I'm not sure that frustration matters one way or the other. It is simply the feeling that arises when we are told that there is nothing we can do that will immediately give us what we think we want. This is why I emphasize persistence so strongly, and I think it is why Jesus taught two parables about the importance of persistence.
Yes, it appears hopeless, but when the determination becomes so all-encompassing that "you" cease to be involved in the process, the brick wall will miraculously collapse. To paraphrase one of Jesus' parables, if you knock on the door long enough and hard enough, God will have no choice but to open the door.
The body/mind already knows what it wants to know. If attention is shifted, again and again, to what can be seen or heard, and thoughts about selfhood are left far behind, the world will grow emptier and simpler until only one thing remains. Who YOU are is that one thing, and when everything else falls away, what remains will become obvious. Ironically, "you" must vanish in order for YOU to become obvious.
Frustration can strengthen the wall because the usual thoughts about frustration revolve around "me" and reinforce the sense that there is a "me." "I am so frustrated." "What can I do to get this?" Etc.
So, maybe frustration should be considered a kind of dharma bell reminding us to shift attention away from the imaginary frustrated "me" to what can be seen or heard. If any kind of self-referential thought appears, and is recognized, treat it like a dharma bell. Stop, look, listen, and ignore the internal dialogue. What is seen? What is heard? Stay in that empty not-knowingness, and directly perceive and interact with "what is."
Yes, it appears hopeless, but when the determination becomes so all-encompassing that "you" cease to be involved in the process, the brick wall will miraculously collapse. To paraphrase one of Jesus' parables, if you knock on the door long enough and hard enough, God will have no choice but to open the door.
The body/mind already knows what it wants to know. If attention is shifted, again and again, to what can be seen or heard, and thoughts about selfhood are left far behind, the world will grow emptier and simpler until only one thing remains. Who YOU are is that one thing, and when everything else falls away, what remains will become obvious. Ironically, "you" must vanish in order for YOU to become obvious.
Frustration can strengthen the wall because the usual thoughts about frustration revolve around "me" and reinforce the sense that there is a "me." "I am so frustrated." "What can I do to get this?" Etc.
So, maybe frustration should be considered a kind of dharma bell reminding us to shift attention away from the imaginary frustrated "me" to what can be seen or heard. If any kind of self-referential thought appears, and is recognized, treat it like a dharma bell. Stop, look, listen, and ignore the internal dialogue. What is seen? What is heard? Stay in that empty not-knowingness, and directly perceive and interact with "what is."
