Changing the Song | Sister Dang Nghiem

Changing the song.

This practice relates to the four diligences,

watering the positive seeds and not the negative seeds,

that have arisen or not yet arisen.

When a song starts playing that we don't like,

we can change this song.

If we notice that negative mental states

are being watered.

We can consciously change the scene.

For example,

if you're watching a movie that has violence

or sexual abuse,

and it's making you cry or feel sick,

you do not have to sit there and endure it.

Just because such scenes have been normalized as entertainment,

does not mean they are indeed normal.

Change the channel,

turn the television or the computer off.

Leave the room or the theater.

Go for a walk or sit quietly,

to calm your emotions.

And remember, you have every right

to avoid that sort of triggering experience in the future.