When my clients experience negative emotions, they are quite eager to see them go away. They often associate therapeutic procedures with getting rid of these emotions. Meditation is seen in the same light. When they hear of "letting go," they think they are going to get rid of these troublesome emotions.
I frequently demonstrate the difference between letting go and getting rid of something by holding a pen in my hand. To illustrate getting rid of the pen, I throw the pen forcefully on the ground. To illustrate letting go of the pen I open my hand and incline it slightly so that the pen gently rolls down my outstretched hand and falls to the ground. Letting go involves opening the mind and inclining it towards the release of whatever shows up (whether it be negatively or positively charged) so that it falls away of its own weight.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Wandering and desire
I have observed my wandering mind and have detected the role of desire in my getting caught up with the topics that pop up.
Let's suppose I am meditating and I start to wonder if the change I got at the store today was correct. I start calculating the difference between what I gave the clerk and what I received back with my purchase. Then I remember that I am supposed to be meditating. I should let it go, right? I note "calculating, calculating, calculating..." and the calculating stops (if for no other reason than that the energy involved in noting takes away the energy required to obtain an answer). However, let's suppose I really want to know the answer and so I continue calculating until I get the answer. When I get the answer I may be relieved (I did get the right change after all), which is what I hope will happen, or not (the clerk made an error or, perhaps, intentionally cheated me). The critical point in the process is when desire gets the upper hand and prevents me from letting go. What ties me to the calculating is the desire to get the answer, and, with it, to provide relief that I did get the right change or, alternatively, to confirm my suspicion that I did not get the right change.
Planning is probably one of the most common afflictions of meditators. Substitute planning for calculating in the example. The same process takes place. It is the desire to resolve things, to have a good plan, and the relief that we think it will bring, that gets us caught in planning while we meditate. To let go of planning we should note it. However, more importantly, we should see behind it the desire to resolve things, to get to the plan that will solve all problems, to get to the peace of closure. Meanwhile, we get caught up in and spin around with planning and forego the peace of being focused and mindful at the present moment.
Let's suppose I am meditating and I start to wonder if the change I got at the store today was correct. I start calculating the difference between what I gave the clerk and what I received back with my purchase. Then I remember that I am supposed to be meditating. I should let it go, right? I note "calculating, calculating, calculating..." and the calculating stops (if for no other reason than that the energy involved in noting takes away the energy required to obtain an answer). However, let's suppose I really want to know the answer and so I continue calculating until I get the answer. When I get the answer I may be relieved (I did get the right change after all), which is what I hope will happen, or not (the clerk made an error or, perhaps, intentionally cheated me). The critical point in the process is when desire gets the upper hand and prevents me from letting go. What ties me to the calculating is the desire to get the answer, and, with it, to provide relief that I did get the right change or, alternatively, to confirm my suspicion that I did not get the right change.
Planning is probably one of the most common afflictions of meditators. Substitute planning for calculating in the example. The same process takes place. It is the desire to resolve things, to have a good plan, and the relief that we think it will bring, that gets us caught in planning while we meditate. To let go of planning we should note it. However, more importantly, we should see behind it the desire to resolve things, to get to the plan that will solve all problems, to get to the peace of closure. Meanwhile, we get caught up in and spin around with planning and forego the peace of being focused and mindful at the present moment.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Cultivating mindfulness
Accayika Sutta: Urgent
translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu
"There are these three urgent duties of a farming householder. Which three?
"There is the case where a farming householder quickly gets his field well-plowed & well-harrowed. Having quickly gotten his field well-plowed & well-harrowed, he quickly plants the seed. Having quickly planted the seed, he quickly lets in the water & then lets it out.
"These are the three urgent duties of a farming householder. Now, that farming householder does not have the power or might [to say:] 'May my crops spring up today, may the grains appear tomorrow, and may they ripen the next day.' But when the time has come, the farming householder's crops spring up, the grains appear, and they ripen.
"In the same way, there are these three urgent duties of a monk. Which three? The undertaking of heightened virtue, the undertaking of heightened mind, the undertaking of heightened discernment. These are the three urgent duties of a monk. Now, that monk does not have the power or might [to say:] 'May my mind be released from fermentations through lack of clinging/sustenance today or tomorrow or the next day.' But when the time has come, his mind is released from fermentations through lack of clinging/sustenance.
"Thus, monks, you should train yourselves: 'Strong will be our desire for the undertaking of heightened virtue. Strong will be our desire for the undertaking of heightened mind. Strong will be our desire for the undertaking of heightened discernment.' That's how you should train yourselves."
"Accayika Sutta: Urgent" (AN 3.91), translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight, 10 December 2011,http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.091.than.html . Retrieved on 24 May 2012.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Loving kindness (metta) meditation
Loving kindness or metta in the Pali is one of the four noble virtues, along with compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. Although each of these virtues can be practiced as meditations, metta meditation is by far the more commonly practiced. Loving kindness meditation is distinct from mindfulness meditation because it is a tranquility meditation in which specific objects are the focus.
In doing metta mediation, you focus on a person or being and wish them well. The scripted words are as simple as "May X be happy, healthy, and peaceful." The important thing is the intention, not the feeling of loving kindness itself. In other words, don't try to force the feeling but do try to generate a genuine intention. The feeling of loving kindness may or may not arise but do not worry about that. The object of loving kindness should be held in mind while generating the intention. A visual image or a felt sense of that person is best. The usual sequence is to direct loving kindness towards yourself, first of all, and then go on to an admired person, such as a teacher or benefactor; a friend or loved one; an acquaintance about whom you have neither strong negative or positive feelings; and, finally, a difficult person or an enemy. There are certain cautions. If you direct loving kindness towards a loved one, it should not be mixed with sexual feelings; better to avoid that "hot" someone and choose someone with whom you have a more platonic relationship. You should not direct loving kindness toward a dead person since grief will likely arise. Directing loving kindness to a person with whom you are having significant difficulties can be quite challenging; this practice should probably be practiced only when you have had success with the other objects of loving kindness. The most difficult thing for many is directing loving kindness towards themselves. This can be for a variety of reasons. Sometimes people have feelings of self-loathing that are difficult to overcome. Sometimes people feel that it is unseemly to direct loving kindness towards themselves and think it selfish or proud. Often the simple problem is that, while it is relatively easy to conjure up an image of another person or have a felt sense of someone else, it hard to do this with yourself. Ven. Khippapanno recommends that you have a recent photo of yourself and look at it while directing loving kindness to yourself and then see if you can retain the image when you close your eyes and direct loving kindness to the image. You can do this repeatedly until you can form the image easily.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Mindfulness "in" or "at" the present moment
I am currently assisting in editing a series of talks by Bhante Khippapanno for publication. In the talks, Bhante repeatedly refers to being mindful "at the present moment" rather than with the more commonly used phrase, "in the present moment." What difference does a preposition make?
The prepositions "in" and "at" can be used as prepositions of place or of time. As prepositions of place, "in" implies an enclosed space, whereas the preposition "at" implies reference to a position. As prepositions of time, these prepositions are distinct in terms of the duration of time involved. The preposition "in" is usually used for longer stretches such as days, weeks, months and so on; whereas "at" is used with respect to a precise time.
Mindfulness always has an object of which it is mindful, and it arises as a mental factor accompanying wholesome mental states (e.g., a moment of kindness or generosity) or may arise after the passing away of an unwholesome mental state. I am mindful of anger at the present moment, but I am not mindfully angry. When I was angry, just a moment ago, I was not mindful since the anger and mindfulness are incompatible. Strictly speaking, the mindfulness of anger is "present" only when the anger has passed away.
The preposition "in" in the phrase, "mindful in the present moment," is inappropriate in two ways. While the spatial sense of the preposition is only metaphorical, it suggests that mindfulness is enclosed in a space that includes its object, which certainly cannot be the case when the object is an unwholesome mental state. In the temporal sense, it implies that the present moment is of much longer duration than it could be in terms of mind moments, which are extremely brief.
The preposition "at" in the phrase "mindful at the present moment," on the other hand, is appropriate both in spatial and temporal terms. Again, the spatial sense is metaphorical, but it is appropriate since it implies a position with respect to the object of mindfulness. In the case of a wholesome mental state, the position of mindfulness is together with, that is, concurrent with or simultaneous with the object; in the case of an unwholesome mental state, the position of mindfulness is next to the unwholesome object, that is, it can arise in a succeeding moment. In the temporal sense, "at" captures the precision of the timing involved with the extremely brief mind moments in which mindfulness and its object arise.
The prepositions "in" and "at" can be used as prepositions of place or of time. As prepositions of place, "in" implies an enclosed space, whereas the preposition "at" implies reference to a position. As prepositions of time, these prepositions are distinct in terms of the duration of time involved. The preposition "in" is usually used for longer stretches such as days, weeks, months and so on; whereas "at" is used with respect to a precise time.
Mindfulness always has an object of which it is mindful, and it arises as a mental factor accompanying wholesome mental states (e.g., a moment of kindness or generosity) or may arise after the passing away of an unwholesome mental state. I am mindful of anger at the present moment, but I am not mindfully angry. When I was angry, just a moment ago, I was not mindful since the anger and mindfulness are incompatible. Strictly speaking, the mindfulness of anger is "present" only when the anger has passed away.
The preposition "in" in the phrase, "mindful in the present moment," is inappropriate in two ways. While the spatial sense of the preposition is only metaphorical, it suggests that mindfulness is enclosed in a space that includes its object, which certainly cannot be the case when the object is an unwholesome mental state. In the temporal sense, it implies that the present moment is of much longer duration than it could be in terms of mind moments, which are extremely brief.
The preposition "at" in the phrase "mindful at the present moment," on the other hand, is appropriate both in spatial and temporal terms. Again, the spatial sense is metaphorical, but it is appropriate since it implies a position with respect to the object of mindfulness. In the case of a wholesome mental state, the position of mindfulness is together with, that is, concurrent with or simultaneous with the object; in the case of an unwholesome mental state, the position of mindfulness is next to the unwholesome object, that is, it can arise in a succeeding moment. In the temporal sense, "at" captures the precision of the timing involved with the extremely brief mind moments in which mindfulness and its object arise.
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