[2026 November DCTB Mindfulness Tip]
Context Matters
At the end of a meeting with an important client, if your spouse walks in and says “hello sweetie” you may feel a sense of warmth and support.
At the end of a meeting with an important client, if your boss (with whom you have only a professional relationship) walks in and says “hello sweetie” you may feel a sense of awkwardness and harassment.
Same room. Same words. Different context.
If our mind state is the lens of the glasses through which we view the world, then we can think of context as the frame of the glasses. While our mind state colors what we perceive, the frame or context determines the boundaries of our relationship with what we experience.
In our examples above, the first one has the context of an intimate relationship and the second one is in the context of a professional relationship. The context tells us what the rules are – it informs us about what is comfortable and expected.
The context or frame of reference through which we experience the world is present on multiple levels. Like nesting dolls, there are frames within frames – each one providing a deeper context.
The interesting thing about context is that we can change the frame through which we view a situation as easily as we can change our mind state. This level of perception is often overlooked, causing us to believe in a limited reality. The whole notion of “well, that’s just how it is” takes root and keeps us trapped.
If you’ve been practicing Trikaya Buddhism for a while, you know how to move your mind from one state to another by focusing on beauty or gratitude. What you may not have realized is that the mind states available to you are limited by the frame or context you have cultivated.
We build our frames of reference over a lifetime of experience, and they are constantly being tested and reinforced. Just like a mind state, you can alter the context through which you are viewing your experience of any situation.
When we shift the context, we change the container which holds our perception of the experience.
When we shift the context, we change the container which hold our perception of the experience.
In advanced practice, we release context altogether and rest in undifferentiated Light. When we relate to our body, our life, and our world, we pay attention to the levels of context that arise. We see how these frames are as fluid as we are, becoming whatever is needed for the benefit of all.
In the early and middle stages of practice, we inquire into our mind and begin to see the frames of reference, the context through which we view ourselves and the world. We see not only our immediate mind state, but also the context in which that mind state exists. By placing our attention on these frames, we can understand if a particular context is beneficial to our joy and spiritual growth or if it is holding us in outdated habitual patterns.
As we open ourselves to see all that is present within us, without judgment or criticism, pure and perfect Awareness softens and melts what is no longer serving our inner peace.
We stop blaming the world and ourselves and simply look. This can feel uncomfortable and often we are surprised by the views we cling to. Having an excellent sense of humor is essential!
If we are willing to be humble, we can dig past our resistance and face the clinging. As we rest our attention on these frames of references, we consciously release them.
We do this by asking: How am I relating to this person, place, idea, or world? Do I really believe that? Is this view helping me grow spiritually? Is it allowing me to interact directly with the true nature of reality?
Then we replace it with a context that does help us at our current level. This might be switching the context that tells us the world is predatory with a frame that reminds us everyone is seeking their own happiness. Or that every being has Buddha-nature and consists of essential goodness.
Be honest, and choose one that you can fully support and believe. Only then will it fully support you in your spiritual growth. Shifting the context is the same process as moving our mind state into beauty or gratitude by focusing on something in our present moment that we truly find beautiful or feel gratitude for. In other words, for it to work, it has to be real, right now.
Context matters.
What is the primary context or frame of reference that holds your life in the patterns you experience?
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