06\/set-aside-greed-and-distress-with-reference-to-the-world.html","title":{"rendered":"Set Aside Greed and Distress with Reference to the World"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>
Photo Credit: Benjamin Bal\u00e1zs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Buddha encouraged his monks to be “ardent, alert, & mindful” and to put “aside greed and distress in reference to the world.”<\/p>\n

I’ve been thinking a lot about these recommendation lately. What does it mean to set aside greed and distress? First, what is greed and what is distress?<\/p>\n

Greed is desire. It is wanting things to be a certain way. Of course, there is nothing wrong with wanting things but greed is more than just the natural inclination towards pleasurable outcomes. Greed becomes a problem when we identify with that satisfaction of that greed. That is, how we are is make or break on the results.<\/p>\n

Greed is intimately connected to distress.\u00a0If the desire isn’t satisfied we feel distressed until it is. If the desire is satisfied, we might want it to last and there is a background anxiety about losing it at any moment, now or in the future. Or, once satisfied, we may just be on to the next desire.<\/p>\n

Pretty much everything humanity does is tinged by greed–not overt greed like you would see on Wall Street but more subtle in the dance of desires.<\/p>\n

Being in nature where there has been very little evidence of humanity, presents a situation in which, at least externally-imposed, greed and distress have been put aside. We can still engage in our own versions of greed and distress but there isn’t massive evidence of it around in the form of traffic, malls, and masses of people hurriedly moving through the world.<\/p>\n

This separation from human-made greed and distress is an aspect of nature that I hadn’t considered before. Going into nature we can enjoy solitude, a respite from the demands of the world.<\/p>\n

The “greed signatures” if you will made by human beings can have a corrosive effect. Even if we are not consciously buying into them, exposure creates at least a subtle form of stress, or distress. Getting away from it all is certainly no panacea, but it can be a healthy part of self-care, especially for introverts but really for anyone and everyone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Buddha encouraged his monks to be “ardent, alert, & mindful” and to put “aside greed and distress in reference to the world.” I’ve been thinking a lot about these recommendation lately. What does it mean to set aside greed and distress? First, what is greed and what is distress? Greed is desire. 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Dr. Kozak's ability to translate ancient healing traditions into pragmatic applications suitable for modern lifestyles through the use of metaphors have made him a strong voice in healthcare and business. Beginning with a journey to India in the 80\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where he took the Bodhisattva vows from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Arnie Dr. Kozak began his lifelong practice in mindfulness meditation. Intent on finding a way to bring the practical healing attributes of mindfulness he began incorporating these techniques in his private practice. In 2002 Dr. Kozak created Exquisite Mind in Burlington, Vermont as a vehicle that could expand his wisdom to larger audiences beyond individual psychotherapy to professionals and corporations, health care providers, public groups and, most recently with Exquisite Mind Golf, amateur and professional golfers. His award-winning new book, Wild Chickens and Petty Tyrants: 108 Metaphors for Mindfulness (Wisdom Publications, 2009) is a thoughtful, funny, and inspiring translation of mindfulness practice through the inventive use of metaphor applicable to our daily lives. In addition to his work with Exquisite Mind, Arnie Kozak, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist\u00e2\u20ac\u201dDoctorate has been a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Vermont and is a Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry and Medicine, University of Vermont College of Medicine. He has studied and practiced clinical psychology, meditation, and yoga for more than 25 years. He has studied with several meditation masters, including S. N. Goenka, Larry Rosenberg, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. After receiving his bachelors degree with honors from Tufts University, he was awarded a Presidential Fellowship to get his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University at Buffalo. He completed his training as a Psychological Fellow at the Harvard Medical School. Prior to founding the Exquisite Mind in 2002, Arnie worked ten years in the private sector for the PKC Corporation consulting on mental health content for this revolutionary software company.","sameAs":["http:\/\/exquisitemind.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/author\/akozak"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/268"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4021"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4021\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4030,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4021\/revisions\/4030"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}