Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom

by Rick Hanson

Imagine that you are relaxing in a canoe on a river, when suddenly there is a hard thump against the side of it, dumping you into the water. You come up sputtering, and see that two teenagers with snorkels have snuck up and tipped you over. How do you feel? Next imagine that everything is the same—the canoe, the sudden dumping into the river—except this time when you come up sputtering, you see that a huge submerged log has drifted downstream and smacked into your canoe. Now how do you feel? For most people, the second scenario doesn’t feel as bad: the first dart still landed (you’re dumped in the river), but there is no need for second darts in the form of hurt and anger from feeling picked on personally. Truly, many people are like logs: it’s wise to get out of their way if you can—or reduce the impact—but they’re not aiming at you. Consider, too, the many factors upstream that have led them to do whatever they’ve done (see the Ten Thousand Things exercise).