Date: 01/31/2026 02/01/2026
Location: Star Lake Meditation Center
Teacher: Shilin Long
Sitting Meditation
Staying Awake During Intense Emotions
Strong emotions are where awakening is most easily lost.Anger, fear, grief, shame, or intense desire can overwhelm the body and mind, pulling us into automatic reaction.Meditation does not aim to eliminate emotions, but to remain aware when emotions are at their strongest.True practice often unfolds in these very moments.
1. Why Intense Emotions Obscure Awareness
1. Emotions are high-energy states
The stronger they are, the more they dominate behavior.
2. They trigger survival responses
Fight, flight, or freeze modes take over.
3. Thinking becomes hijacked
Awareness is temporarily overshadowed.
2. Strong Emotions Are Not Failure, but the Real Test
1. Awareness is easy in calmness
Storms reveal true stability.
2. Emotions expose deep attachments
Hidden patterns come to light.
3. Awakening within emotion is real-life practice
Moving from cushion practice to life practice.
3. Key One: Return Immediately to the Body
1. Feel the feet on the ground
This anchors awareness.
2. Sense the breath as it is
No control, just feeling.
3. Notice areas of tension
Shoulders, chest, and abdomen respond first.
4. Key Two: See Emotion as a Phenomenon, Not “Me”
1. Replace “I am angry” with “anger is present”
Language shapes identification.
2. Observe emotional waves
They are not fixed entities.
3. Awareness does not require calmness
Awakening can coexist with intensity.
5. Key Three: Stop the Inner Narrative
1. Emotions feed on stories
Replaying blame or justification.
2. Notice the story arising
Without continuing it.
3. Return to raw experience
Sensation and awareness only.
6. A Simple Three-Step Method for Intense Moments
1. Pause
Stop speaking or acting.
2. Feel
Body and breath.
3. Know
Recognize the emotion is occurring.
7. After the Emotion: Integrate Without Self-Blame
1. Review when awareness faded
Learning, not judgment.
2. Identify triggers
This builds earlier recognition next time.
3. Acknowledge moments of awareness
Even seconds count as real progress.
8. Long-Term Training for Stability in Emotion
1. Strengthen body awareness daily
Grounding becomes easier under stress.
2. Practice observing sensations without identification
Feeling is not self.
3. Treat emotions as teachers
Not enemies.
Conclusion
Staying awake during intense emotion does not mean removing emotion,but preserving awareness.When anger, fear, or sorrow arise and you still know what is happening,practice becomes real.Every emotional storm is an invitation for awakening to appear right where you are.
