End All Beat All

Its no secret that I haven't posted here for a while. We were attempting to explore the journey of meditation together. And its something that I would like to continue - if you're interested.

I would like to clarify a point at this time. Meditation is not the end all, beat all of things. It is a tool. A very beneficial tool. I am aware because experience has taught me so, that if I can sit through the ups and downs of life's situations it can make the difference between surviving a storm in a row boat or riding it out in a Coast Guard cutter.

I am in the row boat. and life is hard.

Goal-less action

Tao abides in non-action,

Yet nothing is left undone.

If kings and lords observed this,

The ten thousand things would develop naturally.

If they still desired to act,

They would return to the simplicity of formless substance.

Without form there is no desire.

Without desire there is tranquility.

And in this way all things would be at peace

"How's the meditation blog going?"

"Depends on your perspective" I said.

"Well, yeah," she replied with a laugh. "You are hoping for a bunch of readers aren't you?"

"I guess that some of that is true," I said. "You blog and hope that someone out there reads it. But really, I'm just doing it to do it. If anyone reads it and benefits in any way from it, that's just the icing on the cake."

One of the outcomes of meditation practice is

that one slowly comes to a state

that can only be described as

"goal-less."

This being "goal-less" in not something to be sought after like a growing flower seeks its bloom. No, it grows like the acorn becomes the tree. As our awareness grows we become less focused on past and present. No, you won't float about like the proverbial Zen-Zombie who feels nothing about past events nor hopes for nothing. Its more like letting the past go, learning from it what you can and then you pass on. Like leaving your shoes at the door.

The highest virtue is to act without a sense of self

The highest kindness is to give without a condition

The highest justice is to see without a preference

Meditation Day - A full Month

"Before you study meditation, mountains are mountains and rivers are rivers. While you are studying meditation, mountains are no longer mountains and rivers are no longer rivers; but once you attain enlightenment, mountains are once again mountains and rivers are rivers".

It is imperative that you come to understand one thing and one thing only right now. We are using words to describe something that is beyond words. Alan Watts stated, "The common error of ordinary religious practice is to mistake the symbol for the reality, to look at the finger pointing the way and then to suck it for comfort rather than follow it".

If we are seeking to wrap our minds around this thing called, "meditation", to wrap it up in a box, to find a book that will map out a definitive portrait to which we can say, "Yes. That's it" then you are sorely misguided.

And that's the dig, you know. We want our Gods wrapped in neat little packages.

Sit down. Be quiet. Listen and experience.

A full month of Meditation - Equanimity

We've talked much over this last month about posture, the mind and body, watching the breath. About awareness vs being led about by your mood and obsessions. About what it means to build a strong foundation. Today, I would like to talk about a word that you may or may not be familiar with; Equanimity.

I haven't been able to post for a while due to several factors. My computer experienced a slow unraveling because of a virus that uninstalled many of my drivers and doorways of access that one would normally enter when trying to proceed on finding a fix. My "my computer" icon disappeared and almost no amount of searching would reveal the "device manager". An online tech support proceeded to do further damage until I at long last took the tower to the local computer fix-it shop. $75 and three hours later it is like having a new computer.
And speaking of fix-it, a family member that is fighting a battle over heroin addiction had to hit rock bottom again before rehab could be presented as a viable option.
A furnace malfunction almost caused our demise years before we were planning to die.
My only source of daily transportation began to run like an old man with pneumonia while my youngest son is also finding it difficult in getting around since his non-collision insured car was totaled during one of our famous New England ice storms.
Sometimes life can be tough.
Equanimity is a place of being that is developed with the aid of meditation. Equanimity helps us to deal constructively with our emotions. You know, those school yard bullies that keep you down. It provides us with the vehicle within which we can flow with change. You know, job loss, health problems, money woes: change.
Keep in mind that we are seeking to build a firm foundation. We are seeking to build (and find) compassion. Compassion for ourselves and for the world around us. It seems a formidable task, eh?
Remember this post? We will be able to experience experience as both the holder and the one being held. Relaxed. Secure. Contentment.
Nice!!!

Morning has broken - Meditation Day 25

I prefer the early morning for meditation practice. Winter indeed is a most difficult time to begin setting up a daily practice and it is not proceeding forward without its share of missed early morning sessions.

I may have indicated or perhaps you may have guessed that I previously had a regular meditation practice for several years. When your daily routine is established it is easier to sit through obstacles as they arise because that which arises will also pass. Arising in the early morning for practice is a beautiful thing. You notice the changes as you prepare to sit. The alignment of the stars with the horizon. The changes in the trees. The coming and going of birds. The changes from Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter.....This is our life after all. You become aware of the beauty of change. And you feel blessed.

Body and Mind are One - Meditation Day 23

Let us get back to discussing the synchronization of our bodies with our minds. We're not looking to develop some ascetic form of being. We have all heard the stories of the ascetic that risked the elements in the most harsh of ways and later come away unscathed. That is not where we are going. But I do want you to notice: note, subtle changes in what you would describe as your "normal behavior" or responses as we progress in our practice. Label nothing as good or bad: just note the experience.
When we approach each day in our usual unconscious fashion as if asleep, we follow after thoughts and whatever our bodies would suggest to us. After spending some time in meditation we begin slowly to awake. Our growing awareness is the antithesis of our moments of being in unconscious sleep. It is a re-wiring of sorts. But it is a sort of rewiring that allows us to see that the mind and the body are not two separate entities; They are but one. We are not our minds driving about in the vehicle of "the body".

In the science of Embodied Cognition we can see just how deep and unconscious our wiring is

Try this

In ATM, Feldenkrais therapy we learned this little trick: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, arms at your sides. Now raise your right hand with the arm straight out ahead of you and give the thumbs up sign. Now slowly twist as far to your right as you comfortably can - allowing your thumbs up to align with some focal point. A point on the wall behind you, the corner of your bed post, your significant others derriere: to indicate where your ending point is. See where your thumbs up lines up with whatever object helps you in establishing a point of reference. Hold that pose.

Focus your eyes on your thumb and then look further to your right, beyond your range of motion to a point further to the right. Focus back on the thumb: then back to the further point. Back to the thumb and back to the further point.

Return to your starting position with your thumbs up still facing forward. Then twist back to the right while watching your thumb line up with a focal point..

Did you find a greater range of motion - were you able to easily expand your range beyond the first focal point and arriving at the second point?

This also works when watching the tip of your toes. Sit and raise your foot outstretched before you as high as you are comfortably able.. Align the tips of your toes with something on the horizon. Focus on the toes and then to a point several inches higher....and back to your toes...back to the higher point...back to your toes again.

When you bring your foot back down into a resting position. Slowly raise it up to as far as it will comfortably raise. Are you able to easily see that your range of motion has expanded beyond the original starting point ending at the higher second point?

I want us to focus on finding our center-point when we settle down to practice our meditation. I want that we should remind ourselves often to correct our posture when sitting in practice and throughout the day. We should body scan ourselves for hidden tightness. We should pause and watch our breath (not control it) several times a day.

We are orienting ourselves towards being beacons of steadfast calm, humor and kindness. Not creating a race of non-feeling ascetics. We will soon begin to realize that body and mind are one. That the universe and all that it contains is one.

Cool, eh?

Let Us Review...Meditation Day 19

Its time that we review what we having been doing together. We are learning to meditate. We're learning the first few steps of how to synchronize our minds with our bodies. We can often find ourselves following after thoughts that pinball back and forth in reaction to what we hear and see around us. We react to what we feel in our bodies and the speed of our mind intensifies. We want to just grab our heads and yell, "Stop the world. I want to get off"!
We are beginning to learn through an awareness of posture and concentration on the breath to slow things down. We want to find balance more as a gyroscope and less as a top spinning out of control.
I want us to continue setting aside time for our meditation "practice". It can be five or ten minutes to start. We are not in a race. We are not looking to be meditation masters. We are growing as young saplings in springtime. Let us tend ourselves with care!
Let us try to find the same period of time each day in which to practice. It helps to set your internal clock. You will come to appreciate this time that you've decided to set apart from the rest of the day.
Remember to gently stretch before you begin to sit, in whatever position that you have chosen for yourself. As you sit, sit as a mountain. Strong, yet relaxed. Fixed. Back straight, yet relaxed. Throughout the day, I want you to stop and consciously become aware of your posture. Is your face and forehead tight? Are your shoulders pulled back or slumped forward? Hands clenched? Do a body scan and seek to relax your tight areas. Be aware of your posture throughout the day and seek to relax it whenever you bring your posture to mind. Practice!
When you sit in practice, allow for a few deep cleansing breaths. Allow your breath to self regulate. Focus on the breath as it enters and leaves through your nose: the tip of your tongue lightly resting behind the front top teeth. Become aware of the breath just beyond the tip of your nose. Allow it to flow naturally. Some days you may breath long and slow and deep. On some days it may appear shallow. Just note it. Just breathe. Be aware. Throughout the day, I want you to stop what you are doing and become aware of the breath. Is the chest tight? Is your breathing labored or stressed? Stop! Relax. Focus on your breath. You will come to appreciate this moment and your sudden increased awareness may seem like you just got high. Mmmmmm! Bliss......
We are beginning to find ourselves experiencing better posture and a relaxed body.
We will begin to find ourselves enjoying more of the present moment.
We will become more aware of our bodies.
We will be less impulsive in our reactions.

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated

Esoteric, Mystical, Spiritual....Meditation Day 15

Have you ever experienced that sense of awe that hits you square in the chest? The more that you try and describe what it was that you felt, or what it was that made you feel that way, the further away you were from actually conveying your experience.
Meditation experiences can often be described as spiritual: as being mystical or as having sprung forth from some esoteric teaching. I don't want you attach any of these labels to your experience. Just watch. Note. Wonder.

Building a Firm Foundation - Meditation Day Twelve

It is imperative that we review the "why" behind our practice at this time. I know that it is still very early in our run at establishing our daily meditation practice but if you have learned anything at all thus far, it is that the mind is seldom very focused. We are like cats focused on the laser beam of our thoughts; running up walls and scurrying back and forth across the floor. Our backs are arched and we are poised to see where our mind will take us next.

In this very early stage of meditation, often called mindfulness meditation, we are learning to develop concentration. The development of concentration will create a measure of tranquility: it is at this stage that we will begin to move our concentration away from the breath and onto our other two forms of meditation.

Focus on the picture above
and imagine
that we can express ourselves
as both the holder
and the one being held......

This is the mountain,
the oasis,
to which we now
journey

What do you feel?

Where do you feel it?

Think on these things......

Seven Days of Meditation - Continue to sit through it all

I'm having difficulty in rising each morning. And I have to confess that things are getting off to a rather rocky start. I found that I have become very stiff in recent months. I have forgone the bench in favor of a Zafu and Zabuton. I have also noticed a greater degree of anxiety and tension tugging at me as though some little hobgoblin was biting at my heels yet escaping my grasp before I can get a handle on him. I've sat through the anxiousness: though my inclination was to flee the cushion altogether.

Sitting erect and balanced I focused on my breath. Just at the tip of my nose. I paid no attention to the thoughts that bounced like pin-balls throughout the hallways of my mind. Making note of them helped me to see that many of these thoughts were school yard bullies. The thoughts teased at my attempt to begin a meditation practice again. I'm not getting up like I should. My level of concentration will never get beyond where I am now. And Compassion? Why, you have so much anger hiding in you, you're gonna blow!

No wonder I felt anxious! All the criticism....and much of it continued throughout the day.

But that's the jib, you see. You keep on. You make note of thoughts: accept them. Do not judge them. Investigate them. And continue to sit. You are not your thoughts. The mind thinks thoughts. The heart beats. The ears hear and the eyes see.

Silent Observation - Looking in Meditation Day Four

Are you beginning to settle into your meditation position? I know that its been only a few days. You should have chosen a meditation position which best fits you. A chair? A bench? A cushion? You should have also chosen which hand position is best suited to you. The Dhyana, the Gyan or the Varada.

You should be focusing on your breath, letting it naturally flow in and out, letting the tip of your tongue lightly touch your top teeth. Focus on the breath as it enters your nose and focus on the breath again as it leaves. Counting one as you breath in: two as you breath out: up to ten. Begin again. And again.

Let us now talk about the body. I know that it's a little more than difficult at this point to feel comfortable throughout your period of sitting. It's quite common that after two, three or five minutes you will have the desire to adjust yourself or change your positioning. What I am suggesting is that you just make a mental note and then do nothing. That's right. Don't move or adjust yourself. Just observe the thought and continue to watch and count the breath. We want to find our position as we begin to "sit". Remember how we gently stretched and found our balance? This was done before we moved onto the breath. So let us not forget this step. And I hope that you are wearing loose fitting clothes that do not constrict you in any way.

And while we're on the subject of constriction, what about scheduling a time for meditation each day? I would only remind you that we must not become inflexible fundamentalists. However, meditation is about responsibility. We want to change ourselves. We want to bring change to the world. It begins with a balanced mind and a compassionate heart: which are one in the same. It's not going to come about by wishing for it or through half hearted prayer. It does require something of you. That is your practice. And you must make time for it.

Let us, borrowing from author David Fontana and point out in his words, what meditation is....and what it isn't.

It isn't:
falling asleep
going into a trance
shutting yourself off from reality
being selfish
becoming lost in thought
forgetting where you are
It is:
keeping the mind alert and attentive
keeping the mind focused and concentrated
becoming more aware of the world
becoming more human (and thus more divine: me)
knowing where you

A journey of any kind begins with that first step...Meditation Day Three

C'mon! You can do it!

Not too hard...not too soft. The middle way.

So, you have decided that you want to learn how to meditate. You've heard about the potential health benefits and the peace of mind that meditation can offer you. You have decided to make a commitment to practice but you find that your mind is quite uncooperative. Its harder than you think. You watch and count your breath only to find your mind wandering over ground that makes you exclaim, "How did I get here"? I must confess that I have literally fallen off the cushion in laughter with how I unsuspectingly attached myself to a thought and followed it all around the barnyard. One moment I am the serene present moment and the next I'm off in la-la land. You have to see the humor in it.

Accept where you are. Watch. Pay attention. No judgment.

Oh, we're gonna have fun together!

What to do, What to do, with the hands......

The world of hand gestures (mudra) used within the various schools of Yoga, Buddhist and Hindu teachings is vast and something that you need not concern yourself with. We are slowly entering the very deep well of mindfulness; our well is deep with muddy water and we are seeking to make it still; allowing the mud to settle and the water to become clear. We need not entangle ourselves with objects that will weigh us down and keep the water disturbed.

The first hand gesture is know as the Dhyana mudra. It is perhaps the most universal positioning of the hands during meditation.The second hand gesture is the Gyan mudra and the last is the Varada mudra.

Try all three as we begin to explore mindfulness, create compassion and still our minds. We're not in a race here. I want you to relax into your posture and place your hands where they will become part of your "sitting as a mountain."

A New Moon, a Solar Eclipse, signals our beginning...Meditation Day One

A New Moon Solar Eclipse will take place at 2:11 AM EST at25°01′ of Capricorn.

This total solar eclipse (like all solar eclipses) is a New Moon eclipse, which means that like all new moons, it represents a time of initiation and new beginnings. However, the difference lies in the duration of its energy, because events triggered by a solar eclipse can take up to an entire year to unfold.

AND it seems a good time to speak about hand positioning also known as mudras.

It's the Journey, not the Destination

We will begin with the very basic yet extremely effective method of counting the breath. We are now seated in the position of our choice (bench, zafu, zabuton or chair) and begin with several deep inhalations and exhalations. Begin to breathe normally, in and out, and just simply sit and be aware of your breath and let your eyes slowly close.

Is the breath shallow? Is it long?

Rest the tip of your tongue gently behind your top teeth. Breathe in through your nose, breathe out. Be aware of your in-breath and your out-breath. And begin to count or note your in-breath as one. Out-breath as two. In-breath as three. Out-breath as four: and so on until you reach the count of ten. - Then begin again. In-breath as one, out-breath as two, in-breath as three, out-breath as four..........

We shall note...as we begin, we are looking to spend about twenty minutes a session. We will lengthen our period of meditation in due time but for now look to sit and practice for approximately twenty minutes. You may time your practice in several ways. If you have a computer in your meditation area you can download and use Mindful Clock. Or you can purchase a Zen clock/timer. Or you can simply use your incense as a guide. I have used several varieties that burn for twenty and thirty minutes. There are some that will burn for an hour. This may become helpful when we decide to lengthen our sessions.

We shall further note.....as we begin, you will notice that your mind will tend to wander. We are using the breath as our point of concentration. Our mind, in the beginning, will act as a monkey looking to play in the trees. It will climb and jump about in many amusing ways. Just gently guide yourself back to the breath - back to counting your in-breath and your out-breath up to ten. You will be amazed and surprised at how many times you will suddenly realize that your mind has wandered off into remembering or planning or thinking of something other than counting your breaths. With gentle awareness and full acceptance guide the monkey mind back to the breath.

The beginning.....

.......................my body has fallen in step with the natural order of things and I have begun to rise each morning without the aid of the alarm clock. I throw a little water on my face and enter my place of meditation. I go through a series of gentle stretching routines.....reaching high with one arm at a time - as though I'm picking apples. I then move on to rotating my hips gently in a circle using an invisible hoola-hoop: first one way and then the other.

........................Standing with knees slightly bent, shoulder wide, hands hanging in front on my body with palms facing in, I breathe in using short bursts of He-He-He-He-He - and breathe out with Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha....for half a minute. My body gently bounces with the inhale and exhale and I gently exaggerate it. With practice I will lengthen the time.

........................Standing with knees slightly bent, shoulder wide, hands hanging to my sides, I gently twist; first to the left and then to my right creating enough momentum that my arms rise like empty sleeves. When turning left, my right hand slaps my left side. When turning right, my left hand slaps my right side. A gentle left...right....left....right for a minute or two or three.

....................I stoop and light some incense (sandalwood is my incense of choice) as I prepare to sit for meditation. I use a traditional Zen bench as a kneeling position favors my physical limitations. I have also used Zafu and Zabuton as well as a simple chair. After finding my sitting position I gently roll in a circle until I find my center. Sitting with my spine erect, not stiff, I settle in.

Building Muscle

There was a period in time when I could rip off fifty push ups. If now instructed I would be lucky to hit the deck and give you twenty. If you don't use it, you lose it. Now, if I decided that I wanted to build myself back into a fifty push up regimen, it would require of me a few simple things.

1) Practice

2) Patience

3) Acceptance

You can't turn yourself from a ninety eight Lb weakling into a Charles Atlas overnight. The same is true of meditation practice too.

You have to take responsibility and decide to practice. The muscle will not build by itself. You need patience. You cannot go from eighteen push ups on day one to fifty on day ten. Acceptance - you have to watch as the muscle increases in strength. No amount of frustration or disappointment will alter the speed in which progress is made.

We have decided to begin a meditation practice. We need to be patient. We need to watch the meditative process unfold with true acceptance.

This means that we make the decision to practice. Setting up a time at least six days a week. Seven if you can. No less than five. (flexible, eh?) Try to meditate every day at the same time. You need to be patient with yourself as you struggle with the addition of this new task in your life. You will not turn from a Human Being into an Immortal overnight. (lighten up!) As your mind flits about as a bird in a tree, accept it. Just note the flit and return to the meditative process.

At the start of The Compassion Project I asked that you review the two meditations that I outlined for you. The Inner Smile and the Loving kindness meditation.

I now offer you a third choice: which is what my practice will entail.

We will begin with a short session of Taoist-based spine stretches.

We will use mindfulness (vippassanna) meditation to center ourselves.

We will use the Inner Smile meditation as I have learned it: lightly resembling the micro-cosmic meditation

And we will proceed onto the first layer of the Loving Kindness meditation.

This we will do until we decide to move deeper into Loving Kindness.

I will soon post a walk through of the process as in a mock trial. (testing, testing. This is a test!)

Please forward any questions or comments.

The Instruction of "No Instruction"

Meditation could be regarded as being very similar to the automobile. There are many types of automobiles. Some are fast, sleek and sexy. Some are very comfortable and fun to drive. Some are real clunkers and are major gas hogs. You have compacts and sub-compacts. SUVs and Trucks: on road and off road.

The goal here, if it could be said that there is a goal, is transportation.

Everybody and their brother is looking to sell you a car. And you may be suited to one mode of transportation and I, another.

But we must agree that it is imperative that you first learn to drive, and drive safely. Eyes on the road. That is what Loving Kindness - Inner Smile meditation is all about.

I recently warned about one digging too many wells: You end up with many holes and you find that you have no water. These ancient meditation techniques are a firm foundation from which to later broaden out your meditation studies if you so choose to do so.

And I encourage you to do so.

But don't be so quick to get caught up with Lamborghini, Mercedes or Monster Trucks. Let us begin by learning to drive. Feeling the wind in our hair.

Instruction?

My problem with detailed meditation instructions is that by their very nature, instructions imply there are good ways and bad ways to do something. They say, this is what you should be doing, this is right, this is wrong. Instructions set up goals, just like in “real” life.I wonder if this is why so many people try meditation once and quit, feeling they’ve somehow failed?

At my old sangha, we estimated that out of five or six first-timers who came to the instruction session (followed by a sit), we saw just one of them again. For the vast majority, that one time was enough. How many times have I heard something like “Yeah, I tried meditation once, but it didn’t work for me. . . . I just couldn’t do it right. . . . My mind wouldn’t calm down”?

If a newcomer does have questions or concerns, I encourage them to try it first and ask questions after. Someone sitting for the first time can learn more about meditation in thirty real-time minutes than any experienced meditator can explain to them in that same amount of time. Because meditation isn’t about following directions down a mental highway: it’s an off-road adventure.- Barry Evans, "Less is More," Tricycle Winter 2007

Its the little things....

"What's the point of this little mantra thing that you're doing," she asked?

That's one of the most difficult questions I have been asked. You know the little adage that says, "If you have to ask, you'll never know." It's like explaining snow to a desert nomad: It has to be experienced. But I'm not proselytizing. Not looking to bring any horses to water. I'm just putting it out there.

And although I am emphasizing that you place no expectations upon your meditation practice, I am asking that you be aware (which is somewhat of an oxymoron because awareness is what unfolds for us through the practice of meditation) of subtle changes that you may experience. Just quietly notice like you would a magnificent creature in the deep wood: as too much noise and fanfare might scare it off. In other words, don't look for or attach yourself to any results of your practice.....just notice. Be aware.

You feel happier, more energetic.

Someone that normally irritates you, no longer does.

You become aware of Synchronicity and

greater Intuition....

less anxiety,

you're a little more focused: as in being focused on a goal without there being one...And that feels okay....

And you begin to laugh a bit more often....................................

Four monks decided to meditate silently without speaking for two weeks.

By nightfall on the first day, the candle began to flicker and then went out.

The first monk said, "Oh, no! The candle is out."

The second monk said, "Aren't we not suppose to talk?"

The third monk said, "Why must you two break the silence?"

The fourth monk laughed and said, "Ha! I'm the only one who didn't speak."

To know is not to know,

Not to know is to know.
Those who have not attained Awakening
should penetrate into the meaning of Reality,
while those who have already attained
should practice giving verbal expression
to that reality.

Fairies, Trolls and Hobgoblins

World peace must develop from inner peace.

Peace is not just the absence violence.

Peace is the manifestation of human compassion. - HH Dalai Lama

The war on drugs.

The war on poverty.

The war on terrorism.

The war against obesity.

The war to end all wars.

The war against ...............................

Our proposed wars are nothing more than hopeful myths and fairy tales that accomplish very little of what they have set out to do.

War is hell.

And I am not proposing any concrete answer to war. Too often we seek to attach ourselves to a war, or a creed, or a doctrine or religion that neatly defines for us what we believe we must do. Many a wise man has declared that the more they learn, the more it is that they realize how little it is that they do know. And this is the point: I do not propose to you some neatly wrapped package. In point of fact, many of you will simply dismiss the idea of dedicating a piece of your day to too simple a meditation. Its too easy. Not mystical enough. Its not in the Bible. What a waste of time.

But I challenge you.

The answer to conflict lies in flowing through your battles like water.

Huh?

The highest good is like water.

Water gives life to the ten thousand things and does not strive.

It flows in places men reject and so is like the Tao.

In dwelling, be close to the land.

In meditation, go deep in the heart.

In dealing with others, be gentle and kind.

In speech, be true.

In ruling, be just.

In business, be competent.

In action, watch the timing.

No fight: No blame.

Do you do this through adherence to a belief or creed, or through a transformation from within?

"The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there."

"The truth knocks on the door and you say, "Go away, I'm looking for the truth," and so it goes away. Puzzling."

Robert M. Pirsig

Daniel Goleman on compassion | Video on TED.com