ONE WITH THE FLOW OF TIME
A good life is one that is characterized by complete absorption in what one does.
JEANNE NAKAMURA AND MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI
We all have had the experience of being intensely absorbed in an activity, an experiment, or a feeling. This is what psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a leading psychologist at the Claremont Graduate University, calls flow. In the 1960s, studying the creative process, Csikszentmihalyi was struck by the fact that when the creation of a painting was going well, the artist was completely absorbed in his work and stayed with it to completion, unaware of being tired, hungry, or uncomfortable. But when the work was done, his interest dropped away abruptly. He had experienced the state of flow, during which the fact of being immersed in what we are doing counts for more than the end result.
Intrigued by this phenomenon, Csikszentmihalyi interviewed numerous artists, mountain climbers, chess players, surgeons, writers, and manual laborers for whom the sheer enjoyment of the act was the principal incentive. It is obvious that for a rock climber who has climbed the same rock face dozens of times, being at the top counts for less than the enjoyment of getting there. The same goes for someone cruising around a bay on a sailboat with no particular destination in mind, playing music, or playing a game of solitaire. At such times, one becomes “completely involved in an activity for its own sake. There is a sense of transcending the ego and time. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.”1 Diane Roffe-Steinrotter, gold medalist at the 1994 Winter Olympics, asserts that she remembers nothing of the downhill event but being immersed in relaxation. “I felt like a waterfall.”2
William James wrote, “My experience is what I agree to attend to.”3 Entering the state of flow depends closely on the amount of attention given to the lived experience. If we are to enter into flow, the task must monopolize all our attention and present a challenge commensurate with our abilities. If it is too difficult, tension sets in, followed by anxiety; too easy, and we relax and are soon bored. In the experience of flow, a resonance is established between the action, the external environment, and the mind. In most cases this fluidity is felt as an optimal experience with a great sense of satisfaction. It is the inverse not only of boredom and depression, but also of agitation and distraction. It is interesting to note, too, that so long as the state lasts, there is a loss of reflective self-consciousness. All that remains is the alertness of the subject, who becomes one with his action and has ceased observing himself.
To take a personal example, I have often felt that way when interpreting for the Tibetan teachers. The interpreter must first focus all his attention on the discourse, which may last five or ten minutes, then translate it orally, and so on without interruption until the end of a lesson lasting several hours. I have found that the best way to get through it is to immerse myself in a state of mind very similar to what Csikszentmihalyi calls flow. While the teacher is speaking, I leave my mind in a state of complete availability, as free from thought as a blank sheet of paper, attentive yet without tension; then I try to render what I have heard, just as one might pour the contents of a pitcher that has just been filled into another one. One need only remember the starting point and the thread of the teaching; after that, detail follows upon detail, generally without effort. The mind is both focused and relaxed. It is possible in this way to reconstruct a long and complicated teaching quite faithfully. If thoughts or an exterior event should happen to break the flow of the translation, the magic is lost and it can be difficult to get back on track. When this happens, it is not merely a few details that escape me; I go totally blank and nothing at all comes to mind for a moment or two. It’s ultimately easier not to take notes, precisely in order to sustain the experience of flow. When all is going well, this fluidity produces a sense of serene joy; self-awareness—that is, a person observing himself—is practically absent; exhaustion is forgotten; and time passes imperceptibly, like the flow of a river that remains undetectable at a distance.
According to Csikszentmihalyi, one can experience flow when undertaking the most mundane tasks, such as ironing or working on a production line. It all depends on how one experiences the passage of time. Conversely, without flow, virtually any activity will be tedious, if not downright unbearable. Csikszentmihalyi has found that some people enter the state of flow more easily than others. Such people generally have “curiosity and interest in life, persistence and low self-centeredness, which results in the ability to be motivated by intrinsic reward.”4
Taking the state of flow into consideration has improved working conditions in any number of factories (Volvo automobile, among others); the layout of galleries and objects in museums (such as the Getty Museum in Los Angeles), whereby visitors, naturally attracted by each succeeding exhibit, pass through without growing tired; and most especially in educational institutions—the Key School in Indianapolis, for instance.5 At this school, children are encouraged to remain absorbed as long as they like, and at their own pace, in a subject that appeals to them, and thus to study in a state of flow. They take more interest in their studies and learn with pleasure.
EXERCISE
Practice “attentive walking”
These are the instructions of the Vietnamese Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh:
“Walking just for the pleasure of walking, freely and firmly, without hurrying. We are present in every step. When we wish to speak, we stop walking and lend all our attention to the person before us, to speaking and to listening. . . . Stop, look around, and see how wonderful life is: the trees, the white clouds, the infinite sky. Listen to the birds, delight in the light breeze. Let us walk as free people and feel our steps growing lighter as we walk. Let us appreciate every step we take.”6
GIVING FLOW ITS FULL VALUE
The experience of flow encourages us to persist at any given activity and to return to it. It can also, in certain cases, develop into a habit or even a dependency; flow does not only involve constructive and positive activities. The gambler in the grips of the game becomes absorbed by the roulette table or the one-armed bandits to the point where he no longer notices time passing and forgets himself utterly, even though he may be losing his fortune. The same goes for the hunter stalking his prey or the burglar meticulously carrying out his plan.
As satisfying as it may be to cultivate the experience of flow, it is still only a tool. If it is to make any long-term improvement in our quality of life, it must be imbued with human qualities, such as altruism and wisdom. The value of flow depends on the motivation coloring the mind. It can be negative in the case of a burglar, neutral for a mundane activity—ironing clothes, say—or positive when we are involved in a rescue operation or meditating on compassion.
Jeanne Nakamura and Csikszentmihalyi write about flow that “its major contribution to the quality of life consists in endowing every momentary experience with value.”7 It can be extremely valuable in helping us to appreciate every moment of existence and putting it to the most constructive use possible. We can thereby avoid wasting our time in morose indifference.
We can also practice increasingly essential and internalized forms of flow. Without the need for external activity, we can learn to rest effortlessly in a state of constant awareness. Contemplating the nature of the mind, for instance, is a deep and fruitful experience combining relaxation and flow. Relaxation in the form of inner calm, flow in the form of a clear and open presence of mind, alert but without tension. Perfect lucidity is one of the principal features that distinguishes this state of mind from ordinary flow. Such pure awareness does not require the subject to observe himself; here, too, there is a quasi-total disappearance of the notion of a “self.” This does not hinder direct knowledge of the nature of mind, of the “pure presence” of awareness. The experience is a source of inner peace and openness to the world and others. Finally, the experience of contemplative flow encompasses our entire perception of the universe and its interdependence. You might say that the awakened being remains continuously in a state of serene, vivid, and altruistic flow.
EXERCISE
Enter into the flow of “open presence”
Sit in a comfortable meditation position, eyes gently open, posture straight, and quiet your mind. Then try to make your mind as vast as the sky. Don’t focus on anything in particular. Remain relaxed and calm and yet fully aware. Let your mind remain free from mental constructs, yet clear, vivid, and all-pervading. Effortless, yet undistracted. Without trying to actively block sensory perceptions, recollections, and imagination, feel that you are simply uninfluenced by them. Remain at ease. Perceptions cannot alter the basic serene vastness of your mind. Whenever thoughts arise, let them undo themselves as they form, as a drawing made on the surface of the water leaves no trace. Experience the peace you feel for a few moments after the exercise.