Exploring “Ambivalence and Ambiguity” with Benjamin Hohl this Sunday at Minneapolis Insight

Dear Community,

Sunday 10am Community Practice & Discussion

This Sunday Benjamin Hohl will lead an exploration of “Ambivalence and Ambiguity” based on Phillip Moffitt’s body of work on the topic. In particular, we will reference Phillip’s appended chapter titled “The Suffering of Ambivalence and Ambiguity” in his book Dancing with Life: Buddhist Insights for Finding Meaning and Joy in the Face of Suffering.  Additionally, Phillip offers a number of related dharma talks on his website, Dharma Wisdom, which are freely available here. Below is a summary of the topic, including quotes from the referenced chapter.

Phillip defines ambivalence as "the inability to decide," characterized by "fluctuating feelings, indecisiveness, and second-guessing." Ambiguity, on the other hand, is "the inability to comprehend and is the result of lacking clarity regarding your values and priorities." Both can become “debilitating” when they "dominate the mind" and "inhibit or even prevent psychological growth." Phillip writes, "From a Buddhist psychological perspective, when you are caught in debilitating ambivalence or ambiguity, your mind is either deluded and clinging to a desire for your life to be perfect; or it is afraid and wanting a guarantee that what you are doing is the right thing to do; or it is refusing to participate in the dance of life due to some conscious or unconscious aversion to uncertainty and potential loss."

All are welcome to join this exploration on Sunday! Registration and Zoom information available here.

With metta (loving-kindness),
Minneapolis Insight