Russell Brand & Byron Katie - Free Yourself From Pain
Russell Brand & Byron Katie - Free Yourself From Pain
Source: Under The Skin Podcast #78. Byron Katie - Free Yourself From Pain (Listen: 1hr 18 min)
Contributor: Selena Garcia
“EMOTIONS WE THINK COME FIRST, BUT THEY DON’T. MIND IS THE ORIGINATOR OF ALL.” - BYRON KATIE
This one was not an easy interview to pull from. Due to the rhythm and depth of the interview, what is shared below is not word-for-word. The back and forth has too much sub-text (from the nature of speaking) that I’ve stuck only to the bottom lines.
This interview is worth checking out in it's entirety if you would like to "learn more about your role in relationships and confrontations, how to understand your negative thought patterns, and how to train yourself to think clearly and without pain." - Under The Skin Podcast #78
TRIGGER WARNING - they cover the topic of childhood sexual abuse, and Byron shares parts of her personal story. If this is a sensitive subject for you, or you have children, this may be one to listen to alone.
The interview may be considered advanced or easier to digest by those who have been doing “the work” for some time. Simply because the language can seem out there if you're not used to it. That said, there are some really great takeaways, and you never know when you'll hear that thing that clicks for you. What works for one person does not work for all. Keep trying things out.
For those of you who do not know Byron Katie, she is an author and spiritual teacher. She has an incredible personal story of survival and transformation and is the creator of "The Work" - a program that teaches you to free yourself from suffering.
Russell Brand is an award-winning comedian, actor, author, public thought leader, and a passionate activist for mental health and drug rehabilitation.
“MANY OF THE RESENTMENTS I’VE HAD IN MY LIFE, WHEN I’VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AGAIN AT THOSE RESENTMENTS, HAS BEEN TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE PEOPLE I HAVE INTERACTED WITH IN MY LIFE ARE THEMSELVES FLAWED AND IT DOES ME A DISSERVICE TO HOLD ON TO RESENTMENT EVEN FROM CHILDHOOD.“ - RUSSEL BRAND
(Interview starts: 3:56)
(Excerpt starts: 19:42)
BYRON: "In my own experience, I witnessed the cause of all suffering."
RUSSEL: "And what was it?"
BYRON: "I believed my thoughts."
RUSSELL: "What meditative techniques do you use to sustain this state of enlightenment?"
BYRON: "Meditating on what I would identify I'm thinking/believing, and then questioning what I'm believing. And it's like if you find a universal thought, like ‘people don't care about me,’… and the four questions I use (to witness the thought)."
**Byron walks you through the steps of how she does this, how she witnesses the thought.
BYRON: "You allow those emotions to be as you witness that situation. (23:52) Then, how does the mind work? How do I react when I believe the thought? Emotions we think come first, but they don't. Mind is the originator of all. So emotions we experience first, but what's happening and you can track this as a meditator – being there in the situation – notice the images of past and future that were in your head in that situation in time."
RUSSELL: "My feeling is that many of the resentments that I've had in my life when I've had the opportunity to look again at those resentments…has been to recognize that the people I have interacted with in my life are themselves flawed, and it does me a disservice to hold on to resentment even from childhood. That there is no such thing as righteous anger. That whatever I feel, I have to get to the point of forgiveness and surrender and letting go, because otherwise, I can't progress, I can't advance."
RUSSELL: "Do you think that even in extreme examples, The Work can be applied in the same way? That there are gradients of speculation and fear?"
BYRON: "Absolutely. It takes a lot of courage to do this work. It takes a lot of courage. It takes someone with an open mind and willingness to take responsibility for their own life, their own mind. But how can we if we don't understand how the mind functions?"
(35:29) BYRON: “I don’t care about how people get free, I just know that freedom is our birthright. And I was just showed something that has served a lot of people. But there’s so many beautiful ways, and whatever works.”
RUSSELL: “I think when our culture continues to iterate that the most important things are power, prestige, privilege, money, status, sex…”
BYRON: “That is so against what I would refer to as our true nature.”
RUSSELL: ”What do you think our true nature is?”
BYRON: “Living as a kind, selfless human being. The kindest most selfless human being I can possibly be, whatever that is.”
LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE. (1hr 18 min)
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