Why do you focus so hard when you meditate?
Do you want something?
Do you want something to happen?
Do you want something to stop happening?
Check to see if one of these attitudes is present.
The meditating mind should be relaxed and at peace.
You cannot practise when the mind is tense.
Sayadaw U Tejaniya, Right Attitude
There is a tende
ncy in January to want to get away from our life, to compare it with other, “better”, possible lives. Advertising encourages this, offering to get us away from this life to a sunnier life on holidays, or from this shape to a better one in the gym. Practice encourages us to start where we are and find our own way, in the life that is given us:
There is no form that in and of itself is closer to God. All forms are just forms…..Each individual must therefore listen very carefully to hear her or his way or path. For one person it will be as mother, for another a celibate. For one it will be a householder, for another a wandering monk. Not better or worse. To live another’s life, to try to be Buddha or Christ because Christ did it, doesn’t get us there; it just makes us mimickers. This game is much more subtle: we have to listen to hear what our path through is, moment by moment, choice by choice.
Ram Dass, Grist for the Mill.
If everything is noted, all your emotional difficulties will disappear.
When you feel happy, don’t get involved with your happiness.
And when you feel sad, don’t get involved with it.
Whatever comes, don’t worry. Just be aware of it.
Dipa Ma, Knee Deep in Grace
A lovely quote from the Ox and Window by the 17th century Zen master Hakuin Ekaku, which came to me through Zen teacher David Rynick’s Blog. It has a delightful message, contrary to the rushing, achievement focus of most early January messages:
When we apply the instruction to be soft and nonjudgmental to whatever we see at this very moment, the embarrassing reflection in the mirror becomes our friend. We soften further and lighten up more, because we know it’s the only way we can continue to work with others and be of any benefit in the world. This is the beginning of growing up.
Pema Chodron, Comfortable with Uncertainty
In Celtic folk tales a curse that could happen to a person was to get stuck in a field and not be able to get back out of it, to be stuck in that place for ever. It was seen as a definite curse to be unable to venture or to change. We all know this experience in some small way; we all get ourselves stuck in routines and habits that act like shackles. We all refuse to open our eyes to the vision that is before us; too often we select what we hear and what we respond to. The open gate is the opposite of this. It is the invitation to adventure and to grow, the call to be among the living and vital elements of the world. The open gate is the call to explore new areas of yourself and the world around you. It is a challenge to come and discover that the world and ourselves are filled with mystery …. The open gate is the choice that is always … before us. It is a sign of the opportunity that is ours.
David Adam, The Open Gate
