Learning to meditate is a gradual process. Each week, this course has tweeted new techniques and facilitated new insights. The techniques either address particular problems that may arise when you meditate, or provide progressively more advanced methods which deepen your experience. It is recommended that you start by going back to week one's techniques and begin your weekly course at that time. The earlier exercises are not mere preliminaries. They are central methods in their own right to which you will return repeatedly - no matter how advanced your practice becomes.To sign up for this course to be emailed to you weekly; click here Aro Meditation
Greetings. If you have not yet carried out the two experiments described last week—stopping thought and maintaining it continuously—now would be a good time.
Forcing The Mind
You probably found the first experiment difficult. It is—in fact—impossible. No matter what you do, you cannot stop thinking by force. The attempt causes mental rebellion and even more thoughts are produced. You could try all day and it would merely worsen.
The second experiment probably seemed easy at first. Several pleasant subjects spring to mind, so you think about them. If you keep it up for long enough, however – it ceases to be easy. Thoughts no longer flow brightly – but grow increasingly flat, stale, and uninviting. Attention wanders. You want to get up and do something more interesting than sitting still with closed eyes. At some point the fabric of thought grows patchy. Gaps appear between thoughts in which nothing seems to happen. For a while you can insert new thoughts into the gaps – but eventually, moments occur in which there appears to be nothing to think about. Your mind longs to drift off to sleep – and you may have had to jerk yourself out of increasing periods of blankness.
The point of these exercises is that you cannot force the mind. Trying to stop thinking causes thoughts to proliferate. Trying to think continuously only reveals gaps. The meditation method you are learning is called shi-nè, which means ‘remaining uninvolved’ in Tibetan. By remaining uninvolved we deprive thought of motive power. You cannot suddenly stop a freight train by force. In shi-nè we simply cease shovelling fuel into the steam engine that drives the train of thoughts. It then coasts – and eventually slows to a halt.
This Week’s Meditation Technique
Sit in a way that allows you to be still, comfortable, relaxed, and alert, with eyes partially open. Find the presence of awareness in the in-and-out movement of breath. When you find that you have wandered off into thought-stories – return to the presence of awareness in the movement of breath. Allow thoughts to come and to go. Allow yourself to become your breath – if that occurs. Avoid drifting into sleepy non-presence.
This new version of shi-nè is much the same method you used over the last several weeks – except that you drop the count. Counting works by breaking up the seemingly solid stream of thought – but it also breaks up the stream of just being. By now you may have enough meditation experience not to need to count to return regularly to the here-and-now.
If you find that you are lost in thought for several minutes at a stretch – return to counting for a while. If you find that you are able to maintain the count without distraction – drop it and simply allow awareness to ride the breath. In time you will learn which technique is best according to your mental state.
As you apply this new method, you may find thoughts slowing down or becoming fainter. At first, observing this usually causes thoughts to become louder and faster. ‘Oh wow—it’s working!’ – and off you go on an exciting train of thought about what that means. Although this is amusing – it can also be frustrating. Eventually the diminution of thoughts ceases to be a novelty worthy of attention – and the problem evaporates.
This week, consider sitting for twenty minutes. If you have engaged in two short periods per day – try some longer sessions, as these allow time to settle into meditation and make more progress.
Posture: Supports
If you sit on the floor, you will eventually want to make or buy a better support than the stack of telephone directories. Different supports work for different people. Try several if you can.
The simplest support is a solid block, which you can make from wood or incompressible Styrofoam. Cut it to the height you have discovered is functional. For comfort, upholster it with carpet. Thick fabric can be sewn as a cover to improve the appearance of Styrofoam – and to prevent its erosion.
A widely-used support is a firm circular cushion called a zafu available at futon shops, yoga shops, and on the web. Zafus are usually filled with kapok, a natural fibre. Kapok compresses in a few months – so if you have a choice, obtain a zafu that is initially thicker than ideal. If it eventually becomes too thin, it can plumped with extra kapok. Some zafus are filled with buckwheat, which does not compress. These maintain their height but may feel hard or lumpy. Also available is the inflatable zafu: a rubber beach ball inside a fabric zafu cover. Because you sit on air, these cannot develop lumpy hard spots. Their height is adjustable by adding more or less air. They are less stable than other zafus as you need to balance on them. Balancing helps maintain posture, however – if you slump or slouch, you start to slide off. A gomden is a padded, fabric-covered block of hard foam about six inches high. The gomden sitting position is intermediate between the siddha posture and a chair. Typically, a chair is easy on the knees – but it may prove hard on the back. The siddha posture is easier on the back and harder on the knees. The gomden provides a good compromise. If you are tall, you will probably need a matching ‘support cushion’ to add extra height. You can also make your own gomden from foam, carpet, and fabric.
Whatever you sit upon, you may also need a zabuton – a thick cotton-filled mat that cushions your knees. Better looking and padded than a folded blanket, zabutons are often available where zafus and gomdens are sold. A sheepskin is another alternative.
Obstacles And Antidotes
Two of the most common meditation difficulties are too little and too much energy. Sleepiness, vacuity, and depression result from lack of energy. Restlessness, irritability, and emotional volatility result from surplus energy. In both cases the real problem is that energy is not properly directed. When your energy is broadly diffused, going nowhere in particular, you feel vague and fuzzy. When energy is sharp and narrow – but not held steadily in the meditation technique – you flicker with random impulses.
Meditation facilitates calmness and energy simultaneously, through focused concentration – and this powerful effective focus carries over into everyday life. Over the next few weeks I will describe various antidotes to unfocussed energy which allow alert-relaxation.
When sleepy or restless – pay sharper attention. Bring effort back to the meditation technique. Maintain vigilance. This is a head-on antidote for problems of undirected energy.
Another antidote to both obstacles is simply to be aware of your state of mind. Learn to recognise energy problems as they arise. Each is accompanied by particular bodily sensations. For instance, you may experience ‘sinking’ feelings in your head or chest when your energy is diffused. Observe how these feelings come and go and how your mental state changes as they do.
Be A Resource
We are all in this together. If you are finding this course useful, you can be a resource to others by recommending it. You can send them the web address to sign up: http://www.aromeditation.org/.
Then you can be resources for each other. It is easier to learn to meditate if you have a friend learning with you. It is helpful to share experiences and to encourage each other.
Another Resource
People learn best in different ways. For many, listening to a teacher is more effective than reading. If you are one, our meditation audio page may be useful. It has recordings of talks on meditation that you can play on the web or download to an mp3 player.
Preview
Next week, I will address more directly the empty space in which thoughts appear. I will describe more antidotes for too little and too much energy, and will discuss details of posture.
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