When I was young, I sit crossed legged and I close my eyes and still my mind. When my mum saw me doing it , she told me that I have to do it in the correct way and if not, I will go crazy. I was a little scare when I closed my eyes and focus, there was so many thoughts going through my head. It was like a waterfall and I forced myself to still my mind. The more I try to still my mind, the strong the thoughts came back. But, I was able to secure moments of calmness during some sessions. Later, I got some basic training in the breathing meditation and I was much relieved and became more understanding and stable.
In meditation, we cannot forced our mind to stop thinking. The mind is very active and generating thoughts is its basic function. Stilling the mind is like trying to stop the flow of the waterfall. If you use stones and rocks to block the waterfall, you are forcing the water to accumulates and its force will push away the stones and rocks. So, we have to accept the nature of the thoughts coming into our mind. We accept it , aware of it , acknowledge its presence and do nothing about it. Focusing on the thoughts is a way of meditation. Your posture have to be right and you adopt the 8 points in managing your posture.
There are many ways of meditation. You can concentrate on your breathing , counting the in and out of our breath to the count of 4,8,or 10. The choice is yours. If you are tied, you can switch to concentrate on your feelings ie from your head to your toes , moving from one spot to the next. From the head to the nose to the mouth and slow move down point by point to your toes. This is also practice in yoga to relax the body. But, do get too relax ,otherwise, you will doze off. If you are bored , you can concentrate on a slow and soothing music or touch or single point focus and also on your experience. There are many other ways of meditation. You can switch the meditation methods so that you do not get bored, you have to rest your practice in between short breaks. If you repeatedly tried the methods mentioned, calmness will sets in. It starts in brief spells and the spells will get longer and longer. You will find happiness when you see things more clearly and become more aware. Meditation can improve the communication between the different part of the brain and you will get a more balanced mind and your overall capabilities will improve. Currently, there are no scientific findings but increasing your awareness of your self, the surrounding and understanding will be good enough to practice meditation regularly.
Another effective way is through chanting. Sometimes, we do not understand some practice and we just accept it. Just accepting it without seeking the truth meaning is not good. When we see the monks bow three times before the statute of Buddha , we are surprise why the wise monks bow to a rock or a statute. The statute have no significance by itself. It has no superpower or do not give out magic. But, it symbolized the existence of a great teacher, that is Buddha. The bowing and praying is a show of respect to a great teacher that has achieved enlightenment. Nothing more than that. If the monk bows three times, the first bow is for peace, the second bow is for compassion and the third bow is for love. The choice of each bows meaning is personal and it is not fixed. The bow is also a reminder to us to seek harmony, peace and kind compassion for all human beings or living things. After the bow, the monks will proceed with chanting in the language of their choice. Why do Buddhist chant ? The chanting is a repetition of a vow. A repeated reminder . If we repeat our vow, we refreshes our commitments and if it is done often it help to change our mental habits which we have accumulated during our past experiences. The self reminder is a powerful tool and it enforces our beliefs and commitments to seek happiness.
Sometimes, we wonder why do we chant in Sanskrit , the language of Buddha ? The reason is that these language have used in chanting through thousands of years and it has been registered in the Universe for a long period. The belief is that if we used the Sanskrit language , it will sent a more power message and invoke more power within our mind and body. It is a personal choice but we must understanding the vows in the chants.
There are many misunderstanding when we look from the outside in and after knowing the purpose, we will be more comfortable and at ease to pursue the practice. I am not a great meditation master but I am keen to practice meditation and compassion and love for all living beings. My message is that I wish to share my experience and thoughts will of all of you , folks. Have a happy journey through life.
Namaste.
No comments:
Post a Comment