The Magnanimous Heart by Narayan Helen Liebenson

Author:Narayan Helen Liebenson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wisdom Publications

PART III

Joy

8

The “Feel Good” Gene

WE NOW ENTER INTO THE TERRAIN OF JOY.

We don’t practice for the purpose of attempting to fix ourselves, and the practice does not have to do with self-improvement or becoming perfect. Inner freedom is far different and much more relaxing than perfection. We are engaged in training the mind as a way to access intrinsic peacefulness and a constantly available current of joy. I don’t see joy as the opposite of grief, but as the current that runs underneath all of life. The question is how to access and swim in this current.

The Buddha taught that it is necessary for people to have a basic level of security in their lives, and that this security is a foundation for meditation. For those of us who live in relative ease, it behooves us to remember that improving worldly conditions for others is a powerful way of alleviating suffering, as well as paving the way for all who want to partake in dharma nourishment to be able to do so.

There are many scientific studies that point to the beneficial effects of a dedicated meditation practice. The one I like best has to do with what has been termed the “feel-good” gene. Recently, scientists have found that because of a genetic variation in the brain, some people are naturally less anxious, and thus happier, than other people are. Those who have this particular genetic variation find it easier to let go of past painful experiences. This genetic mutation produces higher levels of anandamide in the brain, which is a neurotransmitter that produces a sense of well-being. About 20 percent of the population is born with this particular genetic makeup. We either have it or we don’t.

I was not born with this gene. And yet, the anxiety I began life with has completely eased. It is clear to me that the practice of meditation has made up for the absence of this genetic predisposition. I have observed this same shift in countless practitioners: the easing of anxiety and an increase in well-being. I have come to the conclusion that if we meditate with diligence and perseverance, it does not matter whether we were born with the feel-good gene or not. Knowing this inner sense of well-being is one of the imperatives of training our minds.

A dedicated practice makes it possible to go through profound pain without being endlessly lost in despair. Meditation allows us to keep our heads above water instead of being pulled underneath. I have a friend who has had a very deep and powerful practice for many years. In moving through an experience of profound loss, she confided in me that she had thoughts about wanting to die. Thoughts about wanting to die sometimes arise even for adept meditators. The difference between an adept meditator and one whose mind is not yet trained is that someone with a well-trained mind recognizes that a thought is just a thought, and so thoughts do not pick up steam and proliferate.

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