Becoming Free from Our Reactions

In our daily lives, we encounter countless events,

and each time, the mind reacts.

Discomfort.

Anxiety.

Irritation.

Fear.

These reactions arise regardless of our intention.

They simply happen.

If we stay in the present moment,

do these reactions disappear?

Or do we simply stop being pulled around by them?

Let us quietly sit with this question.

Reactions Arise Automatically

First, it is important to understand the nature of discomfort and anxiety.

They are mental programs that activate automatically when certain conditions are met.

At this stage, no one can simply switch them off.

Reactions arise because they are meant to arise.

Neither good nor bad,

they appear based on the experiences and memories you have accumulated throughout your life.

Given this, there is only one thing we can truly do.

That is,

to become free from our reactions.

This alone is the only essential choice available to us.

The Trap of Trying to Eliminate Reactions

We often find ourselves wishing:

• I don’t want this uncomfortable reaction

• I wish this situation had never happened

• I must be immature for reacting this way

However, trying to erase or deny our reactions is like pouring oil on a fire.

The very energy used to reject and suppress reactions

creates yet another layer of suffering.

What matters here is this:

letting go of the hand that tries to fix or control the reaction.

A Way of Being Free

When a reaction arises, the only thing truly possible

is to remain in a way of being that is free from it.

Allow any reaction to be there, just as it is.

Do not touch it.

Do not judge it.

Simply leave it as it is.

This attitude can be described as a form of unconditional love.

Discomfort may be present.

Anxiety may be present.

Receive the fact that a reaction is occurring—just as it is.

“A reaction is happening.

But I am not the reaction itself.”

Maintaining this quiet sense of distance

is the practice of sonomama—being just as it is.

This is not neglect or endurance.

It is a deep acceptance of non-interference.

Change Comes as a Result

By remaining in this way of being,

the mind gradually—yet surely—begins to transform.

As the mind matures,

those familiar reactions may no longer arise in the same way.

But this is not the result of effort or struggle to eliminate them.

The process of change always follows this order:

• Remaining free from reactions

• As a result, the mind no longer needs them

Rather than trying to eliminate reactions,

we learn to be free even when reactions are present.

That quiet strength

gently leads us toward true ease and peace.

Expression of the Universe

You, too

Words and Photo by K E I K O