Brain Genetics

Our brains have developed over thousands of years to be constantly aware of threats to our safety. This is how we survived in the wild as nomadic tribes. However, this genetically ingrained skill of the mind makes our brain three to four times more likely to be sensitive to and hang on to negative experiences than positive ones.

Since we are now at the top of the food chain, we don’t really need to worry that much about our day-to-day physical safety. However, even if the threats are not physical, but threats to our dignity, our pride, our social position, our sense of self or ego, the body reacts the same by gearing up to fight, freeze, or fly. The tension that this produces lingers and leaves us with unnecessary and unwanted suffering.

This is one reason that we focus on savoring the uplifted qualities present in a caring moment or in a connection with our benefactors. We are re-training the mind to be more receptive to positive qualities and to allow that experience to resonate with the qualities already present in the nature of our minds.

From the book, Befriending the Mind by Doug Kraft:

Because these [uplifted] qualities are already quietly in the background, we can’t [and don’t need to] create them. But we can make ourselves more sensitive to noticing them by quieting down, opening up, and listening inside. This makes our system more responsive to the pleasantness around us and more resilient when caught in the unpleasant.

One of the practices that can help with this, outside of our sitting practice, off the cushion, is to recall our field of care many times during the day: reconnecting with those uplifted qualities that we experience when we reinhabit a caring moment or remember our deep connection with our benefactors. You can just stop what you are doing, take a deep breath in, and as you exhale and relax, imagine resting in your field of care. This quick moment of savoring the qualities of love, compassion, and peace can reset your outlook in that moment and allow you to be more resilient with whatever arises in your day.