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Penny
USA
364 Posts |
 Posted - 07/16/2007 : 19:36:06
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Spirituality & Health magazine March/April 2007 issue (from larger article "Destined for Joy")
Offers a simple description on how to meditate; really, truly, honestly, it's not as difficult as it often seems. Meditation does not replace TMS work, but for me it has complemented it really well.
>|< Penny
How to Meditate By Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
Simply sit up straight, breathe normally, and allow yourself to become aware of your breath coming in and going out. As you relax into simply being aware of your inhalation and exhalation, you’ll probably start to notice hundreds of thoughts passing through your mind. Some of them are easy to let go of, while others may lead you down a long avenue of related thoughts. When you find yourself chasing after a thought, simply bring yourself back to focusing on your breath. Do this for about a minute.
In the beginning, you may be surprised by the sheer number and variety of thoughts that pour through your awareness like a waterfall rushing over a steep cliff. An experience of this sort is not a sign of failure. It’s a sign of success. You’ve begun to recognize how many thoughts ordinarily pass through your mind without your even noticing them.
You may also find yourself getting caught up in a particular train of thought and following it while ignoring everything else. Then suddenly you remember that the point of the exercise is simply to watch your thoughts. Instead of punishing or condemning yourself, just go back to focusing on your breath.
If you keep this practice up, you’ll find that even though thoughts and emotions come and go, the mind’s natural clarity is never disturbed or interrupted. Becoming mindful is a gradual process of establishing new neuronal connections and inhibiting the gossip among old ones. It requires patiently taking one small step at a time, practicing in short intervals. |
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armchairlinguist
USA
1397 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2007 : 21:21:54
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Nice description!
When I want to think about what it is meant to be like to be meditating, I sometimes think about how I am when I'm totally absorbed in a task that I enjoy at least somewhat and that takes my full attention. (Example: changing a bike tire, which I was just doing a minute ago) The background chatter of thoughts goes down to nothing or almost nothing, and what does pop up I tend to let go of because I'm trying to focus on the task. Meditating is basically the same thing, but with a really simple task (pay attention to the breath), thus much harder to focus on it and let the background chatter pass through.
This is also good. It's from A Ring of Endless Light, by Madeleine L'Engle:
"What do you do when you go to the rock?"
"I don't do anything. I sit."
"Do you think?"
"Sometimes. But those aren't the best times."
"What are the best times?"
"When I sit on the rock -- and I feel -- somehow -- part of the rock and part of the sky and part of the sea."
"And you're very aware of the rock and the sky and the sea?"
"Sometimes."
"And sometimes?"
"Sometimes it seems to go beyond that."
"And then what is it like?"
I thought for a moment. "It's hard to explain because it's beyond words. It's as though I'm out on the other side of myself." .... "And it's being part of everything, part of the rock and the sky and the sea and the wind and the rain and the sun and the stars..."
"And you, Vicky? Are you still there?"
No. Yes. How do you explain no and yes at the same time?
"I'm there -- but it's as though I'm out on the other side of myself -- I'm not in the way."
"There's your answer," Grandfather said "That's meditation."
There's also a passage in the book, that I can't find right now, where Grandfather asks Vicky when she's most herself, and she answers that she's most herself when she's with the dolphins (she swims with dolphins in the novel). She's not thinking about herself at all, she's totally in the moment, and yet very much being herself. I think that's another way of thinking about meditation.
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Wherever you go, there you are. |
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Article: How to Meditate
