When I sit (or walk) I usually go through a period of time where I tell myself what to do. This may take several forms: “pay attention to the … (breath, sounds, sensations, …),” “label thoughts,” “ask, ‘What is this?’” and so on.
Essentially I have set up ‘rules’ for my practice. This inevitably leads me into territory that is familiar to many meditators.
How do you picture yourself as a meditating person? Do you see yourself as peaceful? Happy? Untroubled by annoying thoughts? A blank slate? Or do you see yourself as a person with an anxious, busy mind, with a tense body, or beset by emotional storms?
It is likely that your expectation of yourself as a meditator will influence your decision to try meditation. Here is what teacher/author Jason Siff has to say about such expectations in “unlearning meditation: what to do when the instructions get in the way“:
Photo ©istock.com / Yusufgonden, from “5 Buddhist Slogans for the Office,” L. Rinzler, Lion’s Roar, Jan 6, 2015
Has something about your office been bugging you?
Try this maybe: ponder some of the 59 ‘lojong,’ or mind-training, slogans that Atisha (980-1052 CE) brought from India to Tibet a thousand years ago.
Not sure where to start? Author Lodro Rinzler (“The Buddha Walks into a Bar”) says that office workers might find the study of 5 slogans especially helpful: “5 Buddhist Slogans for the Office.”
My taxes are due in a couple of weeks. I think I have a few more days to turn in my 2014 medical receipts for reimbursement. Half the yard is covered by moss and weeds, the rest by grass that grows 3 inches every night. Dishes to wash, thesis drafts to read, lectures to write, assignments to grade – who has time for meditation?
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Spring Break has finally arrived. Indeed, several colleagues have told me, “it’s one week late.” Apparently, a lot of us teach, work, and live, in ways that are stretched so tight that a small schedule change can barely be tolerated. Somehow we hang on.
So here’s some good news: a new book called, “Mindfulness for Teachers” by Patricia A. Jennings (W.W. Norton & Co.). Although the cover shows smiling schoolchildren, and not college students, I suspect mindfulness practices can benefit teachers at all levels. Here’s the blurb describing the book:
Meditation is cropping up everywhere. Take a look around. Probably your neighbor is doing it, your doctor is recommending it to some of her patients, and your chaplain would like everyone to ‘just close their eyes for a few moments’ and give it a try.
Naturally, the media gets involved. And a debate begins to emerge. Some question the practice. Others question its growth. Here are three links to the ongoing ‘debate’ about meditation in the workplace.
A line from the NY Times op-ed pages caught my eye today, “Silence makes it possible to think.” (“The Cost of Paying Attention” by Matthew R. Crawford, March 7, 2015)
Our sitting instructions state, “sit as quietly as you can,” but perfect silence during meditation is neither necessary nor possible. Listening to sound without running away from it, or chasing after it, is actually an important part of our basic practice (“Listening to Survive”). If, however, you happen to be looking for some real peace and quiet, you might study a new map that scientists have constructed of noise levels on an “average summer day.” The quietest (deep blue) regions include parts of Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming) and the Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado).
NPS Natural Sounds & Night Skies Division
Every day I receive an email with a bit of wisdom or a question in it. Today’s message seemed to capture perfectly the spirit of adventure that one might find in ‘just sitting.’
Be in harmony with each breath, each moment, and know that in giving yourself this time to develop awareness and a steadiness of attention you are nourishing spirit, head, and heart. Let it be an adventure, and in the silence and the stillness that comes with practice you’ll discover wonders here for you, now. – Elena Rosenbaum, “Awareness Meditation” from Tricycle’s Daily Dharma collection, March 4, 2015
Everyone knows that things we do habitually can carry themselves along with almost no effort. The things that require special scheduling, on the other hand, often get left in the dust: you would like to sit, maybe every day even (just a couple of minutes is plenty), but how to get that going? Tricycle magazine is here to help with their daily sitting program. Find out more at “March is Meditation Month.” (Note: some parts of their program are available only to magazine subscribers, but other parts, e.g., their blog, are free.)