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“…but it’s
not now…” A meditation teacher used to frequently tell me this phrase
when I would recount to him various thoughts and emotions that arose in
my mind. At the time I thought that he didn’t care about any of the
issues or problems that I was dealing with and that he was patronizing
me. However now, nearly three years since that time, I am beginning to
notice the wisdom in his words.
When the Buddha was asked why his disciples who live a simple and quiet
life were always so cheerful he commented, “They have no regret over the
past, nor do they brood over the future. They live in the present;
therefore they are radiant.” To live in the present moment, to live
fully in the present moment, is the only way to be truly happy and free
from suffering. All suffering has its roots in various thoughts and
emotions that arise in the mind. It is our attachment to these thoughts
and emotions, our identification with the mind that causes suffering.
In his book The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle states that the mind cannot
exist without a relationship to time. That is to say, the mind cannot
exist without the past or without the future, any and every thought that
arises will invariably be either a memory of the past or a desire or
aversion to the future. Try it for yourself, watch your mind and see
what the next thought is that arises.
What you will ultimately discover is that the mind does not exist in
this moment. What then does exist when one lives in the moment? This is
a state of pure being, a state of unbounded awareness. It is a state
that many mystics refer to, conveniently enough, as no-mind. In this
state of awareness one is fully conscious of the action that one is
performing.
All of the actions that we perform on a daily basis can be done in this
state of no-mind, in this state of pure and unbounded awareness. Whether
we are eating or reading, walking or talking we are simply aware of the
action we are performing at any given moment. My aforementioned teacher
used to always stress this point that whatever action you are doing be
aware of that action and that action alone, be present. This may sound
simple enough but to be present is not an easy task by any means.
The following excerpt is taken from the book Zen Keys written by
renowned Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh,
‘I remember a short conversation between the Buddha and a philosopher of
his time.
“I have heard that Buddhism is a doctrine of enlightenment. What is your
method? What do you practice everyday?”
“We walk, we eat, we wash ourselves, we sit down.”
“What is so special about that? Everyone walks, eats, washes, and sits
down…”
“Sir, when we walk, we are aware that we are walking; when we eat, we
are aware that we are eating…When others walk, eat, wash, or sit down,
they are generally not aware of what they are doing.”’
The question that is bound to arise now is how do I cultivate this state
of no-mind, this state of present moment awareness. Begin right now; be
fully present in this moment wherever you are whatever you are doing.
Right Now. Next we will take a look at a meditation practice designed to
cultivate present moment awareness.
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A famous meditation teacher was once
asked by a disciple, “What is meditation?” His answer was, “When one
thought has finished before the next thought has arisen there is a
gap is there not? The process of expanding that gap is meditation.”
In my view this answer really captures the essence of meditation. By
expanding the gap in between thoughts we can silence the mind and
become increasingly present.
There are many different techniques of meditation, in this article
the focus will be on a practice called Anapana-Sati which roughly
translates from Pali (the language of the Buddhist scriptures) to
mean ‘awareness of breathing’. Anapana-Sati is a practice used by
Buddhist monks and lay people alike. It is this practice that many
circles believe the Buddha was using when he attained enlightenment.
Anapana-Sati, as with the majority of meditation practices, is most
effectively done in a sitting posture. It can be practiced equally
well either sitting on the floor with legs crossed or sitting in a
chair. The back should be erect but not stiff and the head in line
with the spine. The neck and shoulders should be relaxed, the hands
placed in the lap, right over left, with palms facing upwards. The
eyes can either be closed or if this is uncomfortable they can be
open and gazing at the tip of the nose. If sitting on the floor I
strongly recommend the use of a firm cushion to provide support and
leverage, this leverage makes it much easier for the spine to remain
straight and helps prevent slumping.
To begin observe the breath as it enters and exits your nostrils.
Observe the breath as you breathe in, now observe the space when the
in breath has finished before the out breath has begun. Observe the
breath as you breathe out, now observe the space when the out breath
has finished before the next in breath has begun. In this manner
observe the breath. Do not try to alter or regulate the breath in
any way. Just be aware of the natural breath. With practice the
texture of the breath will change of its own accord.
At first it may be difficult to maintain awareness of the breath.
The mind will wander and begin to think of all sorts of things. Be
aware that the mind is wandering and then gently yet firmly return
your awareness to the breath. Do not identify with the mind and the
various thoughts that arise, rather maintain a state of equanimity
towards them and return to the breath as swiftly and diligently as
possible. Become a detached observer who is always aware and alert.
In the beginning it is best to practice for ten to twenty minutes at
a time, once or twice a day. Find a quiet place where you can
meditate and a time that you can commit to on a regular basis. The
most important thing, and I cannot emphasize this enough, is to be
consistent and regular with your practice. Do not become frustrated
if you experience difficulties rather continue your practice with
serenity and patience. Over time you will find that your ability to
meditate will gradually improve, your mind will become calmer and
quieter and you will begin to experience the essence of meditation.
In the words of the Buddha, “Just as a pitcher is filled with water
by a steady stream of drops; likewise the wise person improves and
achieves well-being a little at a time.”
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Most of us wish to some extent to
become more loving and compassionate people. Compassion is a virtue
that is to be developed and cultivated through patient and sincere
effort. It is important not just to have compassion for our family
and friends but also to have compassion for those towards whom we
feel negativity. Universal love is a concept that has been advocated
by many spiritual teachers throughout history including Jesus
Christ, The Buddha, and Lao Tzu to name but a few. In the Metta
Sutta, The Buddha’s Discourse on Loving Kindness, it is said, “Just
as a mother protects her child, her only child, with her very life,
even so with a boundless heart of love let one cherish all living
beings.”
Metta-Bhavana is a beautiful meditation practice that is used to
develop universal love and compassion towards all beings.
Metta-Bhavana when translated from Pali literally means ‘cultivating
loving kindness.’ To begin practicing Metta-Bhavana find a quiet
place where you can sit with your eyes closed. Begin by lightly
observing the breath. Observe several breaths as they enter and exit
the nostrils. Now visualize yourself in a happy state and mentally
repeat several times ‘May I be happy’. When doing this we are
sending love to and wishing goodwill upon ourselves. This principle
of starting the practice by sending love and energy to one’s self is
foundational to Metta-Bhavana. For how can a person who does not
love themselves love anyone else?
Next, send goodwill and love towards someone who is very dear to
you, usually a close family member. A parent, a child, a sibling, or
spouse is a usual place for the Metta practice to flow. Visualize
this person in a happy state and mentally repeat several times ‘May
(name of the person) be happy’. After sending love and goodwill to
this person for several moments allow the Metta to flow to the next
person, usually again a very close family member. Send this love and
goodwill to many people who are dear to you.
The next step is to send these same loving thoughts to a person
towards whom you are more or less emotionally neutral. This person
could be the mail carrier or the librarian or anybody towards whom
you do not have either great feelings of affinity or animosity.
Visualize this person in a happy state and mentally repeat several
times ‘May (name of the person) be happy’. Continue in this manner
with several such emotionally neutral people.
After sending positive vibrations to these people towards whom you
are emotionally neutral the next step is to send these same loving
wishes and thoughts to people towards whom you feel negative
emotions such as anger, hate, or jealousy. Visualize one such person
and mentally repeat several times ‘May (name of the person) be
happy’. Continue with several such people. By sending the same
thoughts of love and benevolence towards people whom one feels
negativity, the Metta practitioner develops a very deep well of
compassion and universal love. One should then send positive energy
to the meditation teacher who has given this wonderful practice of
Metta-Bhavana to the practitioner and then one’s own self again
bringing the process full circle. Finally you can mentally repeat
several times ‘May All Beings Be Happy’. Lightly observe the breath
several more times to finish your round of practice.
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Smile. The benefits of smiling are
many. One benefit is that a smile can brighten up someone else’s day
whether it is a friend or a stranger. Smiling is a language all to
itself; it is a language of love. Think about the last time a
stranger smiled at you and how you felt. Chances are that you felt
pretty good. In the same way with a smile we can help other people
feel good too.
When we smile we not only brighten up the day of someone else but we
ourselves become happier. We begin to dwell in a state of love and
inner peace. Think for yourself of the happiest people that you
know. Do they not smile frequently? When we smile we radiate peace
and love and people tend to become far more attracted to us than
otherwise.
While we all would like to smile more, it is easy to get caught up
in the routines and dilemmas of daily life and we often do not even
take the time to smile. How then can we consciously develop this
habit of smiling?
The renowned Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh offers some profound
methods that can help us to remember how to smile. One such method
is conscious breathing. We can mentally repeat: “Breathing in, I am
calm. Breathing out, I smile.” Personally I find it easier to
simplify the technique to mentally repeating the word “calm” with
each in-breath and “smile” with each out-breath. Practicing in this
manner for even five to ten minutes we automatically become calmer,
increasingly present, and we smile naturally. Try it for yourself I
guarantee that you will be surprised at how easily you smile and how
amazing it feels. According to Hanh, “The source of a true smile is
an awakened mind.”
Another method that Thich Nhat Hanh invites us to try is to hang a
reminder in our rooms to smile when we wake up. This reminder can be
a branch, a leaf, a painting, or some inspiring words. It can be
anything as long as it carries the message to us to smile upon
waking. We can hang this reminder in the window, above the bed, or
anywhere where we will notice it upon waking. Smiling to begin the
day can help us to approach the day with serenity and inner joy.
After we develop the practice of smiling upon waking we will no
longer need a reminder it will become a natural part of our daily
lives. We will find that love and happiness have entered our lives
and are there to greet us when we wake up in the morning.
There are also physiological benefits to smiling. When we smile we
relax hundreds of muscles in our face. Smiling relieves stress and
tension. Stress and tension tend to store themselves in our bodies
and often times can result in our neck, shoulders, our back becoming
increasingly tight and stiff. By smiling we release stress and
tension thereby reducing the stiffness in these areas of the body.
These are just some of the many benefits of smiling. I sincerely
hope that you will try the prescribed exercises for developing your
smile. Just as a good body needs to be developed at the gym and a
good mind developed by studying the same way a good smile needs to
be developed through practice. According to Hanh, someone who is
wearing a smile is showing a sign that they are masters of
themselves. So please, become a master of yourself and smile.
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