The post on relationships seemed to go down well with many readers, who wrote to me, saying they were keen to try it out. Some of you were curious to know more about ‘maps’. Your questions were mainly about a few themes
- How did these maps get created?
- What happens when I use these maps in daily life?
- Tell me again – why should I drop these maps?
- How can I ‘drop’ a ‘map’, safely?
- Can I ‘drop’ deep rooted conditioning?
- What will happen to me if I keep dropping all these maps?
1. How did these maps get created?
You tell me. They are your maps :-) . Just kidding; I am aware of how I created my maps. Here is a sample
You might ask me, “So what’s wrong?”
Fact is, I checked.
I inspected every nook and corner of the house I bought.
There was no ‘self esteem’ in the garden
No ‘self esteem’ in the kitchen
No ‘self esteem’ in the toilet
No ‘self esteem’ in the cupboards
No ‘self esteem’ in the roof
Believe me.
Here’s another example
The more aware we are, the more we can watch the maps being prepared, straight out of the oven
A quick note: don’t go blaming the marketing folks.
They are doing their job (on the left)
You are doing your job (on the right)
There is no conspiracy theory here.
2. What happens when I use these maps in daily life?
The short answer- oops! The long answer – this is what happens.
We constantly check with the ‘map’, to see how things are going
We plan harder, longer and better each time, to fit the map
We make the kids behave according to plan
We execute our plan to avoid traffic
We execute our plan to stop playing video games
We execute our plan to have the perfect meal
We execute our plan to shop and play with the kids
At best, we have a perfectly executed plan, not a perfect holiday
3. Tell me again – why should I drop these maps?
Our mental maps are vivid and colorful. They have strong energies associated with them. They form deep grooves of conditioning in our subconscious. They create predispositions, that if unchecked, become habits, ‘hang-ups’ and obsessions.
We need to drop them (pacify our clinging to them) in order to experience the world fully, as it unfolds. That is not as drab as you think. Over time, you’ll make up your own fun during a traffic jam. Trust your own intelligence and creativity. Plan when you need to. Loosen up when you need to. Don’t cling to the ‘map’ all the time, trying to experience it.
4. How can I ‘drop’ a ‘map’, safely?
Dropping a map doesn’t mean keeping your mind blank like a zombie.
It means realizing that the map is just a map; its fabricated and it has no essence; that it exists only in the mind; let it be; let it go; don’t try to suppress it. that’s the safest way.
There are two points in the process you can target for realization.
One – the map itself; be aware when you are using it; realize it has no essence of its own.
Two- the craving (‘I want’) for the maps. Craving for old maps, leads to further clinging – for imaginary concepts or reliving old memories. Now, why would we want that? Pacify the craving.
Dropping a map means dropping the clinging to it and craving for it. Increase your taste of freedom with each map you stop clinging to. Make maps when you need to. Use them. Discard them when their use is completed. Don’t carry them in your mind beyond their use-by date. You can be still be practical and free at the same time. Make new maps all the time at work, in politics, in religion, at home, in sport, in art, in science. We need new maps all the time, because the world is changing all the time. The trick is to be aware that they are after all, maps, and treat them as such. Not cling to them as the world.
5. Can I ‘drop’ deep rooted conditioning?
Yes, you can, with advanced practice, pacify your attachment to the conditioning created from all 5 kinds of thoughts.
If they are powerful maps, embedded deeply in your subconscious, first ‘un-color them‘, reduce their power and then slowly reduce your conditioning to them.
Seek guidance from a master, if that helps. But remember – you had the power to create your maps and the power to keep them. So, you have the power to stop clinging to them.
6. What will happen to me if I keep dropping all these maps?
You’ll live more fully in an ever-changing world. Every map you stop clinging to, increases your taste of freedom.
Hope this helps
The Urban Monk diaries 