Reflections on Meditation - January 2024
Reflections on Meditation - January 2024
This months reflections on meditation. A collection of Substack notes for the month of January 2024 from Now About Meditation
Stephen Schettini emphasized that what the Buddha taught, known as the dharma and meditation practice,
"Wasn’t about acquiring knowledge; it was about changing the mind. It doesn’t take a lifetime of study. We all practice as we learn, all at our own rates."
Schettini is highlighting a fundamental aspect of meditation practice and the cultivation of mindfulness. These practices are not aimed at acquiring knowledge but at transforming the mind. The purpose of our practice is not to amass information through prolonged study; instead, it is to engage in a process of self-discovery and change. This concept resonates with the Tibetan word for meditation, "gom" or "ghom," which means "to become familiar with your mind."
Moreover, as Schettini points out, this journey of self-discovery is unique to each individual. He suggests that each person practices and learns at their own pace. This encourages a dynamic and experiential approach to learning meditation, promoting the idea that the transformative power of mindfulness and meditation is accessible to all, regardless of the duration of their engagement with the practice.
Mahatma Gandhi was once asked by a journalist,
"You have been working at least fifteen hours a day, every day for almost fifty years. Don't you think it's about time you took a vacation?" To which Gandhi replied, "I am always on vacation."
In response to the journalist's inquiry about taking a vacation after dedicating nearly fifty years to tireless work for India's independence, Mahatma Gandhi offered a response that sheds light on the perspective of his approach to life. Here, the journalist pointed out Gandhi's relentless fifteen-hour workdays and questioned the absence of taking a rest or break from his work. Yet Gandhi's response gives us a deeper understanding of his philosophical approach to life. He stated, "I am always on vacation." This seemingly contradictory answer encapsulates Gandhi's philosophical belief in aligning one's vocation with one's life's purpose. For him, the pursuit of truth and nonviolent resistance was not merely a duty or a job but a way of life. In essence, Gandhi found a sense of fulfilment and tranquillity in the alignment of his actions with his principles, making every moment a vacation from the burdens of conventional stress and worry.
"The more complicated the world gets and the more intrusive it becomes on our own personal psychological space and privacy, the more important it will be to practice non-doing."
- by Jon Kabat-Zinn
In a world marked by ever-increasing technological integration that, many times through notifications and social media, is a constant, pervasive intrusion into our personal psychological space and privacy, the significance of practising non-doing becomes increasingly apparent. It seems that this trend of global interconnectedness through technology is just going to deepen, placing implicit demands on the individual to be constantly switched on and connected.
In the face of this, the art of non-doing, often associated with mindfulness and contemplative practices, emerges as a counterbalance. Non-doing implies an intentional pause directed towards observing and cultivating inner awareness. This deliberate act of stepping back can allow us to reclaim a sense of autonomy and self-awareness amidst the chaos of modern life. As the world becomes more intricately connected, the practice of non-doing becomes a powerful tool for fostering mental well-being and maintaining a harmonious balance between the external demands of the world and the internal sanctuary of one's mind.
"Mindfulness is the place in the middle, not being sucked in and overcome by something, nor pushing it away or recoiling from it in fear."
- by Sharon Salzberg
As Sharon Salzberg points out, mindfulness occupies a state of equilibrium within conscious awareness, situated between overwhelming immersion and instinctive aversion. It represents a mental space that refuses to be engulfed by the torrential currents of external stimuli, maintaining a poised stance amid the ebb and flow of thoughts, emotions, and sensations. Unlike being pulled towards or repelled, as mentioned in the posts on the attitudes of mindfulness, mindfulness encourages non-judgmental observation of the present moment, fostering an acceptance that transcends the extremes of attachment or avoidance. It is about finding stability in the midst of life's fluctuations, neither succumbing to the powerful undertows of experience nor resisting them with trepidation.
As we diligently practice this, we might discover an innate capacity to navigate our internal experience without being fused with it, fostering our ability to respond to situations. We are no longer lost in how they make us feel, but rather, we can react to them more thoughtfully.