The best meditation is a mind that knows how to let go. The vast array of self help and new age books today offer so many practices in meditation that it can seem overwhelming to people, as they try to use someone elses ideas. This person says this, this book advises that, that guru suggests etc. But what do you say, what do you suggest, what have you learned from real experience when we take away second hand information? Don't live through someone elses conclusions and dogmas, they are not for you. I am the way I am, and it works for me but not for you. Whenever I speak to suggest a form of thinking I am selling you something. Don't buy so easily. People are willing to easily question other peoples actions, thoughts and the constant nonsense of the mind yet they never question the most important things, the things they believe. They are open to let the mind be penetrated and influenced. The father of PR Edward Bernays said "If we understand the mechanism and motives of the group mind, it is now possible to control and regiment the masses according to our will without them knowing it." What we see as "normal" is the conditions of the mind and senses by public relations and advertising. The world is filtered through controlled media, suggestive advertising and subliminal messages.
Ultimately we want someone else to forge our ideas and ideologies so when they don't work out we have someone to blame. This is called prediction vs peace. But whose fault was it ? Yes, ours. We all make our own beds. People will come to me and say "can you tell me the best meditation, or practice for stretching, or way to eat?" They don't want to discover their own path, they want you to do it for them, this way they have someone to get upset with when it doesn't work out- which it won't.
"Diet, injections, and injunctions will combine, from a very early age, to produce the sort of character and the sort of beliefs that the authorities consider desirable, and any serious criticism of the powers that be will become psychologically impossible"- Bertrand Russell
People who end up in being easily swayed or controlled by their own mind or external factors have only themselves to blame. Meditation is a tool to help us be fully awake in every endeavor, every moment. We buy all the paraphernalia, the beads, incense, statues, alters, cushions, music and eventually the honeymoon ends, and we have to stand the test of time. It's not long before we easily start responding to things again, giving in to sensations, habits, desires while emotions run all over the place. If we lack the endurance to apply knowledge and make it wisdom, did we ever possess it at all? No. And the possession is the problem, like with most things that enliven or enthrall us, we want to own it, this is how we are raised; because of that commercial, advertisement or person that gave me that feeling I have to have it/them! If I don't I will go insane. It's a joke to say we own things or even our own children when we don't own up to our own emotions and responsibilities. Of course at first its easy to get into a new groove and it feels whatever diet, philosophy, idea or regimen you apply is making great progress, but then over time the of task polishing and cleaning and caring for that new shiny aspect of the self becomes a chore. We become so obsessed with the idea of the end result that we forget about the journey. Its easy to apply philosophy and change when its fresh and you feel things are going your way, its easy to be happy when you feel you are in the mood to accept life; but the task is applying knowledge and maintaining a joyful mind when we face our hardest challenges.
Wisdom cannot be communicated in words or concepts or theories; it has to be discovered and experienced by yourself. And it will work just for you, for your unique position in life, the outcroppings of your perspectives and feelings you call emotions, and the history the has brought you to this place in time.
Meditation is not just sitting for some time. Meditation is a way of life. It is practiced all the time. Just as you will go to a school and be fed compulsory education while seated, in this experience you will also sit to learn but the intention is different than thinking, visualizing or creating activity in the brain for the body to respond to. In our seeking of knowledge about food, politics, economics and our general sense of well being every day something new is added. In meditation and practicing wisdom every day something is let go. There is no separation between meditation and everyday living. It is not an attitude, I'm not talking about ego. We will always experience our emotions and we should not ignore or seek to control them, but what meditation in daily life means is getting outside the good- bad, right-wrong arena and realizing our choices have reactions and consequences. We can learn from them or we can keep doing what we've always done and chase ourselves in circles.
Dan Millman wrote "meditation in action is different from doing it. do do there is a doer, a self conscious 'someone' performing. but when you meditate an action, you've already released attachment to outcomes. There's no 'you' left to do it. In forgetting yourself, you become what you do. So your action is free, spontaneous, without ambition, inhibition or fear."
In Professor Eugen Herrigel's classic book zen in the art of archery, he describes his first day at a Japanese school of zen archery- Kyudo, the way of the bow- when he was asked to shoot an arrow into the straw target around ten meters away. He had practiced some archery back in Germany, where he taught Asian studies, so he eagerly notched the arrow, aimed and watched as the arrow pierced the bulls eye. He turned with some pride to see the archery master shaking his head in displeasure.
This made no sense at all to Herrigel and his external goal oriented training. It was only after many months of study that he came to understand that the goal of Kyudo was not merely external show but the internal state of satori, the egoless shot, when there was no separate achiever doing the shooting- only bow, arrow, pulling, arrow flying. To put this in more western terms , the body does the shooting without the sense or focus of and "I" being in control.
One day nearly a year after he began , Herrigel stood and breathed softly, and the arrow notched and flew- and hit the corner of the straw bale. The master yelled "hai" yes! And Herrigel realized what had happened, a selfless, natural, action without fear, attachment, or ambition. There was no one to succeed, no one to fail, no credit, no blame. Later Herrigel had an opportunity to ask " Sensei, I finally understand the internal purpose of my training, but is it not also important to be able to shoot with accuracy?"
The master took the bow and stood facing the target. "Turn off the light!" He instructed. Herrigel did so. In the darkness he heard a thwak !As an arrow struck the target then a second thwak. "lights on" said the master.
When Herrigel's eyes adjusted he saw two arrows in the center of the bulls eye- one had nearly split the other in the darkness. He found out later that his zen archery master had established a record of twelve hundred bulls eyes in a row. Meditation in action.
When the ego isn't running the show, the show still goes on, even more effectively as it turns out. We notice this kind of living and action in animals as they do not hope, fear or wrestle with themselves to carry out a task. What might the quality of our lives become if we meditated all our daily actions of eating, walking, speaking- lettin gthem all happen naturally, spontaneously, without a tense doer holding tightly to the controls? the egoless actions is what the zen masters mean when they advise you to die even while you live. it took me considerable time to embody this core teaching- to loosen my tight grip, to get out of my own way, to die in each moment so that i might truly live.
