Friday, February 26, 2010, 03:13 PM
I enjoy learning poems ‘by heart’ and sharing them; many of my students also practice memorizing a poem, prayer or other writing that resonates with their inner life. I call this soul food. This, of course is only one of the many types of “food” we eat everyday. Most of us observe that the content often moving through our minds seems not so nourishing, more like junk food!
There was a time when I was very concerned about the various thoughts and images that would arise, unbidden on the screen of my mind. Often they appeared like a bad movie with repetitive themes, intensified by the stream of strong judgments and self-recrimination that followed. Gradually, mainly through meditation practice, I learned that the content of the mind has no power in itself; it is my reaction, my chewing and swallowing that empowered these images.
Zen master Uchiyama Roshi says: “just as the stomach secretes acid to digest food, the brain churns out thoughts”. Nice image, it helps us see that the process is not so personal, the brain is just doing what it does. This churning out thoughts is a natural occurrence, sometimes helpful, sometimes not; the real question is what do we do with the thought once it has arisen. More than anything we put in our mouths, the thoughts we eat everyday have the greatest impact on our lives. Uchiyama also uses the exquisite image that these thoughts and images are the “scenery of our lives”.
When guiding meditation, I will sometimes use the following picture- you are in a boat carried by the current of a wide river. As a world traveler you are curious about the variety of life in this new country. The scenery is going by and you can enjoy the diversity. Sometimes there are beautiful mountains, other times unappealing waste sites, notice your reactions to the scenery and be aware of the stories that develop in your mind. As a visitor to this land, perhaps you can maintain a sense of interest, knowing that the river will keep flowing and new sites are coming. In meditation, we can learn to relate to all that arises with this kind of equanimity. Not taking our minds so personally is a big help; this is one of the great fruits of meditation. Most of the ‘tapes” that play in our minds were not chosen by us in a conscious way. Often we are repeating cultural and familial images. True, creative, original thinking is quite rare. As we all know, sometimes the habits of thought can be quite challenging.
The Baal Shem Tov, the great, wise, Hasidic master was asked by his students how they could know if a popular, charismatic rabbi was a truly great teacher.
He said, “ask him to advise you on what to do with the unholy thoughts that keep arising and keep you from your prayers and meditations. If this teacher gives you advice on how to stop these thoughts you can know he is unworthy. For it is the service of every human being to struggle every hour until his death with extraneous thoughts and time after time to uplift these thoughts and bring them into harmony with the nature of creation.”
From Anthony De Mello
I love this story though I might replace the word “struggle” with something like: “relate to ”, “embrace”, “learn from”, “liberate” or “meet with kindness” each of these thoughts. Of course, some thoughts are difficult for us to embrace and can feel like a big struggle- how important that we do not expect this process to be easy. Sometimes it is damn hard. YET, it is not beyond us! What is the most effective way “ to uplift these thoughts and bring them into harmony.” One clue is learning to sense our thinking in “a bodily way”.
Just this morning, I noticed a thought about writing this article. As I listened to my bodily felt-sense, I realized that there was both an excited, uplifting sensation connected to really wanting to communicate these ideas, along with a heavy, tight feeling of pressure in my chest, an inner demand to get it done so that the newsletter could be sent. Taking a few moments to sense the whole situation and allow each inner voice some time to speak was very freeing. First, I decided to walk my dog, get a cup of tea and then found myself sitting down to write.
Thoughts are not merely thoughts. If we listen, there are feelings and sensations, always connected to a whole situation. Every situation in our lives is carried in a bodily way that is changeable from moment to moment. Though often challenging, it is our possibility as awakening human beings, to question the thoughts that are not supportive of life. With curiosity and warmth we can uncover the need, concern or worry that is living within us and perhaps arising as the “negative” thought. When this is perceived and sensed bodily, it always releases, sometimes a little sometimes totally. We are not required to believe these habitual patterns of neurological “churning”.
In addition to allowing the whole bodily feeling of the thought, it is also wise to give the mind something more nourishing to do than repeating old stories. As I said, one practice is to learn meaningful, beautiful words by repeating them over time. If this attracts you perhaps carry a card in your pocket with these words and a few times a day, repeat one or more lines. Let the effect of the lines resonate throughout your body and mind.
Another fulfilling practice is to pause and think of a person that you wish to surround with warmth and kindness. I recommend connecting your exhale with an image of golden light surrounding them with good will, blessings and best wishes. Before you finish try sending these images/thoughts to yourself.
A third source of nourishing soul food is the practice of gratitude. Review the previous minutes/hours and notice ANY little thing that you feel grateful for, anything that has touched you: the temperature of the air, the sounds, the taste of a food, the look in someone’s eye, the floppy ears of a dog, the moonlight, a gesture of simple kindness and let this resonate in your body for a breath or two. Amazingly, even if you were not very present in the actual moment, something deep in you- we call it “Being” or “your Being” actually did take it in. If you pause and allow it to form in your belly/chest, you can have the richness of that moment now, even if you missed it before!
A path of awakening and freedom requires a new relationship to our habits of thought. Simply discounting them as “unreal” is not so skillful. Simply believing them is torturous. Feeling them, relating to them and letting them “self-liberate” through your kindness is excellent practice. Further, to take responsibility for your own diet, the thoughts you are choosing to eat seems essential. Bon appetit……………………
Thursday, December 31, 2009, 01:14 PM
Listen- Just to be is a blessing.
Just to live is holy.
Abraham Joshua Heschel
Enough already!
I am tired of all the doomsday talk about climate change, religious conflicts and end of the world predictions.
I am equally tired of all the people who want to put a happy, hopeful face on all the global challenges that we share.
As the New Year approaches, let’s do our best to stay free from the grayness of pessimism or bubbli-ness of optimism. Where can we live if we step off this continuum?
One of the liberating experiences of sitting meditation is when one finds that “just sitting” and breathing are inherently satisfying and one feels grateful “just” for being alive. This experience evokes the question: if I know that just sitting is enough, does anything need to change in this moment for it to be enough?
Enough
These few words are enough
If not these words this breath
If not this breath this sitting here
This opening to the life I have rejected
Again
And again
Until now
Until now
David Whyte
As one deepens into the experience of Being-ness, there is a remarkable discovery- the present moment is always enough! The word satisfaction has its etymological roots in enough-ness (satis-enough, facere- to make). How does a moment become satisfying? How do we make “an enough-ness”? The key here is orientating our attention into the simple facts of the present moment. One could call this giving oneself wholeheartedly to the present moment.
Imagine that Life is blessing you with a present right now- the sights/sounds/flavors/feelings of this moment. The correct response when receiving a gift is to be there for it- to be present for the present! A key to really receiving the gift is pausing and taking a break from your unconscious ‘self-talk’. This can be called ‘stepping off the train of thought’. When we are lost in the stream of unconscious, repetitious inner dialogue, really connecting to the present moment becomes problematic. With practice, this pausing becomes spontaneous, frequent and natural and one begins to live in a shower of blessings.
So as we enter the New Year, I wish you many, many “lived moments”. I hope that you can open to the wonderful moments, the ordinary moments and the challenging moments for each has hidden blessings. Beyond pessimism and optimism, there is the simple fact of living, Is it enough?
Happy New Year!
Monday, November 23, 2009, 04:41 PM
"If the only prayer you say in your life is 'thank you,' that would suffice." ~Meister Eckhart
Reflections on Gratitude for you to consider and to question:
*Humans seem to offer gratitude spontaneously when touched by life; I wonder if we can feel touched by life simply by offering gratitude?
*Is it true that every moment has qualities that invite our thanks when we pause and reflect?
*In “big” moments when something important works out well “thank you” emerges instinctively in our hearts and often on our lips. Notice if something similar arises in subtle ways during smaller moments- when the warmth from the sun graces your face or a door is held for you.
*Is it true that any moment of connectedness -to Self, to life- has gratitude implicitly built into it? I am suggesting that gratitude is not added after, rather that it is already there in the background when touched by living. IF this is so then might it be very valuable to consciously invite this background sense of gratitude forward?
*Like all virtues, gratitude is destroyed when imposed as a “should”, “must” or “have to”.
*Expressing gratitude, even when it is not consciously felt, can have positive effects. For example, when sad, hurt or upset, notice what happens if, in addition to honestly acknowledging that part of your experience, you say “AND I am grateful for……………”
*What happens when you choose to cultivate gratitude as an intentional practice? Try this experiment daily for two weeks. Before bed and at other times, review the previous hours and notice anything for which you feel thanks. Sense that thankfulness in a bodily, inner way not just as a thought.
*As Thanksgiving approaches, I wish you a fulfilling day/year/lifetime of Thanks………
i thank You God most for this amazing day:
for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is Yes....
~ ee cummings
Friday, November 13, 2009, 02:15 PM
The disciples were involved in a heated discussion on the cause of human suffering. Some said it came from selfishness. Others, from delusion. Yet others, from the inability to distinguish the real from the unreal.
When the Master was consulted, he said,
"All suffering comes from a person's inability to sit still, be alone and listen".
(based on a story from Anthony de Mello)
What does it mean to sit “still” and to be “alone” and “listen”?
“Still” does not mean without thoughts, sensations or feelings. “Still” means not running away from what appears.
“Alone” does not mean to withdraw into isolation, rather that we stop blaming anyone for anything- we are finally mature enough to be responsible for our life, our mind, our world. In an ironic twist, because we are responsible for All, we are not separate from others and therefore never really alone. This is the esoteric meaning of ALL-ONE.
“To listen” means that we bring interested curiosity to the moment inviting intimacy with what comes. Think of an animal in the wild or a person- you- when giving full attention to something or someone that you love- still, alone and listening.
I was asked recently to give a short description of "Embodied Meditation" as we practice it in our programs. The questioner said, "I know many forms of meditation, tell me what do you emphasize". My answer went something like this:
Although I am a meditation teacher I don't actually like the term 'meditation'. Most people hear this word and think that they need to stop their mind, as if the mind is the enemy. Meditation is approached as an intensive form of mind control. I remember years of Zen training in which my inner life was a war between my thoughts and my desire to be free from thoughts: it was the antithesis of peace and awareness.
Rather than 'meditation' I speak about 'just sitting'. 'Just sitting' emphasizes the physical act of sitting with the sensations of weight, breath and other bodily phenomena including sound. Rather than focusing on control, we emphasize "being with 'what is' from moment to moment". This 'being with' embraces whatever arises with respect , warmth and interest. Note that this embracing does not imply ‘liking’ or enjoying, it is the courageous act of opening one’s interest to the pleasant and unpleasant alike.
So we see two main points: 1) a subtle, gentle intention to notice what appears (thoughts, feelings, sensations, images) and 2) a warm-hearted acceptance of whatever one notices. For many students the most important initial learning is to recognize their unfriendly, often cruel habits of self- judgment. Many people are ashamed of their own minds. When we become kinder to ourselves, the whole world changes. IMAGINE SAYING “HELLO” TO EACH moment WITH A WELCOMING, non-condemning SPIRIT. To be friendly with your mind in this way WILL ABSOLUTELY CHANGE YOUR LIFE!
The job of the sitter is to gently and consistently return to the moment, allowing the bodily sensations “to ground” the mind. Through this dedicated intention one is inviting effortless awareness to dawn. Attention and awareness are not the same- the first can lead to the second. While attention includes an intentional guiding of the mind, awareness is spontaneous and free. Interestingly, as awareness dawns the sense of a "body" drops away and all that remains is awareness itself. Embodied meditation leads us beyond embodiment. This is our direction.
A student of mine recently returned from Africa and commented that all the wild animals had the same bodily quality of effortless, light movement with constant alertness, it reminded him of our Embodied Life study. In our practice we call this "relaxed vitality."
Still, alone and listening. This too is our direction.
Sunday, August 2, 2009, 05:53 PM
Last week I returned from my July teaching tour in Europe. The final stop was in Sweden where the ethereal summer light always invites an uplifting atmosphere, a sense of inner lightness. With so many months of darkness the Scandinavians value the sunlight very deeply, one can feel this appreciation vibrating in the air.
As a guest teacher at a “yoga festival” with about 400 participants, I came away inspired by the goodwill that arises when groups of people work together in sincere ways. “The Embodied Life” seemed to resonate for many of the yogis, enriching their practices. I am grateful for the opportunity to share this work and all the rich meetings that ensued.
The energy of summer offers a unique opportunity for self-discovery. Summer is lighter both in the sense of less dense and less dark. In this spirit I offer five light-filled and light-hearted quotes for reflection. Suggestion- don’t be fooled by the “lightness”. Each of these quotes can be the source for deep illumination. I suggest finding one that resonates for you, printing it out and using it for self-reflection.
1) "Mr. Duffy lived a short distance from himself."
-James Joyce
Isn’t this a concise reminder of our work? When disconnected thinking dominates and we lose contact with our feelings and sensations then we can all say: “I am living a short distance from myself”. Actually, when distant from Self, there is no short or long there is just that awkward, uncomfortable, isolated feeling of “not here”.
2) Question to Sasaki Roshi (101 year old Zen master currently living in the U.S.):
Q: “Do you ever go to the movies”?
A: “No, I do interviews with students.”
Those of us who enjoy the movies know that while each plot is unique the essential causes of drama are very few. Spiritual teachers listen to the same stories over and over with slight variations; the suffering and problems that are presented are simultaneously real and unreal. The moment that the confusions and misperceptions are clearly seen through, there is a deep release and the struggling is eradicated. Without an inner sense of struggling with “what is” the suffering turns into a challenge, the “problem” becomes a “situation” that one needs to address. This is true even when the external circumstances have not changed. It is a miracle!
The whole concept of cinema where we agree to make that which is unreal into the real for a period of time is an excellent metaphor and reminder of our daily lives. When we recognize that the current conditions that we are experiencing are temporary formations emerging from the infinite realm of possibilities, the “realness” of the passing show takes on a different quality.
3) "Most of the worst things in my life never happened"
Mark Twain
Why do we worry? According to evolutionary thinking, our ancestors who did not have “enough” worry in their make-up did not survive; they were too cavalier about potential dangers. It also seems that our nervous systems have different inclinations toward worrying, some of us seem to be natural worriers, some less so. Still, as with all mental states, through growing our awareness in a “whole body way” we can begin to develop approaches to living that are more life giving than habitual worry. We can say that worry that does not lead to effective action is not helpful.
4) Question to John D Rockefeller
(One of the world’s richest people at the time):
Q: "How much money is enough?"
A: "A little bit more".
Is there a more cogent expression of the limitlessness of our desires? There is a part of our mind- a dominant part when we are unaware- that is driven by dissatisfaction. It literally can only experience “enoughness” for very, very brief periods. How tragically absurd and painful that we do not see through this habit of mind!
Buddhists have an image of a hungry ghost. Imagine a Being with a huge belly and needle thin throat- no matter how much it eats there is never satisfaction. How important it is for each of us to study the mind states that are addicted to dissatisfaction in the guise of “a little bit more”. To study in this sense means to know them well as physical, mental, emotional experiences in an atmosphere of curiosity and kindness.
5) "You're perfect as you are and there is always room for improvement". Suzuki Roshi
Well, that just about sums it up.
Wishing you an enjoyable, nourishing and fulfilling summer and I hope to see you at an “Embodied Life” event soon. For those on the U.S. mailing list, if you are visiting Europe, check our website for events over there. All my courses are taught in English.
For those on the European mailing list, if you are visiting the U.S., check our website for events over there.
Many Blessings………Russell
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