The past six months have again seemed to be a struggle. I've tried to find happiness and a new sense of direction. Starting again at the beginning in my life with a new place, new friends, and a new business was very different. I was presented with a new slate. The first thing I decided to do was not to re-fill it with my past experiences. I have been challenged to give up more of my concepts even about my spiritual path. Instead of writing and doing workshops about spirituality, I was presented with the job of selling real estate. As this path unfolded I found it offered the same opportunity to give love each day. I had nothing to do but show up and listen.
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Meditation need not be difficult, in fact it
is really very natural once you realize its purpose.
First remember you are going into meditation to become a
receiver and not to get answers to your questions. To
be a good receiver you should make an effort to clear you
mind, like erasing a blackboard so the teacher can write
on it. As you progress in meditation you will realize you
do not even know what questions to ask. To facilitate
good reception select a comfortable position, one
which keeps you relaxed and yet alert. No special
items or positions are required. If you enjoy watching
your breathing, lighting incense, looking at an image,
shutting your eyes or anything that helps you quiet and
relax your mind try it and see if it helps. Quiet
is important and a place should be chosen where a minimum
of disturbance will occur. I suggest when you find an
area that works you use it over and over. If
noise does occur during meditation try to welcome it
rather than resist it. In the beginning you may
find distractions occurring, just observe them but do not
give them energy by resisting. You will find they recede
as you place your focus on watching your thoughts. The
second step is to just observe the thoughts that come to
you. Do not hold onto any thought whether good or
bad in your opinion. Simply notice the thought and then
let it go without giving it any importance. Remember
your purpose is merely to become peaceful and empty your
mind of judgments. It maybe helpful to read some
passage before you begin meditation. Every month or so I
supply a new topic for you to use. You can also choose a
sentence from a favorite book. If you find your
mind wandering bring it back by repeating the passage in
your mind. Do not worry that your mind wanders or
attaches to some thought. As soon as you realize
this has happened, simply bring your focus back to
receiving the next thought. Let the thought go that
has trapped you. In the beginning you may find this
hard, since the thought may seem important and you may be
afraid you will forget it. If so keep a pad
and pencil near you and write the thought down to
eliminate the fear of forgetting, then proceed with
your meditation. Do as little writing during meditation
as possible, save writing down thoughts until you are
finished. Finally, keep trying to extend the period
of your meditation beyond a time which is comfortable.
If you fall asleep, become distracted, or get an urgent
need to stop, try to go forward a little more. Meditation
is like exercise, the more you do it the more you
increase your ability. If you get specific clarity
from your meditation write it down. I suggest you
do not read this until the next day. You may even
want to keep a journal of your meditations, but do not
set a goal to get some new insight each day. Getting
answers is not important.
The purpose of meditation is merely to open a reception channel which will provide you with access to thoughts and guidance through out the day. In the beginning try to meditate twice a day for at least 10 minutes each. Whenever you become upset during the day simply stop for a minute and say or think,” I could choose to be peaceful, please show me how.”
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