When
you read books about meditation, or often when meditation
is is presented by different groups, much of the emphasis
falls on the techniques. In the West, people tend to be very
interested in the "technology" of meditation. However,
by far the most important feature of meditation is not technique,
but the way of being, the spirit, which is callled the "posture",
a posture which is not so much physical, but more to do with
spirit or attitude.
It
is well to recognize that when you start on a meditation practice,
you are entering a totally different dimension of reality.
Normally in life we put a great deal of effort into achieving
things, and there is a lot of struggle involved, whereas meditation
is just the opposite, it is a break from how we normally operate.
Meditation
is simply a question of being, of melting, like a
piece of butter left in the sun. It has nothing to do with
whether or not you "know" anything about it, in
fact, each time you practice meditation it should be fresh,
as if it were happening for the very first time. You just
quietly sit, your body still, your speech silent, your mind
at ease, and allow thoughts to come and go, without letting
them play havoc on you. If you need something to do, then
watch the breathing. This is a very simple process. When you
are breathing out, know that you are breathing out. When you
breath in, know that you are breathing in, without supplying
any kind of extra commentary or internalized mental gossip,
but just identifying with the breath.
That very simple process of mindfulness processes your thoughts
and emotions, and then, like an old skin being shed, something
is peeled off and freed.Usually
people tend to relax the body by concentrating on different
parts. Real relaxation comes when you relax from within, for
then everything else will ease itself out quite naturally.
When
you begin to practice, you center yourself, in touch with
your "soft spot", and just remain there. You need
not focus on anything in particular to begin with. Just be
spacious, and allow thoughts and emotions to settle. If you
do so, then later, when you use a method such as watching
the breath, your attention will more easily be on your breathing.
There is no particular point on the breath on which you need
to focus, it is simply the process of breathing. Twenty-five
percent of your attention is on the breath, and seventy-five
percent is relaxed. Try to actually identify with the breathing,
rather than just watching it. You may choose an object, like
a flower, for example, to focus upon.
Sometimes you are taught to visualize a light on the forehead,
or in the heart. Sometimes a sound or a mantra can be used.
But at the beginning it is best to simply be spacious, like
the sky. Think of yourself as the sky, holding the whole universe.
When
you sit, let things settle and allow all your discordant self
with its ungenuineness and unnaturalness to disolve, out of
that rises your real being. You experience an aspect of yourself
which is more genuine and more authentic-the "real"
you. As you go deeper, you begin to discover and connect with
your fundamental goodness.
The
whole point of meditation is to get used to the that aspect
which you have forgotten. In Tibetan "meditation"
means "getting used to". Getting used to what? to
your true nature, your Buddha nature. This is why, in the
highest teaching of Buddhism, Dzogchen, you are told to "rest
in the nature of mind". You just quietly sit and let
all thoughts and concepts dissolve. It is like when the clouds
dissolve or the mist evaporates, to reveal the clear sky and
the sun shining down. When everything dissolves like this,
you begin to experience your true nature, to "live".
Then you know it, and at that moment, you feel really good.
It is unlike any other feeling of well being that you might
have experienced. This is a real and genuine goodness, in
which you feel a deep sense of peace, contentment and confidence
about yourself.
It
is good to meditate when you feel inspired. Early mornings
can bring that inspiration, as the best moments of the mind
are early in the day, when the mind is calmer and fresher
(the time traditionaly recommended is before dawn). It is
more appropriate to sit when you are inspired, for not only
is it easier then as you are in a better frame of mind for
meditation, but you will also be more encouraged by the very
practice that you do. This in turn will bring more confidence
in the practice, and later on you will be able to practice
when you are not inspired. There is no need to meditate for
a long time: just remain quietly until you are a little open
and able to connect with your heart essence. That is the main
point.
After
that, some integration, or meditation in action. Once your
mindfulness has been awakened by your meditation, your mind
is calm and your perception a little more coherent. Then,
whatever you do, you are present, right there. As in the famous
Zen master's saying: "When I eat, I eat; when I sleep,
I sleep". Whatever you do, you are fully present in the
act. Even washing dishes, if it is done one-pointedly, can
be very energizing, freeing, cleansing. You are more peaceful,
so you are more "you".
You assume the "Universal You".
One
of the fundamental points of the spiritual journey is to persevere
along the path. Though one's meditation may be good one day
and and not so good the next, like changes in scenery, essentially
it is not the experiences, good or bad which count so much,
but rather that when you persevere, the real practice rubs
off on you and comes through both good and bad. Good and bad
are simply apparitions, just as there may be good or bad weather,
yet the sky is always unchanging. If you persevere and have
that sky like attitude of spaciousness, without being perturbed
by emotions and experiences, you will develop stability and
the real profoundness of meditation will take effect. You
will find that gradually and almost unnoticed, your attitude
begins to change.
You do not hold on to things as solidly as before, or grasp
at them so strongly, and though crisis will still happen,
you can handle them a bit better with more humor and ease.
You will even be able to laugh at difficulties a little, since
there is more space between you and them, and you are freer
of yourself. Things become less solid, slightly ridiculous,
and you become more light-hearted.
Authors
Details:
Excerpts From Teachings by Sogyal Rinpoche |
Articles
on Meditation and Meditation Techniques
(Increasing
Psychic Abilities With this Meditation Technique)
(The
Relationship Between Meditation and Self-Analysis)
(Meditation
Technique - Essential Advice On Meditation)
(Meditation
The Art Of Seeking Silence)
(and more in our Meditation Section)
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