Meditation — Finding the Present
“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land, there is no other life but this.”~~~ Henry David Thoreau
Last week we talked about how our ego-minds get a bit upset when we decide to meditate. The ego thrives on keeping us focused on either the past or the future, or both. Our ego-minds don’t want us to find the Present, because it knows that once we find it, we’ll begin to see the truth of who we are — what the essence of us truly is.
Meditation is designed to diminish the power of the ego by directing your attention to something else, something truer than the usual incessant ramblings of the mind.
What is it? I’m not sure I can put into words what this “something else” is. I know that it is not thought — it’s something more subtle than thought. It’s not dwelling in the past — it’s not worrying about the future — it’s just Now! For me, it’s the silence that happens when I am able to quiet my mind during meditation or at other times when I can just relax into the inner peace. I guess you could call it the space between your thoughts. A lot of the time you may not even realize that you’re in the Present, because your mind thinks of it as nothing — or as you may sometimes hear it referred to — as “no-thing”.
One of the reasons why people who are trying meditation give up on their practice is because they’re expecting some big dramatic event to take place once they’re successful in quieting their minds. When you have people like me who are actively promoting meditation as the path to true inner peace, love and compassion, it’s understandable that people are looking for something more profound.
But, it’s not generally dramatic, it’s quite subtle. It might feel like a soft vibration. It could give you a different sense of complete relaxation. You might notice a sense of expansion or lightheadedness. For me, at the very least, it is always a feeling of peacefulness and contentment.
“The art of life is to live in the present moment, and to make that moment as perfect as we can by the realization that we are the instruments and expression of God Himself.”~~~ Emmet Fox
I’m going to stop here for today because I’d like you all to take a few moments to watch this short video. This video is a portion of a talk given by Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor. Ten years ago Dr. Taylor was living in Boston, teaching and performing brain research at Harvard Medical School. In addition, she was the national spokesperson for the Harvard Brain Bank. In 1996, her work was stopped when she experienced a major AVM stroke. At the age of 37, she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life. With the help of her mother it took Jill eight years to completely recover.
What’s truly amazing about this is that she, somehow, was able to study her own stroke as it happened — and as a result has become a powerful voice for brain recovery.
The reason I’m including this here, is that during her stroke, she had the chance to actually be in that place of complete Presence — that place where there was no ego — no past — no future — no mind-chatter — just pure essence. Plus, she is now able to describe it in some amazing detail. Hopefully, most of us won’t have anything this dramatic happen to us — I certainly am not wishing a stroke on any of us. However, that place I’m describing to you in the above article, does exist — in each and every one of us.
As she says herself ….
“How many brain scientists have been able to study the brain from the inside out? I’ve gotten as much out of this experience of losing my left mind as I have in my entire academic career.”~~~ Jill Bolte Taylor
If, for some reason, the video below doesn’t play, here is a link to a site that carries it:
http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/229
“The foundation of the Buddha’s teachings lies in compassion, and the reason for practicing the teachings is to wipe out the persistence of ego, the number-one enemy of compassion.”~~~ Tenzin Gyatso, The 14th Dalai Lama
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If you’re new to us here, be sure read the other articles about meditation. If you look on the upper left of the sidebar, you’ll see a list of the categories. Click the one called “Meditation” and you’ll be able to read the articles you missed. They start with the January 24, 2008 post.
Do include meditation in your daily life. If you’re just starting out, make it a 10 minute meditation. If you’ve been doing this for a while, try to do a minimum of 20 minutes. The longer you can maintain your focus on just your breath, the better.
“Those who really seek the path to Enlightenment dictate terms to their mind. Then they proceed with strong determination.”~~~ Buddha
Namaste!
And, as I always say in closing — remember these words …
You are the most precious gift you can give yourself. Every day look in the mirror and say, “I’m available to more good than I have experienced, realized or imagined ever before in my life!” Do this every day while you look into your own eyes.
You are special — and you are loved. You are the greatest gift you can be.
Shanti … (A sanscrit word meaning, “Let there be Peace. Peace, beautiful Peace. Peace within, Peace without. Peace in this world. Peace for all beings.”)
“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”~~~ Buddha
~~~ DBL-R
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