A simplified Mindful Meditation*
Purpose:
It is to silence the “mind” and to
expand the “heart”.
Several masters tell us that meditation
is not for bliss after death or for immortality, but to experience the immortal
in us here and now with compassion and humility. It is to open the heart and
the mind and experience the parts in the whole and the whole in the parts.
Method:
Find a location you are not
likely to be disturbed
Sit in a comfortable position on
the floor or a chair
Better to keep eyes closed to reduce
distractions
Focus on the breath
Just observe the in-breath and
the out-breath
Let it be just natural, except
you are noticing it. You will be using breath as an anchor to come back to
every time the mind wanders away
Every time you realize that the
mind has wandered off, gently bring it back to the breath
Bring the mind to basic awareness
of just being here and now,
Start with a short meditation –
just 5 minutes, for example
Just the fact you devoted this
time is great. Congratulate yourself for the effort
We will go into greater details,
and for longer periods as we progress.
Goal:
NOTHING, no goals to accomplish,
no expectations, no grasping.
This sounds contradictory to what
we said earlier. Is it not?
In the long run, we wish to reach
a state of calmness of the mind and openness of the heart. For this session, for
each session, it is best to go with small steps and an open, accepting mind.
Accepting whatever comes at the
sitting without being harsh on yourself, without judging.
Just Let it be
Grasping and reaching are the
opposites of what meditation masters teach.
This is the simplest, but not so
simple. In the next essay, I will give steps to go from observing the breath to
observing sensations in the body associated with breath and to awareness of
being alive and awake.
You can start your practice by
using the link here and listening to the voice of Rev.Thich Nath Hanh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CawBsy6-gOw&ab_channel=PlumVillageApp
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