Samsara and smoking cessation

The Latin root of the word decision itself means “to cut off from alternatives”. So built into the very nature of the way we think about making decisions is a form of aggression against what is, and against possibilities other than what you think you want. Our spiritual seeking itself seems built on the premise that we are somehow unique from the Truth, as if somehow we have become separate from God.

When I contemplate nonduality it leads me to wonder whether anything is really fundamentally distinct from the Tao (as well as whether anything is fundamentally united with the Tao but that’s another story). Perhaps it’s arguable that some behaviors are typically not a common expression of an individual’s harmony with the Tao. For example, my struggle with quitting smoking. But perhaps this only appears to be a struggle at odds with the Tao when, ie: the aggregates of my mental phenomena are dancing in such a way so as to occlude the perception of fundamental unity and nonduality, etc.

I think it will improve my health, well-being and spirituality to quit smoking now. Waiting for complete harmony with the Tao before I begin may take more than this lifetime and will continue to lessen the quality of this one. I hope through tools like hypnosis and spiritual practice I can bring the parts of myself into harmony with this decision after the fact.