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How To Become Free
How having new hair reminded me of one of Buddha’s greatest teachings!
This last week I worked on a TV show and they dyed my hair brown and chopped it off. I know this is going to sound really silly but this kinda shocked me and I even had nightmares about the experience….hahaha. Even I, found this to be a little ridiculous so I started to question these emotions I was having surrounding my hair.
I had been blonde for 13 years and without knowing it, I identified myself as a blonde. I thought being blonde made me more beautiful. It was my identification with the hair color that caused a form of pain and suffering.
This was a great reminder of one of Buddha’s great teaching about identifying and grasping. We must try our best to be conscious and not identify ourselves with anything. When we grasp at things and make them part of our identity, we loose ourselves because we are no longer connecting to our higher self/ soul.
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How having new hair reminded me of one of Buddha’s greatest teachings!
I think when it comes to identity, you have to strike a careful balance,
otherwise you will cling to trivial aspects of your persona.
I hope I don’t insult anyone with this next sentence. Skin colour to me is
something I seriously do not care about, black, white, olive, whatever, I
do not give a crap, each are beautiful in their own way. So when I see
people clinging to their skin colour for their identity, I seriously have
to wonder why, i’ve never had to consciously think about my skin colour in
any context. Perhaps that is something being white in a fundamentally white
country gives you, but I also imagine it’s something being black in a
fundamentally black country gives you too.
I think this moves onto claiming what is stigmatised as your own. I mean,
that’s why we have gay pride. I’ve never been proud of being gay, not
because I haven’t accepted myself, i’m happy with who I am sexually… it’s
just that being gay is just another part of me, it would be like saying
that i’m proud to be green eyed or brown haired, it just doesn’t make sense
to me. I should be proud about things I’ve accomplished, not about things I
just am. I have received homophobic persecution, so not being proud of my
sexual orientation isn’t that i’ve just been sailing through life.
I agree with the sentiments of the godly stuff, of where we are and where
we should be, and you only have to look on the news with all these wars,
and “reality” tv shows to know that we really aren’t where we should be.
I’m willing to bet that identity has a lot to do with it.
I learned something from another Youtube who i’m subscribed to called
CGPGrey, he’s one of the group of educational celebrity Youtubers. He said
that you shouldn’t identify with your opinions, instead they should be
contained within an open box, to which opinions can be swapped out for
better ones if they come along. I think this is also true for identities.
Things you enjoy, have ritualised or are a part of you, should not, by
default, be a part of your identity. If you choose to identify yourself
that way, that’s your right.
EDIT: Oh yeah, love the new hair 🙂
Yes, I think you are exactly right! Why are you NOT the first female pope?
We need this kind of information to be told to a much wider audience. I
think the attachment to the identification causes the most suffering. I am
still identified with being a spiritual person, a musician, a good
employee, a U.S. citizen, etc. but when I am unable to let go of this
personality that I take myself to be, then I have problems. Simple but not
easy. I love your stuff and the way you come across. It’s so down-to-earth
and you make it sound cool without over-thinking. How did you get so smart
BTW?
I LOVE YOUR NEW HAIRCOLOR!!!! You look beautiful! Merry Christmas!
It’s so funny that you are sharing from this “grief” space associated with
identification…I am in a similar space. I have been and RN for 29 years
and running my butt of for 10-15 hours was the norm. In late June of this
year I fell down the stairs and tore all the ligaments and tendons in my
left ankle…I may never be able to work as an RN in the way I had been. My
identity as self sufficient and independent has been quite jostled! I spent
all my savings, lost my apartment and had to move to my parents home. There
is nothing like moving back in with your parents at age 51 to bring up
unresolved karma!!! It has been a whirlwind of grief and trauma…..and
PANIC ATTACKS! I have learned a level of strength that I did not know I
possessed, I have learned that as long as I am working in true service of
others and continue to live my life from a consciously loving intentioned
space that I WILL ALWAYS HAVE WHAT I NEED!!! Anyway, thank you for finding
this meaning in your circumstances. There is truly a liberation in letting
go. God Bless YOU! xoxoxox
Becoming attached to anything limits our ability to learn, become, achieve
or succeed…..when we become attached in a limited, finite body to limited
finite things or experiences then we attract limited finite expressions of
abundance. It is in letting go of the attachment, that we take the reigns
off of the God within us and we are in a space to attract abundance in and
infinite fashion.
This resonates with me. In the past, I chopped my hair off entirely on
purpose to face the biggest fear I could think of at the time. After the
shock I loved it. No nightmares. The strange realisation that I identified
as having hair as important…. but later not giving a rats ass about it.
These days I am always hoping that somebody will place a big bet on me
being afraid to cut my hair. I would take the bet and take the money within
a heartbeat, without worries.
Do what you fear most and the death of fear is certain – Emersone.
Your hair is cute and you look good as a brunette. I’m really happy you’ve
got on a TV show. It’s a start right. Your eyes face and spirit are what
make you shine. Keep it up. Jake
I love the hair!, my first impression of the hair change was that it gives
you more of a stronger woman look, as the blond gives you more of a softer
look, although it did not change your personality I think you may find that
people will take you more seriously with this look.
:-).,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.
Impermanence is an undeniable and inescapable fact of human
existence. According to the teachings of the Buddha, life is comparable to
a river. It is a progressive moment, a successive series of different
moments, joining together in continuous flow. It is a fallacy to believe
that a person would remain the same person during their entire life time.
0_0 happy holidays!
You are not wrong you are so on point. I feel you. And, yes the brunette is a much prettier look, the blond wasn’t bad but the brunette, I like.
I think so too! Thank you girl 😉
you look even more beautiful than before. i just ant to say that you make
so much sence to me, infact everyone around me does random people i meet i
can relate in some profound way. the last few weeks have been filled with
amazing realizations
very emotional , like i understand everything. so beaytiful, you played a
part im my awakening, so thank you for sharing yourself!!
I know what you mean! I was once a blonde, and went back to dark brown. I
love your channel, I see great success in your future. Your very helpful.
Don’t forget to click the like button people, if you like the video!
Black hair and a gothic type look and skirt could be an interesting look as
well. But I like your advice and spirit the most 🙂
The new hair color looks great on you! You sound unsure of your own beliefs
when you say “I believe, but I could be wrong…”. Just an observation. I
think we can have confidence in what we believe and yet be open and
flexible for new discoveries. 🙂 I enjoy your videos very much.
Your hair looks great! Sometimes you need a change… its an opportunity to
reinvent yourself. I find that whenever I get something new like new
clothes, I’m inspired to clean out my closet…the introduction of
something new to something old makes me want to reorganize, recharge and
clear up things. Whenever I add a decorative item to my space, it inspires
me to organize and redecorate so my new item can look good in that space. A
new hairstyle and or new look helps in the same way. And just like a
hairstyle or color, if you get tired of the decoration you can always
change it back to the way you had it.
Whatever color of your hair you choose will be great if you feel great,
much more important is that you have awesome positive energy.
Hey young lady have you seen my Video let me know what you think.
I am open for constructive criticism. Like what would you do differently if
anything?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulta2-oaBf8
Congrats on your show 😉
If changing your hair color gives you a sense of freedom great. I have
shaved off half my hair and half my face. It is my outward expression of my
real self and my disease. This is how I identify myself and soon it will be
my new norm. I know I don’t play with a full deck and I’m half the man I
used to be, or at least my wholeness will come in time. Maybe or maybe not.
It sounds like you’re describing the Buddhist concept of “attachment”. The
ego and identity are our lesser self. Our higher self recognizes and
accepts that the universe is *change.* Yet our lesser self is constantly
trying to find normalcy, to live with some certainty and to derive pleasure
from that.
One form of Buddhism teaches that it’s not practical to seek freedom in
removing all attachments. Since attachment is natural, just as it is
natural for us to have an ego and identity (even though they are
problematic). Instead, we should embrace the changes that upset our
attachments, in order to appreciate the interconnected nature of life.
I think this is best exemplified in which we often reject people or things
that are different from us, or our social circles. We like to think we know
best, in how we place value on people and things. But their value is always
changing, based on our interconnected nature. One day someone can be a fat
slob, and the next day become one of the greatest comedians. This process
of assigning value is what gives us happiness, and is the basis of
friendships or romantic relationships.
But as people discover, life is about change. That person you thought you
were in love with changes and they’re not the person you loved. Or, maybe
the greatest love comes from accepting and appreciating these changes. That
someone, or something, should not be required to remain static in favor of
what you believe it “should” be.
I like to think that we are God, too. And that we manifest this reality in
a constant flux of change, like a kaleidoscope. The universe is change,
each change is connected to others, like fractal patterns. All energy and
matter simply change in form, but nothing is destroyed or created.
You look nice as a brunette. It’s a different look, particularly with the
eyeliner. I think the strongest impression I get, is that it commands
respect. Although how your body language has changed accordingly, also
influences that impression. Brunettes usually give me the impression of
being more serious and intellectual. Whereas blondes are more carefree and
exuberant.
I think they could have cut your hair even more and it would have turned
out better. About “medium length” or just less than shoulder length would
be good.
Congratulations on the TV show!! 🙂
Awesome stuff…… you express yourself very well…resonation much…..
“I believe we are all God expressing ourselves in human form” I believe
this too, because every single person on this planet has a purpose, and
with that purpose, we all have to power to affect things and people in our
lives, physically and spiritually. I’m glad you commented on my amateur rap
video LOL! subscribed