8. Daily Mantras: "O’LANDDD CPRR"

         Anyone who tries to live their philosophy knows the great challenges in integrating action with ideals.  The routines of daily life along with our automatic thought patterns keep philosophy in the deepest corners of our conscious thought.  There are also stressful moments great and small that draw us from our lofty goals back to more familiar modes of coping.  But anything learned can only stick through constant practice, whether it’s tennis or philosophy.  We have all heard of muscle memory - let’s call it philosophical memory.

            Whereas in learning to play an instrument one must physically run through scales and finger movements – a philosophy requires repeated mental assimilation.  Here the instrument is the mind and its thoughts.  This is where mantras become essential.  The practice of repeating mantras have been used for centuries by monks of various faiths for the purposes of internalizing the beliefs they wish to live by. They are often used in conjunction with meditational practices. 

            And just as a musician needs to choose the right note for the right particular moment, it becomes an art in itself to choose the right philosophical perspective to deal with a particular moment in one’s life.  The twists and turns of the roads we travel are as varied as improvisational jazz and requires a toolbox with as many different perspectives as possible.  This book contains the set of tools that have sustained me thus far in life and perhaps may help others similarly inclined. 

            The following are the mantras that I often repeat throughout the day in both meditation and during quiet moments in the routines of daily life.  I have found that by condensing each perspective into as few words as possible, they are able to be remembered in an acronym.  My acronym is “O’ LANDDD CPRR”.  Each perspective can be pondered upon as elaborately as the time of day allows.  During meditation, each one can be pondered in depth.  During the brief moments of respite in a hectic day, each can provide quick reminders of its most useful guidance for that moment in time.  

            One important reminder before you set out on this personal quest.  Let us remember the initial premise about the human propensity for discontent.  Nietzsche described humans as the most ungrateful of all species.  He discounted Utopia as impossible simply for the fact that man would destroy it only to prove that he could.  The movie “Matrix” described this all too human trait by depicting the human rejection of a utopian society offered by the sentient machines.  So the takeaway from all this is that there is no stage where one suddenly is forever enlightenment. There is a reason why the Dalai Lama still has awakens each morning at 3 a.m. and meditates about human compassion. Without getting you too disheartened, remember that the absurdity of the human mind requires a never-ending struggle.  Yes, we become better at it – but make no mistake – there will be days when life humbles us yet again and these Mantras seem momentarily like cheap bumper sticker phrases.  But time and time again, I have come back to these Mantras and felt reinvigorated in my beliefs.

            Very few of us have the discipline, let alone the time, to wake up as early as the Dalai Lama.  I will admit that I have trouble even setting aside 20 minute a day to meditate.  I’m not sure if it is sheer laziness or forgetfulness, but if I depended on meditation time to reflect on my mantras, I would hardly think of them.  So I quickly run through them in the moments that I can – while driving to work, waiting on a grocery line, and in the quiet moments during a break.

            But on the days I’m disciplined enough to meditate, I do go through the mantras more in-depth.  I focus on each of the components and their meaning in my life.  I ponder on all the nuanced variations of that meaning until I internally feel connected to them.  

            In order to remember them I first recite the acronym, “ O’LANDDD CPRR”.  Then for each letter I try recite one word or a short phrase related to its meaning. Let us start.

            The first “O” is for the “Observer”.  The observer watches empathetically at oneself acting, thinking, and feeling without judgment  – in a detached and stoic manner.  Some have referred to it as an out of body experience.  Some rape victims have described watching themselves going through the trauma in a detached way. This is an extreme example of course, yet it speaks of the brain's ability to defend itself by disassociating with the “I” that is carried away by the present torrents of emotion and thought.

          “L” is for “Life is Absurd”. The awareness and acceptance that life may be over- rated can be useful in times when we take it way too seriously.   Moments of intense despair, anger, and regret can only stem from the belief that there was something of great value to lose.  There is a great lyric from a song by the Grateful Dead that goes, “Broken heart don’t you feel so bad. You ain’t got half of what you thought you had.”

“A” is for “All is Determined”.  Every event and decision in our lives was determined since the Big Bang created the unidirectional arrow of time in our universe. Regret and shame should never immobilize us to despondence.  We equally should not judge others too harshly, for their actions too were determined.

           “N” is for “No absolute truth”.  Acceptance that humans can never see behind the curtain to verify any truth should be a relief, not a frustration.  It is a blank slate for an artist to create. No absolute meanings allows for personal meanings to be created.

           “D” is for “Death ends all suffering”.  One’s attitude towards death can either be a source of fear or relief.  It is a reward for a life well fought life– a life where one’s joy and meaning is fought for and won.  It is a reminder that nothing lasts, not even the worst of miseries.

          “D” is for “Death connects us all”.  Whether one is wealthy or poor, beautiful or disfigured, talented or average – we all have one thing that we have in common – that we all face our own death one day.  Anytime one feels disconnected from others, this will reconnect you to our shared human condition.

          “D” is for “Desires are endless”.  The Buddhists believe that desires leads to suffering.  This is to remind you that desires will never be the solution to finding meaning and worthiness to life.   

          “C” is for “ befriend Change and Chaos”.  Scientists call it entropy or the 2^nd Law of Thermodynamics.  Why fight a law of the universe and react in fear to such an essential element.  Embrace Change.

          “P” is for “being in the Present”.  The additional sources of misery for the human mind lies in its obsessive focus on both the past and the future.  The ability to be mindful of the present has been a secret to happiness for both animals and trained monks. There is much to learn from a cat laying in the sun.

          “R” is for “Rebellion”.  There is an aspect of a rebel’s spirit in squeezing joy and happiness from this universe – a universe shaped more by brute violence and happenstance. One must rebel against society and the gods if need be. 

          “R is for “Respiration”.  Breathing seems so self evident but the military, psychologists, and Buddhists must be on to something if they stress how so many of us are doing it wrong.  The navy seals refer to it as the 4-4-4.  Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, and exhale for 4 seconds. Think of the relaxed abdominal breathing of resting babies and cats.

           So these are my mantras.  Feel free to incorporate some, all, or none of them.  Make your own, and through daily practice, you may one day reach the level of a sage – or a cat.