No Pain, No Gain?

A common question starting meditation, is why one should sit through pain, rather than move.  Do we need to be masochists to meditate?

I certainly struggled with this in the beginning as I was striving to for the perfect meditation experience.  Ah, my foolish mind.  The good news is that you do not need to become numb to pain, or cultivate any desire toward pain.

The bad news is that there is a reason to pause, when you experience pain.  The more we are caught up in automatic behavior (whether that's eating, anger, and the list goes on...), the more likely we are to respond without knowing why.  The simple answer is of course, it's pain, and since I'm not brain dead, it's uncomfortable.  But are you sure?  Ever eaten a full meal knowing you aren't hungry?

The practice of pausing, is an opportunity.  It allows you to investigate what's driving.  The signals for discomfort from being hungry, being lonely, or being cramped up from sitting, are not that different.  I found to really work effectively with this practice, there was one thing I had to make a priority:  allow myself to get comfortable.

For me that meant experimenting with different cushions, zabutons, and chairs, (even trying laying down), until I finally found the best balance of comfort and stability was sitting my but down on a bench, with a slightly firm zabuton.  The reason for the zabuton, is two fold.  First, it helps with the pressure on the knees.  The bench mostly eliminates strain from crossing the legs, but introduces some pressure, as you are now kneeling (with much of your weight on the bench).  Second, I discovered that in the beginning, and even now for longer sits, it helps to let my toes hang over the edge to reduce the applied stress to the shins, ankles and feet.  Experiment for yourself.

Also, when settling into position, take your time.  Any pressure points which stand out at the beginning, are likely the areas that will be coming up later in the sit.  Allow yourself a few minutes of grace, to adjust as you feel necessary, knowing this to be an important step to support your body for the time you are asking it to support the mind and heart.

Be kind and compassionate to yourself.  Allow the act of meditation to be a graceful act of love.

ABC's of gratitude

Today is thanksgiving in the U.S. and it reminds me of a simple exercise for inclining the mind toward gratitude.   I am grateful to Stephanie Tate, who first shared this practice with me.  I invite you to participate in this exercise in directing the mind toward what is positive in your life.  Notice your own initial resistance to the overall exercise and and to the objects, people, and other things which come to mind.

Each day, make a list of all of the things you are appreciate in your life that start with the letter of the day.  So start to today with your A's (such as apples, automobiles, awareness, Amy...  Then on the next day, create a list for things starting with the letter B (books, bees, Barbara...), then C on the next day ( chocolate, Chris, carpenters...)  and so on.

I hope you choose to try this experiment for yourself in bringing a touch of mindfulness to daily life. If you get stuck at any point, know that with some letters you may find more resistance, and allow whatever space might be necessary.  You can always come back to it.

Have fun!

Tuning Fork

Tonight I sat with the San Jose Dharma Punx Sangha.  Jason Murphy gave a talk on the ten perfections.  In short, they are Generosity, Virtue, Renunciation, Wisdom, Diligence, Patience, Honesty,  Determination, Loving Kindness, and Equanimity.  I won't go further into them now, but there are plenty of resources online if you wish to read more.

What I would like to share is an appreciation of Sangha as a tuning fork.  When we sit with others, or perhaps more precisely in this case, when we contemplate spiritual teachings with others, we get to see clearer how and where they fit or do not fit in our lives.  I think this is true of any spiritual community, whether Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Pantheist, Wiccan, or other practice.

Tonight, the feeling I had reminded me of when I was struggling to learn to tune a violin by ear.  Each day in practice, I would do my best to turn the keys, plucking and stroking to hear the change, until I could detect no flaw.  Then, the teacher would take the violin and tune it further, until the sound was true.  Slowly, there was less turning needed by the teacher.  Eventually, I could tune the violin precisely and accurately on my own.  

In listening tonight, I was able to see and feel what progress I have (and have not) made, and my momentum on this path.  I certainly am not without need of a teacher to help me with my tuning.  However, I found much gratitude as I realized how much less tuning was needed today.

Karma, or action, determines all things.

Thank you, all.