A Reflection on Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche’s Retreat
The phrase “perceptions become your thoughts, and your thoughts become your reality” is something I have heard many times. It was not until the final retreat that I was able to recognize the importance of this quote. In the past, I thought it was just an excuse someone would give me to help me “stay positive” when things got hard. During this retreat, Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche emphasized the importance of meditation and what it can do for our minds everyday. The mind gives us a path to feel our emotions. He related the mind to a wild elephant. Without control of the mind, the mind has the power to destroy any and everything. With control, the mind has the power to manage the path of your emotions and how you feel them.
It is easy to stay stuck in your mind on a variety of matters. What others think of you, what you think of yourself, what your body looks like, if you said the right thing at the right time, or if you’re doing enough...just to name a few. As a 20-year-old college student, these thoughts are constantly on my mind. This retreat helped me realize the power of my thoughts and the ability to let them determine my reality. It is easy for me to fuel negative thoughts and react quickly to the onset of emotions. I have been that wild elephant too many times to count. I can get caught up with how I am feeling and perpetuate a cycle that destroys. It feeds into a negative self-image and a negative outlook on the world.
Meditation gives me the choice to stay present with these emotions. For the past five years, I have tried my best to work on staying present, to look inward into what I feel and to focus on how I think to achieve a better reality. Of course, it's easier said than done. I like to think of it as a journey to an unknown destination. But I prefer to take the scenic route. The one where I can stop, learn lessons, maybe make a mistake or two, and arrive better than I left. By changing my thoughts and perceptions for a better reality, I have been able to find meaning and importance in aspects of life that I would have considered bad. The scenic route takes a bit longer, but the memories and lessons learned along the way are worth it.
Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche mentioned that meditation is a mental diet. With the balanced combination of right thoughts and right attitudes, you can have great meditations that help with achieving a clear, natural state of mind. I would take it a step further. It is a lifestyle. Right thoughts and right attitudes can be used in all areas of life, not just when we sit down to meditate a couple times a week. It is hard, but it should be constant. I learned that even the smallest, subconscious thoughts have the biggest impact in my life and in my journey along the scenic route. DBT has given me a space to learn from others and cultivate my thoughts and perceptions in new ways. As I continue along the scenic route, I am happy I have DBT in the passenger seat. I invite you all to enjoy the little moments on your own journey.
By: Nina Blanc
