An Invitation: Suspend All Diagnosing

You are cordially invited and sincerely encouraged to declare one day a diagnosis free day. (It's not as simple as it may sound.) During the period of twenty-four hours, diagnosis of any kind is denied admission into your evaluation of yourself and others.

This day is by no means an attempt to demean or dismiss the importance of true diagnostic endeavors. Diagnosis is at the heart of most cures. It is the starting point of intelligent choice in any situation that needs correction. The Buddha's diagnosis that "Life is suffering" lead to his sublime formula for the release of suffering. Your doctor's diagnosis of your particular sickness directs proper treatment. Your own diagnosis about your life situation can lead to life changing decisions that are in alignment with your heart's desire.

But, like anything in our obsessive (diagnostically speaking) culture, we have used the powerful tool of diagnostic language to separate ourselves from others, and have suffered from the result. If someone radically disagrees with us, we can easily categorize him or her as imbecilic or delusional. How else could it be possible that they see the world so differently? If someone supports our particular world-view in a brilliant way, we diagnosis him or her as a genius. If someone suddenly feels and expresses inordinate, causeless happiness, do we assume they are having a manic episode? Do we assume they are enlightened? Both are diagnoses. Either may or may not prove to be true, but what if for a day we let it all just be what it is. What if we don't apply our vast accumulation of inherited and borrowed knowledge to diagnosing one another?

I recently had a conversation with someone who reported that she had an electronic chip inside the base of her skull. She was certain that the government had planted it there, and it was causing her great pain. The pain caused by the chip paled in comparison to the pain she felt when everyone she told about the chip dismissed her as crazy. In meeting with her, I told her it did sound crazy, but that in our meeting I would assume it was true. Then our meeting was no longer about the relative sanity or insanity of her experience, but about where she could find peace in the midst of her experience. For her, in that moment at least, she found some peace in having her experience accepted as valid. Then she was open to discovering that under the discomfort of the chip, deep inside her heart there was love and silence. I don't pretend to know how long she will be able to turn to the peace of her heart, but at least in that moment joy was present in her life. Perhaps a psychiatric diagnosis and treatment could support her in discovering and living a life of joy, but at that particular moment all she wanted was to have her experience believed and accepted, not pathologized.

For one day are you willing to withhold opinions of pathology? (You're looney! You're an idiot!) Are you willing to withhold opinions of elevation (You're cured for life! You're the best in the world!)? Are you willing to not make distinctions of worth based on distinctions of experience?

If you are willing, it begins with yourself. It begins with what you tell yourself about yourself, both good and bad. It begins with the willingness to let feelings be feelings without meaning anything at all about you. To let an experience stand on its own without defining who you are.

If you are willing, then you discover what is left when all diagnoses either disappear or are ignored. For one day you can allow others and yourself to be free of definition.

Who are you without diagnosis?

Gangaji will hold her next public meeting in Ashland, Oregon, August 16th. She will be in Boston for a public meeting September 12th, and in Woodstock for a public meeting September 14. She will hold a seven day retreat in Garrison, NY beginning September 16th. Read more about Gangaji's events and catalog of books and videos online.

Comments

[rlincolnlpc]

A report from my Day Free of Dianosing. Ha! It was largely a day of diagnosing. I knew it would be difficult, but not as difficult as it was. I had no idea that my mind spent so much time evaluating situations. I saw a few things
(1) by just noticing the diagnosing I could see it as just a story and not buy into the story
(2) It helped to be non-judgemental of the diagnosing. I end up just naming it as it occurred, saying to myself diagnosing, diagnosing.
(3) No matter how much I "tried" I couldn't force my mind to not diagnose. However by just being with the diagnosing and naming it, I noticed about every three hours there would be a brief break. In the break, there was this moment of just a pause and feeling of great compassion. Suddenly, no one or nothing was my enemy and I didn't need to diagnose, fix, or figure things out. It was the briefest of a moment (well a few of these in 24 hours) but what a beautiful brief moment.
Thank you for the suggestion. I am surprised by what I learned. I plan to return to the experiment again, just to discover more.

[worldloveperson]

Thank you Thank you!

[BarbaraShepard]

My day with No Diagnosis revealed so much:
1) I saw how deeply imbedded and justified our diagnosis are! Even very little things we tend to judge 'good', 'bad' or label in some way and then proceed to do something about it!
2) We are only very rarely if ever experiencing things events people as they really ARE ~ mostly we see through our own filters ~ how wonderful to spend time suspending those filters!
3) I found the question "what would this experience be without interpretation?" very useful! An opportunity to let go of all that I think all that I decide and open to what is Really Here
3) What IS is Beautiful! SO wonderful to slip into Being Present for circumstance and let go this arrogant notion that Reality needs our improvement!
Thank You

[starsmiles]

What a unique approach to simply accept this woman's story, which allowed acceptance to arise in her own heart.

[ljmd]

Thank you Gangaji for the widsom. I needed a reminder. Bless you

[Karie]

Dear Gangaji, thank you for representing the cure! Love to All, Karie On

[iamjlw]

How common it is to fall into the accepted norm of diagnosing ourselves and each other. How easy it is to give your attention to the endless conversations of self and other. And how very rare it is to simply stop to see the perfection that is present in every moment of your life--the perfection in everyone's life.

When you stop for a moment and deeply accept your 'cordial invitation' to declare a single day a diagnosis free day, it creates a kind of open spaciousness, a deep acceptance of yourself and everyone just exactly as you are, just exactly as they are, and in this unconditional acceptance the opportunity arises to allow the peace and love that you are wash over you like a gentle summer breeze.

Perhaps in this spaciousness, your conversation will shift from the limitation of diagnosis to the limitless discussion of the unending light you notice shining through a leaf, a tree, a flower--the light that shines from your eyes, from everyone's eyes. Or maybe your tongue will simply rest in the deep silence that is everything.

You ask, 'Who are you without the diagnosis?' It is simply unimaginable!

In the Deepest Gratitude...
Love Jill

[rlincolnlpc]

As usual, a great post. I especially enjoy the part about suspending discussion about whether it is true she has chip in her head or not. I find that I often remind myself that just being in loving presence is what is most needed. The rest can arise from that loving place. As forfulling suspending diagnosis, well I'm willing. My guess is that it sounds easier than it will be. I'll report back.

[Ed and Deb Shapiro - Huffpost Blogger]

Gangaji ROCKS

I love this blog

Ed

[BarbaraShepard]

Thank you for this beautiful invitation. I had written in my journal this morning about letting everything be exactly as it is without definition or discussion on my part so the timing is perfect! So, yes, for this day I will withhold commentary. Let me see just what everything is, AS it is. Not good, not bad, just
AS IS. in Gratitude, Barbara Shepard