There’s a critical distinction between doing something to create a state and undoing something to reveal what’s already there. When we “do” something to feel serene, we then need to maintain it — creating anxiety about losing it. When we “undo” — see through habitual patterns — the truth that was always there simply becomes visible. There’s nothing to maintain.
The impulse to “keep” serenity is itself one of the habitual coverings. “How do I keep it?” is a form of doing. “Will I be able to get things done?” is another. These thoughts arrive with visceral tension, each one a habitual way of covering up what’s naturally there. The practice is simply to notice them arise and see through them.
Animals never tell themselves to get things done, yet they’re always productive. The most complex accomplishments in our lives tend to have “fallen together” rather than been forced. Stacking doing on top of doing to manufacture feeling is just layers getting in the way of truth.
“There’s not a doing, there’s an undoing. It’s like ‘I did something and I need to keep it’ — it’s very different than ‘I undid something and saw the truth.’ Then what do you have to do to keep it?”
Related Concepts
- Accomplishment is undoing, not doing
- Not trying gets more done
- Discovery, not improvement
- Asking ‘how do I stop’ keeps you in the doing loop