The Flow

Sandy McAllister’s recent newsletter to teachers referred to “the flow.” So what is it? Howard Cutler, a noted psychologist who probes the Dalai Lama in The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living, writes that His Holiness observed that, “Flow describes a mental state that most of us have experienced at one time or another. To be ‘in flow’ means to be totally absorbed in whatever one is doing, in the moment. It occurs when one is fully present and completely focused on the movement at hand.”

Flow arises when we are engaged in an activity like TCC. What we feel is important and meaningful, and worth experiencing. It took me several years as a TCC student and teacher to experience it. The realization comes mostly after “Passing Clouds.” I’ve not felt the effortlessness that Justin, Sandy, Pam or Daniel experience, but I do become totally at peace. The future belongs to those who practice.