meditation

Look at them.  They are well seated, relaxed...there.  Does my heart good.

This man's posture is excellent. I admire his concentration.  He's obviously into meditation for the long haul, as is the whole class.  They are blessed to find the center, the very breath of our life, the light of our minds.  If someone asked me, what was the greatest gift I could ever give, I would answer without hesitation: meditation.  It's worth more than gold or silver, more than diamonds.  Eternal values: Without peace of mind, what do you have?  Can you enjoy anything with your mind running full speed 24 hours a day?  Looking at the world, can you see peace?  It's a driver-absent train running at full speed with no stop signals, and no brakes.

Meditation gives you a chance to get off your train of thought, for a brief spell.  To think that one's train of thought never, ever stops makes me nervous.  How can one question one's self? Where is  the enjoyment in never-ending judgemnts, anxieties, ruminations?
   
Meditation is for you, and for me. It's for this world, torn up by Fukushima, and so much else. It's now.

I'm going to give you a lesson in meditation, what it is, and what it is not.

Meditation is effortless.  All you have to do is maintain the posture; that's all there is to it.  And if your mind starts acting up, you can follow your breath.  Never fails.

To begin: Sit on a cushion, from 2-4 inches high or thereabouts, on a carpeted floor, or the grass; somewhere comfortable, quiet.  Sit with your legs folded under you, left leg first.  Or, sit in a chair if need be.  Even in a chair, you should lightly cross your legs at about the ankles, left leg under, and let them fall back toward the chair so your calves are resting at about a 45 degree angle, whatever feels right; your sitz bones under you should flatten out and not be on end -this is important for a good sitting experience, even when not meditating.  Yoga postures are not necessary (Incidentally, I'm only teaching meditation, not religion, not Hinduism or Buddhism or Taoism. You can think of meditation as being like brushing your teeth, only for your mind and emotions; clearing the crap off each day so it doesn't accumulate and calcify).

When you're sitting comfortably, lean a bit side to side to feel if your spine is straight up in the center.  Arch your back then let go; better a slight arch than a slump forward.  Take a deep breath, slowly, and raise yourself up to your full height. Exhale and relax, slowly.  Nod your head side to side, be sure it's straight up the middle.  Tuck your chin in and release gently - you should be looking straight ahead.  If you find your head tilting back, as is common, bring it back again; always looking straight ahead.

Now you are ready to meditate. What to do? Nothing. Just sit. You can think, if you want.  You can pray, you can contemplate whatever, or simply do nothing: it doesn't matter. You are just waiting for your mind to quiet down, to get tired, like a cow wandering a field, finally relaxing, and lying down.  Then comes quiet.  The time you are waiting can be peaceful if you are enjoying your thoughts.  But if not, you can follow your breath: each time you breath in, think: "Breathing in..."  Each time you breath out, think: "Breathing out..." This becomes a habit very easily and is very effective at quieting your mind, even if you've only been sitting a short time. You can use it while walking too.

So just sit.  No effort whatsoever. The only problem you may face is squirminess, the desire to jump out of one's skin, the itchy feeling. I get it sometimes; I persevere. You just have to put up with it. It passes.

So you've sat for 20 minutes, or 40 minutes, or 10 minutes; whatever feels natural to you is right. When you're done, it's important to ground yourself, because your energy has been rising all this time, and you have to come back to yourself, your heart space, your ground. Imagining a small hole in the center of your chest, breathe in and out of your spiritual heart for a minute, imagine a warm feeling there and tell yourself, my heart is wide open; my heart feels good. Very soon you begin to feel it. 

Now reorient yourself and take a moment to say to yourself: I am back in the world and I am ready to face the world. I am grounded, I am here and my heart is open.  Then get up, slowly.

Prayers for Japanese earthquake and tsunami victims, Katmandu, Nepal

That's it.  You've just meditated.  Good for you. 

                                                   *                  *              *

Question: What do I do with my hands?
Answer:  They should rest in your lap, palms up, right hand nestled in left.  Or turn them over, palms

               down, in a natural way; hands and arms should always be relaxed, supported, natural.

Q: When I close my eyes and start to meditate, I feel like I'm flying away; I can't stand it!
A:  You're becoming aware of just how stirred up and engaged your mind and emotions are.  You are

      living like this everyday but you don't notice it; now you become aware. Good. The solution:

      meditate with your eyes open for now, every so often close them for a minute and take your mental

      -emotional 'pulse', just to see where you are at.

Q: I don't have time for meditation!
A: It can be tough to find time.  But even a few minutes of absolute non-doing is essential to breaking

     the train of thought.  Do it, a few times each day.

Q: Every time I meditate the phone rings! Or, I have to go to the bathroom.
A: Keep your cell phone, pen and notepad next to you when you sit, and visit the WC before you start.

Q: You said earlier, I will show what meditation is not. What is it, not?
A:  Meditation is not walking on the beach; reading books (especially books about meditation); making
     art; cooking; or a million other things that don't involve sitting in meditation posture, silently, for a

     length of time.  Don't kid yourself.  After 40 years I find myself sometimes thinking, Gee, I'm in a

     meditation space, and I'm just riding the bus staring out the window-or some such.  All fine and well,

     but I know that if I don't do proper sitting every day, I'm useless.

Address any additional questions to me here in the comments, I'll do my best to answer them.  No personal problems, please -I'm not a wise man.  We're going to get through this Fukushima thing one way or another;  I think this is one of the best resources we have.

                                                     *                    *                       *

Mediation strengthens us for doing the important tasks in life, such as: doing away with nuclear power.  Take action on one of the following items:

Email the President and tell him to intervene personally in this crisis; it's a matter of national security

http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments

Email the Secretary of State and tell her the same http://contact-us.state.gov/app/ask

Send a message to your President or Prime Minister or Monarch wherever you are, asking them to
intervene directly, and swiftly, to avoid such a disaster.

If you are in Japan, go to the streets. Stay in the streets until you prevail.  For the rest of us, I see no clear options.  If you have a better idea, tell me -I want to do it.  Peace