You have noticed by now that stray thoughts interrupt you each time you are meditating. This is inevitable. Now it is time to develop a particular line of thoughts to think about. You can consciously choose one of these when you are meditating, when you are working, or when you are feeling stress.
1. Sit and relax. Take a few deep breaths.
2. Recall a place that you enjoy visiting. Consider its colors, sounds, and smells. Notice how you relax more deeply as you think of this place. Mountain meadows are one of my favorites.
3. Put that place on your written list.
4. Recall a melody that you particularly like. It can be anything; Bach or the Beatles, even the loudest music may help you relax if it is something you really enjoy.
5. Put that melody on your list.
6. Imagine a range of colors. Choose one that feels peaceful to you, and add that to your list. I like the violet color that I see when alpha brain waves are present.
7. Remember a poem, a quotation, or words of encouragement—even the fortune you found in your last fortune cookie. Add that to the list. "Stay in the flow" works well for me.
8. Write the word "breathe" on the list too.
9. Write up your list on a small card and carry it in your wallet or purse. Put it where you keep your paper money. That way it will turn up frequently to remind you of things that are relaxing.
Whenever you read the items on your list, you will be taking a brief moment to enter a state of relaxation. As you practice, you can do this more easily. You will find that those moments are like a breath of fresh air. And speaking of breath, one or two deep breaths are enough to significantly alter your state of mind. So simple!
We think of consciousness as being a relatively static state of mind, when in fact we enter an altered state of consciousness on a moment-to-moment basis. The flexibility of mental states is what allows us to move from one task to another very easily. Because we can change our minds so easily, meditation can help us use this capacity to make positive changes in our lives.
How Much to Meditate
Previous chapters have shown that you don't need to meditate for hours at a time to achieve real benefits. Let's look at the evidence of the benefits.
Cary Barbot has written:
Ten minutes a day, according to many meditation teachers, is far more beneficial than an hour and ten minutes once a week.
We can set aside ten minutes a day. That is less than the average break time you get at work, for example, and a meditation break has healthy advantages.
Cary Barbor again:
This study included a control period during which the subjects simply sat quietly, but were not meditating. The results suggest that by learning to meditate, you can effectively change your body's response to events. The "fight or flight" response triggers a surge of adrenaline, speeds the heart rate, and may prepare the blood to clot more readily. A continued, or prolonged "fight or flight" response can lead to cardiovascular stress and disease. The "relaxation response" has the reverse physical result, and is shown to reduce indicators of heart disease.
Cary Barbot has written:
Recent research indicates that meditating brings about dramatic effects in as little as a 10-minute session. Several studies have demonstrated that subjects who meditated for a short time showed increased alpha waves (the relaxed brain waves) and decreased anxiety and depression.In "Why Meditate?" I mentioned that short amounts of time are beneficial, and that you don't need to set aside hours each day. Now research documents that even ten minutes can prove very beneficial.
Ten minutes a day, according to many meditation teachers, is far more beneficial than an hour and ten minutes once a week.
We can set aside ten minutes a day. That is less than the average break time you get at work, for example, and a meditation break has healthy advantages.
Cary Barbor again:
"I was approached by young practitioners of transcendental meditation who asked me to monitor their blood pressure . . . what we found was astonishing. Through the simple act of changing their thought patterns, the subjects experienced decreases in their metabolism, breathing rate and brain wave frequency. These changes appeared to be the opposite of the commonly known "fight or flight" response, and I called it the "relaxation response."
This study included a control period during which the subjects simply sat quietly, but were not meditating. The results suggest that by learning to meditate, you can effectively change your body's response to events. The "fight or flight" response triggers a surge of adrenaline, speeds the heart rate, and may prepare the blood to clot more readily. A continued, or prolonged "fight or flight" response can lead to cardiovascular stress and disease. The "relaxation response" has the reverse physical result, and is shown to reduce indicators of heart disease.
The Role of Medication
Your doctor may prescribe medication for any number of ailments. Most medicines are designed to treat the symptoms of disease. Some get to the heart of the problem, but most reduce the symptoms, thereby allowing the body time to heal itself. It is important for you to continue to take prescribed medicines, even if you get into a more serious meditation practice. Certainly you can discuss meditation with your doctor, and you can work with him or her to find the fight dosages as your mental activity changes.
Some naturopathic medicines are designed to get the body itself to attack an illness or to overcome weakness. These tend to push the body's healing mechanisms into action. Sometimes a homeopathic remedy will evoke an emotional as well as a physiological response. We can take this as an indication that the remedy is doing its job, just as we take the reduction of symptoms as an indication that an allopathic medicine is doing its job.
Meditation can certainly reduce the need for medications. If your blood pressure and cholesterol levels are lower, you may not need all the medications you were given during an acute episode. If you no longer experience migraine headaches, naturally you can stop taking the medication for it. By the same token, you may keep a dose or two on hand for a while. Meditation is not meant to take the place of medical treatment. It is a valuable supplement to diet, exercise, and medical care.
In an interview on the Internet, Dr. Dean Ornish states:
Some naturopathic medicines are designed to get the body itself to attack an illness or to overcome weakness. These tend to push the body's healing mechanisms into action. Sometimes a homeopathic remedy will evoke an emotional as well as a physiological response. We can take this as an indication that the remedy is doing its job, just as we take the reduction of symptoms as an indication that an allopathic medicine is doing its job.
Meditation can certainly reduce the need for medications. If your blood pressure and cholesterol levels are lower, you may not need all the medications you were given during an acute episode. If you no longer experience migraine headaches, naturally you can stop taking the medication for it. By the same token, you may keep a dose or two on hand for a while. Meditation is not meant to take the place of medical treatment. It is a valuable supplement to diet, exercise, and medical care.
In an interview on the Internet, Dr. Dean Ornish states:
Meditation is great for your heart, as well as for the rest of your body. Meditation can take you to a deeper state of relaxation that is more profound even than sleep. This deep relaxation allows the heart to begin healing . . . Many studies have documented that the regular practice of meditation may lower blood pressure, reduce the frequency of irregular heart beats, and even lower cholesterol levels independent of diet. Meditation is an important part of my program for reversing heart disease.Dr. Ornish confirms here that physical healing can result from meditation, just as I mentioned earlier in this chapter that emotional healing happens. This is because you consciously are altering your perceptions, or at least your responses, to the world. You are learning how to choose your response instead of reacting.
EXERCISE 15 - Changing your pulse rate
Research has shown that individuals can raise or lower their blood pressure through physical activity. If you walk, jog, or run, you will increase your blood pressure. As you slow down, blood pressure falls back toward normal. You can manipulate your mental state in a similar way.
You notice that your breathing has slowed, just as it does when you cool down from vigorous exercise.
The mind is a powerful tool. It can work for us or against us in our search for peace. We can regulate out thought process in a positive way through practice, and meditation is a part of that practice.
- Assume your meditative posture and take a moment to relax. Take a few deep breaths. Feel the spots where your body meets the floor, cushion, or chair.
- Notice your rate of breathing. Place your fingers on your throat and feel your pulse (or use a heartbeat sensor).
- Now imagine yourself engaging in a vigorous activity. Perhaps you ate running up a hill to catch up with your dog. Chase him around at the top of the hill. Imagine doing this until you begin to tire.
- Place your fingers on your throat again. Even though you have not changed your physical position, you find that your pulse has increased. Just thinking about the chase sped up your heart.
- Now imagine you have the dog on his leash. You start back down the hill. Instead of hurrying, you wander back and forth. He sniffs the plants for signs of rabbits and other small animals. You notice the color of the plants, the rocks, whatever is in your path. You may even pick up some small thing to examine. You feel the warmth of the sun on your back.
- Place your fingers on your throat again. You will find that once again, without physically moving, your pulse has changed—it has come back toward normal.
You notice that your breathing has slowed, just as it does when you cool down from vigorous exercise.
The mind is a powerful tool. It can work for us or against us in our search for peace. We can regulate out thought process in a positive way through practice, and meditation is a part of that practice.
Meditation Goal
One of the goals of most meditation practices is to alert your state of consciousness in a specific way.
At first this seems nearly impossible. Your mind changes all right, but when you sit down and try to clear your mind, dozens of stray thoughts arise to plague the peace you are seeking. You can't seem to get to the desired state of peace.
It may be helpful to redefine what we mean by altered state of consciousness.
Perhaps the definition is too narrow.
Yes, we meditate in order to achieve a mote peaceful, restful state of mind.
The problem may be that we have defined this state without understanding what has to happen to get there. We may also have labeled other states of consciousness as being bad because they are not peaceful or restful.
We experience altered states of mind from moment to moment. Everything other than what we are thinking, feeling, or hoping for at this very moment is an altered state. Most medications cause an altered state. Coffee, alcohol, cigarettes, and chocolate all can alter our consciousness. Warm clothing, cool air, a bath, perfume—you name it—all create altered states.
If everything is an altered state of consciousness, then it shouldn't be too hard to achieve one.
Just be open to anything and everything.
Now that we understand how easy it is to alter our state of consciousness, we can move toward an answer to the actual question: How do I learn to achieve a more relaxed, more peaceful state of mind? How do I dig around in all those possible altered states to find the ones that make me feel better, or lower my blood pressure, or enhance my compassion for others?
You have entered the realm of sitting meditation, and as you sit, you begin to see what kinds of thoughts and feelings come to you. You begin to understand the altered states of mind that are typical in your life. This is because the thoughts that arise when you meditate are the same familiar thoughts, or kinds of thoughts, that you have all the time.
Perhaps you tend to make a list of the things you "ought" to be doing instead of meditating. Maybe your thoughts go to feelings about things that happened yesterday, last week, or twenty years ago. You may think about your parents, children, spouse, or friends. Work issues may come up again and again. Any problem you are trying to resolve may enter your mind in a variety of forms. If these things or things like them occur when you meditate, you can congratulate yourself for being completely normal. Welcome to the world of altered states!
Meditation is not actually about getting those thoughts to go away. After all, you have the kinds of thoughts you need each day in order to get your work done, prepare meals, or engage in social activities. You will want to be able to continue having those thoughts on an as-needed basis.
What you want from meditation is to develop the skill of relaxing your mind so that you have greater control over how and when certain thoughts arise.
At first this seems nearly impossible. Your mind changes all right, but when you sit down and try to clear your mind, dozens of stray thoughts arise to plague the peace you are seeking. You can't seem to get to the desired state of peace.
It may be helpful to redefine what we mean by altered state of consciousness.
Perhaps the definition is too narrow.
Yes, we meditate in order to achieve a mote peaceful, restful state of mind.
The problem may be that we have defined this state without understanding what has to happen to get there. We may also have labeled other states of consciousness as being bad because they are not peaceful or restful.
We experience altered states of mind from moment to moment. Everything other than what we are thinking, feeling, or hoping for at this very moment is an altered state. Most medications cause an altered state. Coffee, alcohol, cigarettes, and chocolate all can alter our consciousness. Warm clothing, cool air, a bath, perfume—you name it—all create altered states.
If everything is an altered state of consciousness, then it shouldn't be too hard to achieve one.
Just be open to anything and everything.
Now that we understand how easy it is to alter our state of consciousness, we can move toward an answer to the actual question: How do I learn to achieve a more relaxed, more peaceful state of mind? How do I dig around in all those possible altered states to find the ones that make me feel better, or lower my blood pressure, or enhance my compassion for others?
You have entered the realm of sitting meditation, and as you sit, you begin to see what kinds of thoughts and feelings come to you. You begin to understand the altered states of mind that are typical in your life. This is because the thoughts that arise when you meditate are the same familiar thoughts, or kinds of thoughts, that you have all the time.
Perhaps you tend to make a list of the things you "ought" to be doing instead of meditating. Maybe your thoughts go to feelings about things that happened yesterday, last week, or twenty years ago. You may think about your parents, children, spouse, or friends. Work issues may come up again and again. Any problem you are trying to resolve may enter your mind in a variety of forms. If these things or things like them occur when you meditate, you can congratulate yourself for being completely normal. Welcome to the world of altered states!
Meditation is not actually about getting those thoughts to go away. After all, you have the kinds of thoughts you need each day in order to get your work done, prepare meals, or engage in social activities. You will want to be able to continue having those thoughts on an as-needed basis.
What you want from meditation is to develop the skill of relaxing your mind so that you have greater control over how and when certain thoughts arise.
EXERCISE 14 - Wandering thoughts
Find a nice place to sit for a few moments.
Perhaps you are already sitting, in which case you don't even have to move.
1. Relax, and just settle your mind into the exercise.
2. Without using any effort, simply pay attention to what you see, hear, smell, taste, and feel.
3. Pay attention to how yout mind wanders from one thing to the next.
It is incredibly easy to be distracted as you try this exercise. In just thirty seconds I was aware of the crick in my back, the sound of the chair as I leaned back, the sound of an airplane going by, the fan in my computer, the feel of my hands resting in my lap, even the sensation as my eyelids closed.
Perhaps you are already sitting, in which case you don't even have to move.
1. Relax, and just settle your mind into the exercise.
2. Without using any effort, simply pay attention to what you see, hear, smell, taste, and feel.
3. Pay attention to how yout mind wanders from one thing to the next.
It is incredibly easy to be distracted as you try this exercise. In just thirty seconds I was aware of the crick in my back, the sound of the chair as I leaned back, the sound of an airplane going by, the fan in my computer, the feel of my hands resting in my lap, even the sensation as my eyelids closed.
EXERCISE 13 - Changing states of mind
1. Spend one minute thinking about just one thing.
Okay. Were you able to do that, or did your mind wander off the topic? For most of us, wandering off the topic is inevitable. On the other hand, if I had instructed, "Don't think about a red car," you might have found that you had numerous visions of red cars go through your mind: convertibles, hot little sports models, and so on. You may have wandered off the topic to fire trucks, pick-ups, and vans. You may have even had time to escape the red group and try a different color, but you probably would have stayed with cars and red. Odd, isn't it, that it is sometimes easier to do what you are told not to do?
Okay. Were you able to do that, or did your mind wander off the topic? For most of us, wandering off the topic is inevitable. On the other hand, if I had instructed, "Don't think about a red car," you might have found that you had numerous visions of red cars go through your mind: convertibles, hot little sports models, and so on. You may have wandered off the topic to fire trucks, pick-ups, and vans. You may have even had time to escape the red group and try a different color, but you probably would have stayed with cars and red. Odd, isn't it, that it is sometimes easier to do what you are told not to do?
Altered States of Consciousness
Going into an altered state is nothing weird. You do it all the time. The question is whether you use the altered state to produce change.In the sixties, we thought an altered state of mind was something induced by drugs. Not that drugs are anything new; alcoholic beverages alter one's consciousness, and they have been around since about the beginning of recorded history or longer. Opiates have been used for both medicinal and recreational purposes since the first century or earlier. Coffee and chocolate alter the brain's chemistry, and thus the state of consciousness. Some of us are affected by changes in the weather.
Richard Bandler and John Grinder~ Frogs into Princes
With the introduction of Hinduism and Buddhism in the West, we have incorporated some of the basic principles of mind-altering practices into our daily language. We joke about good of bad karma (a Sanskrit term). When we say, "Give me space," oftentimes what we really mean is "Give me both the time and space I need to think."
Now, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, we alter our minds with television, the Internet, and electronic games. Using technology, we can enter a virtual reality and experience something very like the real deal. We use aromathetapy to soothe our bodies and minds. We use headphones to shut out ambient reality and to create a different one for ourselves.
We have dozens of ways to tune in, tune out, and turn on.
Actually, we enter an altered state of consciousness very frequently. If I change the subject, first I enter an altered state, and then I induce you to do the same. Each time your attention wanders from one thing to the next, you enter an altered state. This is how we relate to the world— by changing the state of mind.
EXERCISE 12 - Meditating on the lighter side
Think of something that you really like.
1. As you begin meditation, focus on this thing very closely.
2. Examine it in all its appealing reality.
3. As you focus, notice what stray thoughts arise.
4. Notice any feeling that you feel, emotionally or in your body.
5. Really get into the goodness of the thing you are examining.
6. As you do this, notice how your attitude toward the thing changes.
1. As you begin meditation, focus on this thing very closely.
2. Examine it in all its appealing reality.
3. As you focus, notice what stray thoughts arise.
4. Notice any feeling that you feel, emotionally or in your body.
5. Really get into the goodness of the thing you are examining.
6. As you do this, notice how your attitude toward the thing changes.
EXERCISE 11 - Meditating on the Shadow
Think of something that you really dislike.
1. As you begin meditation, focus on this thing very closely.
2. Examine it in all its distasteful reality.
3. As you focus, notice what stray thoughts arise.
4. Notice any feeling that you feel, emotionally or in your body.
5. Really get into the badness of the thing you are examining.
6. As you do this, notice how your attitude toward the thing changes.
1. As you begin meditation, focus on this thing very closely.
2. Examine it in all its distasteful reality.
3. As you focus, notice what stray thoughts arise.
4. Notice any feeling that you feel, emotionally or in your body.
5. Really get into the badness of the thing you are examining.
6. As you do this, notice how your attitude toward the thing changes.
Insight meditation
Insight meditation trains the mind to voluntarily enter the state of concentration; then insight arises. This insight concerns what is. It concerns your personal mental activity, the obstacles to listening to the inner voice, and the obstacles to seeing what is right here and now.
As you develop more meditative skill, you will be able to acknowledge and accept whatever negative thoughts are found within yourself.
You will be able to work with them instead of denying them. You will use them as the earth in which you plant the seeds of insight.
Everything you have been in past lives and in the past during this lifetime comes together in the one point that is you now.
The future opens up from this one point to all the possibilities that exist. By allowing yourself to consider all past possibilities, you open to future possibilities as well. The idea is to examine the past, but not sink into momentary urges that cause harm or pain.
Meditation helps you consider past events and feelings and then let them go once you understand them.
You may be striving to achieve a more spiritual state of mind. To do this you must also to understand the other side of your being: the Shadow.
Carl Jung developed the concept of the Shadow, a less conscious component of one's being. Without understanding the urges of this Shadow, it is difficult, if not impossible, to become an integrated personality.
In insight meditation, you not only are distracted by thoughts concerning, for example, the past or facets of yourself that you dislike; you are also occasionally moved by insight into the way you have acted and why you are unwilling to accept those unattractive characteristics.
The Shadow, according to Jung, can provide the information you need to achieve balance within your personality.
Each of us has a uniquely personal insight into the world. We are not like those twenty second-graders who are all supposed to gain insight into the meaning of certain words in the reading assignment for the day, or learn the value of certain addition and subtraction tasks. We have our own interpretations of whatever "words" come to us, and we are fully capable of adding two and two and arriving at our own answers. We are not limited by a linear, one-answer-fits-all kind of thinking.
The following exercises may help you understand your Shadow side and how it works.
The results of these two exercises may surprise you. I find that when I really examine something that I dislike, something arises to show me that there is a positive mixed in with the negatives. The opposite is true of examining something I really like. The insight could be as simple as thinking, "Why am I spending valuable time looking so closely at this thing I really like?" It could be insight into how the light and dark play of shadows adds depth to an image.
Insight may elude you for a while. Patience is necessary to achieve results with insight meditation. You have learned so far to be generous with yourself, to accept whatever ideas come up as you meditate. You have learned something of the discipline of meditating each day fot a few minutes, finding even a few minutes you can devote solely to yourself (another form of generosity). Now you have to keep doing what you are doing, even if it seems like nothing is happening.
As you develop more meditative skill, you will be able to acknowledge and accept whatever negative thoughts are found within yourself.
You will be able to work with them instead of denying them. You will use them as the earth in which you plant the seeds of insight.
Everything you have been in past lives and in the past during this lifetime comes together in the one point that is you now.
The future opens up from this one point to all the possibilities that exist. By allowing yourself to consider all past possibilities, you open to future possibilities as well. The idea is to examine the past, but not sink into momentary urges that cause harm or pain.
Meditation helps you consider past events and feelings and then let them go once you understand them.
You may be striving to achieve a more spiritual state of mind. To do this you must also to understand the other side of your being: the Shadow.
Carl Jung developed the concept of the Shadow, a less conscious component of one's being. Without understanding the urges of this Shadow, it is difficult, if not impossible, to become an integrated personality.
In insight meditation, you not only are distracted by thoughts concerning, for example, the past or facets of yourself that you dislike; you are also occasionally moved by insight into the way you have acted and why you are unwilling to accept those unattractive characteristics.
The Shadow, according to Jung, can provide the information you need to achieve balance within your personality.
Each of us has a uniquely personal insight into the world. We are not like those twenty second-graders who are all supposed to gain insight into the meaning of certain words in the reading assignment for the day, or learn the value of certain addition and subtraction tasks. We have our own interpretations of whatever "words" come to us, and we are fully capable of adding two and two and arriving at our own answers. We are not limited by a linear, one-answer-fits-all kind of thinking.
The following exercises may help you understand your Shadow side and how it works.
The results of these two exercises may surprise you. I find that when I really examine something that I dislike, something arises to show me that there is a positive mixed in with the negatives. The opposite is true of examining something I really like. The insight could be as simple as thinking, "Why am I spending valuable time looking so closely at this thing I really like?" It could be insight into how the light and dark play of shadows adds depth to an image.
Insight may elude you for a while. Patience is necessary to achieve results with insight meditation. You have learned so far to be generous with yourself, to accept whatever ideas come up as you meditate. You have learned something of the discipline of meditating each day fot a few minutes, finding even a few minutes you can devote solely to yourself (another form of generosity). Now you have to keep doing what you are doing, even if it seems like nothing is happening.
EXERCISE 10 - Vipassana, or insight meditation
1. The posture is the same as for tranquility meditation. Your eyes are not focused on the floor, but directed straight ahead into the distance. This will include your peripheral vision.
2. As you breathe, notice whatever enters your attention visually. Remember the exercise with the book cover? That focused on one object. Now you are simply experiencing whatever you can see.
3. Don't become fascinated with what you see. Simply remain aware. You will find that your mind wanders from one thing to the next: the texture of the carpet, the color of the wall, the light coming in the window, the picture on the wall, the leg of a chair— whatever is there to be seen.
This meditation helps you to become aware of your surroundings, and to appreciate the detail and richness around you.
We seldom take the time to view the world in this kind of intense way. As you learn to do this, you will find that your day-to-day environment seems brighter and more interesting.
Trungpa Rinpoche adds this about vipassana:
2. As you breathe, notice whatever enters your attention visually. Remember the exercise with the book cover? That focused on one object. Now you are simply experiencing whatever you can see.
3. Don't become fascinated with what you see. Simply remain aware. You will find that your mind wanders from one thing to the next: the texture of the carpet, the color of the wall, the light coming in the window, the picture on the wall, the leg of a chair— whatever is there to be seen.
This meditation helps you to become aware of your surroundings, and to appreciate the detail and richness around you.
We seldom take the time to view the world in this kind of intense way. As you learn to do this, you will find that your day-to-day environment seems brighter and more interesting.
Trungpa Rinpoche adds this about vipassana:
This basic form of meditation is concerned with trying to see what is. There are many variations on this form of meditation, but they are generally based on various techniques for opening oneself. The achievement of this kind of meditation is... what one might call "working meditation" or extrovert meditation, where skillful means and wisdom must be combined like the two wings of a bird. This is not a question of trying to retreat from the world.
Experiencing Insight and Intuition
People tend to make a very sharp distinction between spiritual life and everyday life. They will label a man as "worldly" or "spiritual" and they generally make a hard and fast division between the two.In the twenty-first century there is a profound need to overcome the apparent gap between world-liness and spirituality. It is essential to integrate our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual lives in meaningful ways. We are involved in an incredibly fast-paced social and economic system.
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche Meditation in Action
In many cases, we are moving forward without completing tasks, and thus we feel a sense of incompleteness pervading our lives.
Sadness and a sense of loss are the inevitable results of such an incomplete life.
Many people are searching for reasons for the events and feelings we experience; they are searching for the answers to the existential questions that surround us.
Each person has a seed within that is the potential he or she was born with. It can be a lust for power, violence, an intellectual thirst, a profound desire for love—it can be anything that an individual wants and truly believes. Along with the inherent seed there is a voice, which is the inner spirit.
This daimon is always there, it never leaves, and it sometimes pushes each of us in the direction we must take. The voice may be quiet sometimes, or it may virtually shout at us to make changes. It applauds, cajoles, nudges, and teases. It may even resort to trickery to get us to change.
Insight meditation is one way to pay direct attention to the inner voice.
Benefits of Shamata Practice for the Beginner
- You will just become happier. It is that simple. You will worry less. You will have fewer neurotic thoughts. You will have less fear. You will begin to recognize that the state of your mind is based on internal, not external, conditions.
- You learn to focus. In shamata meditation, distractions occur. As you continue meditation, you are less subject to distraction, and you maintain calmness. By learning to maintain clear focus on whatever task you are doing, you will extend this skill to other activities. You will consequently be able to get more accomplished.
- Because you are happier and more productive, you will be easier to get along with. People will be more confident in your abilities because you are—you don't just seem to be, you are—more stable.
- You are able to hold your position mentally, physically, or emotionally. You are like a cube resting on the ground—you don't tip easily.
- When you do have one of those less attractive emotions come over you, you are able to go with it. For example, you do anger while you are angry, instead of pushing the feeling away. By doing this you are then able to go on to the next thing without carrying a less constructive feeling around with you.
Dharma means "work." While I don't think of meditation as work any more, I used to have to work at it pretty hard.
The following is what Khenpo Karthar says about the dharma:
If you do not speak Tibetan, you have not missed much. You have your own language. On the other hand, if you do not know the dharma, you are missing a great deal.
Focus of Attention
There needs to be a focus. It can be on a visual point, an object, or on the breath.
If breath is your focus, you want to allow each breath to occur naturally. Inhale and feel the breath going in. When you exhale, feel the breath going out into the space around you. By following both the inward and outward breath, you are able to maintain a steady focus. After a few breaths, your focus will be on the breathing process, and awareness of outer circumstances will be greatly reduced.
What to Expect
The mind is incredibly busy with distracting thoughts. You may be astonished at how much activity there is. The thoughts at first seem random and scattered—they are "bouncing off the walls."
The mind moves into a state of one-way flow.
As you settle down, you find your thoughts take on a more consistent direction. There is an almost constant flow, but it goes in a general direction—more like a stream flowing downhill. There are a few rocks and a few bends, but the flow goes in one general direction.
After a while the thoughts do not distract you from the focus of your attention. This is a fairly high level of achievement. You may feel this for a few minutes and then revert back to the "busy-mind" stage or the "flowing" stage.
Still, you have glimpsed a state of peace in which you can be fully engaged in the meditation while acknowledging that thoughts are continuously occurring.
Eventually your mind will quiet as soon as you sit down, or within only a few moments. This is a result of practice and familiarity. You slip into a quiet, comfortable, familiar space and are able to remain there throughout your meditation.
Some days you will not come close to this mental state. This can be frustrating, as you expect consistent progress.
This intermittent interruption in your meditation represents its own kind of progress. As you extend your meditation practice, you will develop even greater compassion for your not-so-meditative days.
To understand this style of meditation, you need to continue until you get the experience of being able to calm the mind as soon as you begin the meditation. The simple act of altering your focus can place you in a slightly altered state of mind. Yet it is important not to expect or demand this relaxed state of yourself. Thus, you should go with whatever you get each time you meditate, while focusing on the object or the breath.
There ate two main obstacles to meditation, and there are ways to work with both of them.
Remember, the key to meditation practice is to do some each day.
Find a time that works for you, and try to sit down at that time. At first you may want to experiment to find a time that works for you consistently. You also will find that during the day you have moments when you can relax and meditate. You don't have to meditate at the same time each day, but you may find that you drift into a regular schedule without effort.
If breath is your focus, you want to allow each breath to occur naturally. Inhale and feel the breath going in. When you exhale, feel the breath going out into the space around you. By following both the inward and outward breath, you are able to maintain a steady focus. After a few breaths, your focus will be on the breathing process, and awareness of outer circumstances will be greatly reduced.
What to Expect
The mind is incredibly busy with distracting thoughts. You may be astonished at how much activity there is. The thoughts at first seem random and scattered—they are "bouncing off the walls."
The mind moves into a state of one-way flow.
As you settle down, you find your thoughts take on a more consistent direction. There is an almost constant flow, but it goes in a general direction—more like a stream flowing downhill. There are a few rocks and a few bends, but the flow goes in one general direction.
After a while the thoughts do not distract you from the focus of your attention. This is a fairly high level of achievement. You may feel this for a few minutes and then revert back to the "busy-mind" stage or the "flowing" stage.
Still, you have glimpsed a state of peace in which you can be fully engaged in the meditation while acknowledging that thoughts are continuously occurring.
Eventually your mind will quiet as soon as you sit down, or within only a few moments. This is a result of practice and familiarity. You slip into a quiet, comfortable, familiar space and are able to remain there throughout your meditation.
Some days you will not come close to this mental state. This can be frustrating, as you expect consistent progress.
This intermittent interruption in your meditation represents its own kind of progress. As you extend your meditation practice, you will develop even greater compassion for your not-so-meditative days.
To understand this style of meditation, you need to continue until you get the experience of being able to calm the mind as soon as you begin the meditation. The simple act of altering your focus can place you in a slightly altered state of mind. Yet it is important not to expect or demand this relaxed state of yourself. Thus, you should go with whatever you get each time you meditate, while focusing on the object or the breath.
There ate two main obstacles to meditation, and there are ways to work with both of them.
- You may experience a weak feeling, or even fall asleep. Such a state is unlikely to produce much benefit, yet it is what you are feeling, and can be accepted as part of you. To remedy sleepiness or weakness, raise your level of attention to the meditation—to how you are sitting, how you are breathing, how you perceive the object. Correct your posture by sitting a bit straighter or firmer. Look up at the sky or the ceiling. Flex a few muscles. If you won't disturb other people's meditation, get up and walk a bit, paying direct attention to how you move.
You may also want to visualize the breath as containing white light. Imagine it spreading through your body as you inhale. As you exhale, your breath is white light that floats up and dissolves in space. - Excitement is another possible response. This can be caused by compelling thoughts that arise, or by distractions in the immediate environment. Either of these keep you from settling into the meditation. To alleviate excitement, try diverting your gaze a bit downward, or even closing your eyes for a few minutes. Relax your posture a bit, then straighten again. You may want to roll your shoulders to relax the muscles. Visualize that you exhale blue, indigo, or black light and imagine the darkness settling into the ground. Then breathe in the same color of light so that it pervades your body with calming darkness.
Remember, the key to meditation practice is to do some each day.
Find a time that works for you, and try to sit down at that time. At first you may want to experiment to find a time that works for you consistently. You also will find that during the day you have moments when you can relax and meditate. You don't have to meditate at the same time each day, but you may find that you drift into a regular schedule without effort.
EXERCISE 9 - Tranquility meditation
- Sit comfortably on the floor, on a cushion, or in a chair. Sit upright, but do not strain to do so. Sitting upright allows you to breathe properly.
- Place your hands lightly on your thighs. Your arms should not feel any stress. Your elbows will be close to your torso.
- Focus your eyes about six feet in front of you, looking down toward the floor. Again, find a focus point that is easy to maintain without stress.
- Now pay attention to your breath. Notice how it feels to breathe in and out. Follow your breath out, almost as though you can see the movement of the air.
- You will naturally breathe in again. Then follow the breath out.
- Getting Past the First Step
- As you do this, thoughts will occur naturally. The idea of the meditation is to recognize the thoughts, and then return to following your breath.
- Label the thoughts "thinking," check the comfort of your posture, and then follow the breath again.
This single-pointed meditation can have an object— such as a candle—for its focus.
With practice, you will find that you cease to stare at your focal point, and your eyes become relaxed and perhaps slightly defocused.
You will find that this meditation is simple, but not necessarily easy. You will sit, breathe, and find that myriad thoughts come to you. You will squirm to get more comfortable. This meditation requires patience, and patience is one of the key qualities you develop along the way. Just as developing skill at a sport takes effort and patience, learning to sit still—still in mind and body—requires time. As your meditation skill increases, you will find you are more patient with other people in your daily activities. This is because you are able to bring your full attention to those individuals.
Getting Past the First Step
One has to taste for oneself and find out if the thing is genuine, or helpful, but before discarding it one has to go a little bit further, so that at least one gets first hand experience of the preliminary stage.
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche Meditation in Action
You ARE ON the path toward regular meditation, and you find you need something a bit more systematic. You are getting the idea of things, and you want to shape your meditation.Lets introduces a popular method of meditation.
Shamata, a Sanskrit word, is Shinay in Tibetan.
- Shi means "peace" or "pacification"; the lessening of the power of continuous thought.
- Nay means "to abide"; by developing tranquility, we let the mind rest on a chosen subject or focus.
So tranquility meditation leads to the development of abiding peace of mind.
Tranquility meditation shares qualities with other meditation practices. In fact, I can think of no meditative practice that does not result in greater peace of mind. This peace comes partly from conscious relaxation. It also derives from accepting whatever thoughts we have, instead of repressing or rejecting them. It comes from paying total attention to ourselves for a few minutes each day, with no thought for the rest of the day.
EXERCISE 8 - Noticing thoughts
This exercise can be done anytime. You just need a few minutes. You can do this instead of reading a magazine in a reception area when you are waiting to be called for an appointment. If there are other people around, you may want to close your eyes. This provides a signal that you are not interested in talking. If you are alone, you can adopt your usual meditation pose.
1. Begin your meditation as usual.
2. Notice the first thought that occurs to you.
3. Instead of letting it go, focus on the thought for a moment. Evaluate it, or reword it in your mind.
4. Then go back to your meditation, with the intention of finding more information about that thought.
5. Notice the next thought. Compare it to the first one. Do they seem related? If not, imagine a connection between them, and go back to your meditation.
6. Notice the next thought, and so on.
If there is a goal here, it is to notice your thoughts without judgment.
In this exercise, the thoughts become the focus. You may be curious about how the thoughts relate to each other, but you don't need to struggle to establish connections. Just notice that the thoughts arise one after the other. When you are finished, you will often find that your first thought has connections to other thoughts; it came up by itself and now fits into a broader picture. This meditation process could be called reverie.
This last exercise suggests the possibility of identifying a thought or problem, and then allowing your mind to have another thought, with no pressure to resolve anything. This is a problem-solving technique that can become part of your daily routine.
I find that the act of straightening my desk is a sort of meditation; each paper, book, or file acts as an arising thought. As I put things away and straighten the stacks of paper, my mind moves freely from one thing to the next without expecting any particular associations. When I am finished, I am then able to go back to a task with a clear mind. By doing this, I have been kind to myself in several ways.
I have made my office more attractive, I have rediscovered items that were (seemingly) lost, I have arranged my working materials so I can find them in the future, and I have given myself a five- or ten-minute break from grand-scale problem solving by solving little organizational problems. Finally, I have provided myself with a successful outcome: I have made my surroundings more comfortable.
1. Begin your meditation as usual.
2. Notice the first thought that occurs to you.
3. Instead of letting it go, focus on the thought for a moment. Evaluate it, or reword it in your mind.
4. Then go back to your meditation, with the intention of finding more information about that thought.
5. Notice the next thought. Compare it to the first one. Do they seem related? If not, imagine a connection between them, and go back to your meditation.
6. Notice the next thought, and so on.
If there is a goal here, it is to notice your thoughts without judgment.
In this exercise, the thoughts become the focus. You may be curious about how the thoughts relate to each other, but you don't need to struggle to establish connections. Just notice that the thoughts arise one after the other. When you are finished, you will often find that your first thought has connections to other thoughts; it came up by itself and now fits into a broader picture. This meditation process could be called reverie.
This last exercise suggests the possibility of identifying a thought or problem, and then allowing your mind to have another thought, with no pressure to resolve anything. This is a problem-solving technique that can become part of your daily routine.
I find that the act of straightening my desk is a sort of meditation; each paper, book, or file acts as an arising thought. As I put things away and straighten the stacks of paper, my mind moves freely from one thing to the next without expecting any particular associations. When I am finished, I am then able to go back to a task with a clear mind. By doing this, I have been kind to myself in several ways.
I have made my office more attractive, I have rediscovered items that were (seemingly) lost, I have arranged my working materials so I can find them in the future, and I have given myself a five- or ten-minute break from grand-scale problem solving by solving little organizational problems. Finally, I have provided myself with a successful outcome: I have made my surroundings more comfortable.
EXERCISE 7 - Being gentle with your thoughts
Begin your meditation by getting comfortable. Bring a pencil and paper with you in case you want to make a note about anything.
How many ideas did you feel compelled to record?
Was there much that seemed vitally important? Did some of the thoughts just pass on by without making much of an impression? Did the same thought come up again and again? By paying attention in this way—writing down whatever thought was compelling enough to stick with you—you are acknowledging your own mental process. There is no criticism here, as there is no critic. You are simply observing your own mental function.
I find that in meditation I may remember something I have to pick up at the store. By writing it down, I can let go of the worry that I may forget. Sometimes the image of a friend sticks in my mind. If I write down the name, I will remember to call or write. If a memory of something happy, angry, or sad arises, a sentence can help me acknowledge that bit of my history. I find that after a while, there are fewer thoughts that seem so compelling, and those few that are take on greater significance. While not much will have changed in my work and social life, I have experienced a renewed relationship with myself in which I have offered myself respect and attention.
Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche wrote the following about the meaning of meditation:
You may find that this more relaxed, self-respecting state of mind is a refreshing change.
Think about it: why should you beat yourself up over every little thing that happens? You are doing the best you can all the time. Besides, other people are critical enough of your decisions, actions, and results. When you take the time to regard yourself unconditionally and positively in meditation, you are offering yourself a gift without price.
- As you begin to focus your mind, observe how your body relaxes itself. You may notice your breathing is slower. Certain muscle groups release their tension.
- As stray ideas enter your thoughts, notice them, and let them pass through.
- Refocus yourself.
- Perhaps an especially irritating idea arises. Just notice it and let it pass through. If an idea simply won't go away, write one or two sentences about the idea.
- Then return to your meditation. Do this for at least ten minutes.
How many ideas did you feel compelled to record?
Was there much that seemed vitally important? Did some of the thoughts just pass on by without making much of an impression? Did the same thought come up again and again? By paying attention in this way—writing down whatever thought was compelling enough to stick with you—you are acknowledging your own mental process. There is no criticism here, as there is no critic. You are simply observing your own mental function.
I find that in meditation I may remember something I have to pick up at the store. By writing it down, I can let go of the worry that I may forget. Sometimes the image of a friend sticks in my mind. If I write down the name, I will remember to call or write. If a memory of something happy, angry, or sad arises, a sentence can help me acknowledge that bit of my history. I find that after a while, there are fewer thoughts that seem so compelling, and those few that are take on greater significance. While not much will have changed in my work and social life, I have experienced a renewed relationship with myself in which I have offered myself respect and attention.
Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche wrote the following about the meaning of meditation:
Meditation practice is very important in anyone's daily life. Meditation means to apply the appropriate techniques to cultivate a gentler, calmer mind. It also refers to the process of getting used to this sane state of mind.
You may find that this more relaxed, self-respecting state of mind is a refreshing change.
Think about it: why should you beat yourself up over every little thing that happens? You are doing the best you can all the time. Besides, other people are critical enough of your decisions, actions, and results. When you take the time to regard yourself unconditionally and positively in meditation, you are offering yourself a gift without price.
Be Kind to Yourself
What we need to experience, and what we can experience, is a saner and gentler state of mind. This experience is not found in something outside of us. . . . We must work with our own minds, with our own abilities, in order to have peaceful, rich minds.
Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche ~ Transforming Mental Afflictions and Other Selected Teachings
YOU HAVE BEEN meditating now for a few days or weeks. You think you are getting the hang of it—you relax, breathe, and focus. Suddenly you notice that your thinking is all over the place. You focus for one or two breaths, and then you are mentally in the kitchen, in the car, following your children or friends around—you are doing everything but focusing. You begin to wonder why you can't do this simple meditation thing.
Now would be a good time to congratulate yourself for meditating exactly the way you ate supposed to! Part of the practice of meditation is allowing to arise whatever wants or needs to arise. When you are busy with all your daily tasks, you don't leave much time for this to happen. You have thoughts every moment, but they are not so much coming from deep within you as just occurring one after the other in the course of problem solving.
Develop an unconditional positive regard for these thoughts that keep popping into your meditation. These are your very own thoughts. No one is putting them into your mind. These thoughts reveal a great deal about how your mind works, and as such are valuable tools for achieving deeper relaxation, clearing out old business, and making room for something new to develop. They show you the nature of your mental habits. You can't change a habit until you understand its purpose, and meditation gives you plenty of opportunities to experience your habitual thinking processes.
Another great value of random thoughts that arise in meditation is that they point to little centers or complexes of emotional and mental energy. Such complexes, when rigid or distorted, are called neuroses. Neurotic thought patterns lead to neurotic behaviors that cause friction within your personality and in relationships with others. The fact that you have thoughts arising when you meditate indicates that you are approaching a clearer understanding of the mental distortions that limit your life in some way.
All behaviors began as an initial response to a need or desire.
While you are busy trying to resolve the mental processes you meet in meditation, remember that at some time in the past these behaviors had a positive purpose.
In fact, most of our behaviors have a positive intention behind them, or had positive value in the past. We may have outgrown the need for a particular response without discarding the habit. Examining the thoughts that lead to a particular behavior reflects your capacity to pay attention to yourself.
You honor your own choices and behaviors when you do this; you indicate unconditional positive regard for yourself. The only place you can begin, when meditating, is with your own mind. Whatever is there, you will get a chance to pay attention to it. You will "see" images, "heat" voices, experience physical sensations, and perceive emotional responses. Whatever you experience, it is you. You probably have all too few moments when you are able to simply be yourself. Now that you have the opportunity, be compassionate with yourself—even when-you are mentally criticizing your own meditation technique!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)