Sitting quiet is not easy. In Tamil language, an advice made
famous by Thaymanavar, a saint from the 16th century is “Summa
iru” meaning “stay quiet and/or silent”. Here is his full poem:
சும்மா இருப்பதுவே சுட்டற்ற பூர்ணமென்று எம்மால் அறிதற்கு
எளிதோ பராபரமே
There is a beautiful poem on Keeping Quiet by Pablo Neruda, the famous poet from Chile. Here
is a link to that poem.
He starts with “Now we will count to twelve and we will
all keep still for once on the face of the earth, let’s not speak in any
language” and ends by saying :”perhaps a huge silence might interrupt
this sadness of never understanding ourselves and of threatening ourselves with
death. Now I’ll count up to twelve and you keep quiet and I will go”.
It is possible with strong intention and determination to sit
quiet for a few minutes and practice daily. How else can you focus and meditate
if you cannot even sit for a few minutes? There are a few among us who just
cannot sit still. The best method for them is to learn walking meditation. Yes,
Buddhist system teaches us how to walk
mindfully. In Mindful Meditation, you learn to me mindful doing whatever you
are doing.
One more point before I start the next session. This is
about physiology. Focus on breathing is part of all systems of meditation. It
is now well-established that slow breathing stimulates the vagus nerve, which
is a part of the parasympathetic nervous system of our body. Just breathing
slow and even has been shown to be associated with slower heart rate, lowering
of blood pressure and muscle relaxation. Conversely, you will experience
slowing down of your parade of thoughts when the respiration slows down. In
Mindful Meditation, normal breathing is the anchor. There is no special way of
breathing. It can be practiced anywhere, any time. These are the reasons I am so
much in favor of this method of meditation.
Now, you may wish to practice breathing mindfully using the
following link before we meet again:
Mindful Breathing Meditation with Thich Nhat Hanh
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