Creating a True Comfort Zone

by Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche

All distractions, preoccupations, fascinations, and forms of entertainment give us the feeling of creating a comfort zone. They are attempts to temporarily distract ourselves from an underlying feeling of loneliness, isolation, and emptiness.

But when we always depend on those for our comfort, we are at the mercy of those preoccupations and distractions – and those distractions are not reliable. When that comfort disappears, we are once again like a crying child who stops crying when you give him a toy, only to start again when it is taken away. Again that uncomfortable loneliness reappears. We are temporarily amused and feel good, but those distractions are like a drug that wears off leaving us the same empty and lonely person as we were.

DISSOLVING DISCONTENTMENT

So how do you really solve the problem without just distracting yourself temporarily? When you truly experience your mind as pristine, flawless, when you know your pure awareness, your true consciousness, when you recognise and remain within that, then psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually you feel good. You feel intimately connected with the core of your being.

Meditating in pristine mind, you experience no gaps or discomfort. If you truly do that, then your thoughts, emotions, and mental chatter slowly dissolve giving you more contentment and satisfaction. Then all relationships you have with others are enhanced. And even when those relationships disappear, you still feel good because you are not entirely dependent on circumstances. You are not merely numbing yourself temporarily to feel contentment; it springs forth naturally.

If your mind is more awakened, that is a natural source of contentment and you don’t need to be always looking for a distraction to comfort you. As you become more familiar with your pristine mind and remaining in that, then without relying on any external conditions you become more and more comfortable and relaxed. You feel more joy without any reason, without dependence on any external condition. Then any relationships you have, any trips you take, any parties you attend, any sensory experiences you enjoy are enhanced by that. Then everything you do for enjoyment is more grounded. Those things are no longer distractions; they are enrichments of your true happiness. If your mind is pristine, then all external conditions are experienced as happiness.

Working with your mind and knowing how to make your mind comfortable are the most important things you can do for yourself. To make your mind comfortable, you need to know two things — you need to know that your mind is healthy and pristine, and that thoughts and emotions are not who you are, they are just events. That’s all you really need to know.

ENLIGHTENED COMFORT ZONE

Enlightenment means that without toys, without depending on the circumstances, without distractions you are still satisfied. Enlightenment fills that bottomless pit in your mind.

How can you be comfortable with yourself even without any distraction, even without any artificial comfort zones? By recognising your consciousness, your awareness, your mind is innately pristine, and then maintaining that awareness continuously through meditation. Then your thoughts and emotions gradually subside and your mind becomes more comfortable. As your experience of pristine mind grows and expands, whether you have distractions or are without distractions your experience is equally pleasant. Over time the evenness of this enlightened comfort zone grows to greater and greater degrees.