MEDITATION TIME OUT TO CHILL OUT silence is an empty space space is the home of the awakened mind Meditation is a way of looking at the mind. Through looking comes understanding. When we understand something we can work with it; change it; learn to love it; leave it be; be kind to it - this is freedom, this is wisdom. Meditation leads to wisdom which leads to freedom from suffering. Sounds good? Read on! These frames looks mostly at the social or psychological aspect of meditation. For the spiritual, religious or transcendent aspect have a look at A–Buddhism–C WHY DO IT? meditation is about stopping meditation is about looking Very simple meditation is like resting. When you work your body hard you need to take a break. The mind is no different. All day you work with information; sounds, smells, feelings, etc. and the mind needs a break. Sleep takes care of a lot of stuff but, unless you are able to fully relax, the mind 'holds' onto things and doesn't really rest. For example, you have an important exam, or a date, and you can't let go of the worry or fear. Meditation is a way of getting in touch with all the different feelings and emotions we experience and relaxing with them. This is done as a fully conscious process - as opposed to just drifting, day dreaming or sleeping. Being totally awake to what's happening. Everything that we experience in life we experience in our mind. Meditation is about investigating the mind. Just like anything you want to get to know or understand you have to study it.You stop, and you look, and then you solve the problem. If you ever get stressed or worry a lot or just can't fit with life or wonder 'Who am I?' 'What's the point?' then meditation is a 'safe' way of preparing the mind to investigate life. WHAT IS IT? meditation is about stopping meditation is about looking Meditation is a natural way of investigating and understanding how the mind works. Some things it avoids, some it suppresses or rejects, or it obsessively seeks or craves other things. All this can be hard work, and the result of all this 'pushing and pulling' is often suffering. The mind is like an untrained, well-greased snake - difficult to get a handle on. Meditation is a way of training the mind. It takes practice to train the mind. How many years have you spent just basically letting your mind do what it wants to? Can you tell your mind 'OK now, enough worry, just think happy thoughts don't wander off now.' Not me. Can you choose? Are you the master of your own mind? Just like doing weights or jogging makes the body fit so meditation makes the mind fit. The good thing though is that you don't need any special equipment you don't need to be any special kind of person as long as you are alive and have bits of your brain functioning. That's enough to begin. THE RESULTS. In terms of 'getting-your-head-together' meditation is a good one. It works on the mind. The thing you will most notice after you have been doing it for a while (like a few weeks, or even months) is a steady mind. Because the basic meditation technique is practising staying with just one mental object (the breath for example). This is a skill you learn. If you are doing a maths problem you will find you can 'just do that'. The mind can focus and stay where you want it to be - its not jumping about, getting distracted all the time. Another result is clarity of mind; the mind is clear and uncluttered. Like cleaning a window - the mind is our 'window on the world'. Notice the difference when you look out on a sunny day. It is hard to see anything clearly through a dirty window, everything looks a bit blurred. With a clean window all the objects are sharp and clear - life looks crisp. And how about calmness of mind? Because the mind has practised just sitting still it is not jumping about, running after this and that. It is a lot more content to just be with the way things are. We tend to want action and excitement but sometimes there just ain't noting habbening man - boring? No. No. - good enough for now. A calm mind can be at ease with the ordinary - no probs. And why not try - peaceful, serene, tranquil, placid, undisturbed, quiet, restful, smooth, still, collected, composed, cool, dispassionate, relaxed, self-possessed? Sign Me On WHAT TO DO? listening to the sounds of silence! Mention meditation to many people and they immediately try and bend their legs into the full lotus. Not necessary. What is important is to be physically comfortable with a straight spine - if this means sitting on a chair, or even laying down, that's OK. The main thing is to keep things simple. Silence is a very powerful tool in meditation. How? Sense input is what makes the mind busy - uptight - stressed out. Input through the eyes, nose, tongue, ears, and skin - the five bodily senses. So, how to minimise this? Sit in a clean and quiet space. Close the eyes gently. Use a cushion to tip the pelvis forward, it helps keep the back straight. Don't meditate straight after a meal or heavy exercise - the beginning and end of the day are the best times. Just about any time is a good time for meditation - waiting for the bus - at the dentist - doing file backups - on hold in a telephone queue (ask them to switch off the muzak and go for the silence) - waiting for the kettle to boil - there are lots of spaces in a day when you can turn quietly inward. Choose one (usually simple) thing as your meditation object. Use this object to focus your attention on. Concentration is the key. You can use almost anything as your meditation object - a candle or a flower (with eyes half open), a simple phrase you repeat, the touch of moving a string of beads. You will probably find that the mind will get bored - start thinking about other things - get restless. Be patient. If you (the mind) wanders off just come gently back to the breath. Again and again. I don't know anyone who finds meditation easy, but I know for me that it gets easier the more I practice. The result is peace in the heart. The result is feeling less of a victim to the whims of the mind. TECHNIQUES watching with the mind's eye! things commonly used as a meditation object are the breath. a candle. a word or phrase beads -- often with a word or phrase love body sweeping welcoming THE BREATH its free every one has one - ain't got one, you're dead meat! its natural, organic, simple its rhythmical. Sitting down, eyes gently closed, turn the attention to the breath. If it is a bit difficult to notice at first try a couple of deep breaths just to get the 'feel' of it. Where do you notice it most clearly? At the nose tip? The belly? The chest? Then use counting, 1 - 10. Get to ten then start at one again. Keep doing this and just relax. Enjoy. Nowhere to go, nothing to do. Relax! MEDITATION IS ABOUT LOOKING! It is not so much looking with the eye balls, more looking with the mind's eye. You sometimes see people in religious pictures with an eye on the centre of their forehead. This is called the 'third eye', 'the divine eye', or 'the eye of wisdom'. It is symbolic of the mind's eye. In meditation, what you look at is not is not always so important, it is more the quality of your attention, it is HOW YOU LOOK! MORE The mind is not different from the body. We feed it experiences; we take it places it will like; we can train it to do things. Meditation is looking at the results of what we have done, what we are doing now, and reflecting on what we might do in the future. The events we are looking at are not so important. What is important is observing the process of cause and effect - actions leading to results. Your mind is such an important part of your life; it is how, or where you KNOW! 'I know I am happy, I know what you mean.' It all happens in the mind. But . . . how does it happen? Why . . . does it happen? Do you have any say on what goes on in your mind? Are you just a passive victim of your mind? Meditation is a way of investigating the mind, a way of understanding HOW it all happens. Why Meditate? If meditation is about looking, then the question is really . . . Why Look? If you think about why you look with your eyes, the answer is easy - 'I look to avoid banging into things because that's painful!' Walking into things results in physical pain. Even worse than that is mental pain, whn our mind bangs into things. This happens when we don't understand how our minds work, when we can't see clearly. Clarity of mind is seeing clearly, with wisdom. Meditation is a way of getting to know your mind, and when you know it, then you can relax and treat it like a friend. Living with a mind you don't know is like living with a wild animal - it does what it wants. MORE?