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Now that you have an overview of the meditative journey, take a look at some
paths that superficially resemble meditation but lead you in an altogether different
direction.
Of course, every activity can become a meditation if you do it with awareness
or concentration. For example, you can wash the dishes or drive the car or
talk on the phone meditatively. (For more on how to do this, see Chapter 15.)
Chapter 1: What Meditation Is �?and Isn’t 25
Mindfulness: Meditation as a way of life
Although I provide a variety of different techniques
for your enjoyment and exploration, this
book offers as its primary approach what the
Buddhists call mindfulness �?ongoing attention
to whatever arises moment to moment.
Based on my years of experience and training,
I’ve found that mindfulness, which blends concentration
and receptive awareness, is one of
the simplest techniques for beginners to learn
and also one of the most readily adaptable to
the busy schedules most of us face. After all, if
you’re like me, you’re primarily concerned with
living a more harmonious, loving, stress-free
life, not lifting off into some disembodied spiritual
realm divorced from the people and places
you love.
In fact, the beauty, belonging, and love you seek
are available right here and now �?you only
need to clear your mind and open your eyes,
which is precisely what the practice of mindfulness
is intended to teach! When you pay attention
to your experience from moment to
moment, you keep waking up from the daydreams
and worries your mind fabricates and
returning to the clarity, precision, and simplicity
of the present, where life actually takes place.
The great thing about mindfulness is that you
don’t have to limit your practice to certain
places and times �?you can practice waking up
and paying attention wherever you happen to
be, at any time of the day or night.
But certain activities become confused with meditation in the popular imagination,
whereas they may have a totally different intent. Some people claim
that reading the newspaper or watching their favorite sitcom qualifies as
meditation �?well, who am I to judge? |
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Here are some ersatz meditations that certainly have their place in the repertory
of leisure pursuits but don’t generally offer the benefits of meditation:
Thinking: In the West, the term meditation has frequently been used to
refer to a kind of focused reflection on a particular theme, as when you
say, “I’m going to meditate on this problem for a while.�?Although higherorder
contemplation or inquiry plays a part in some meditation techniques,
it bears little resemblance to the often tortured, conflicted
process that usually passes for thinking. Besides, thinking tires you out,
whereas meditation refreshes you and perks you up.
Daydreaming: Daydreaming and fantasy offer their own unique pleasures
and rewards, including occasional problem-solving and a momentary
escape from difficult or tedious circumstances. But rather than
leaving you feeling more spacious and more connected with being, as
meditation does, daydreaming often embroils you more actively in the
drama of your life.
Spacing out: Sometimes spacing out involves a momentary gap in the
unbroken stream of thoughts and feelings that flood your awareness, a
kind of empty space in which nothing seems to be happening except
being itself. Such genuine “spacing out�?lies at the heart of meditation
and can be deliberately cultivated and extended. Alas, most spacing out
is just another form of daydreaming!
Repeating affirmations: This common new-age practice �?a contemporary
version of what used to be called positive thinking �?purports to
provide an antidote to your negative beliefs by replacing them with positive
alternatives. Generally, however, the negativity is so deeply rooted
that the affirmations merely skim the surface like froth on the ocean and
never really penetrate to the depths, where your core beliefs reside.
Self-hypnosis: By progressively relaxing your body and imagining a safe,
protected place, you can lull yourself into an open, suggestible state
known as a light trance. Here you can rehearse upcoming performances,
rerun past events to get a more positive outcome, and reprogram your
brain using affirmations. Although self-hypnosis differs from mindfulness
meditation �?the primary approach taught in this book, emphasizing
ongoing attention to the present moment �?it’s actually quite similar to
the healing and performance enhancement techniques |
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Great post, thank you for sharing |
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