As we get to the end of our ‘Buddhist Book Club’ before the Summer break, it offers a moment to just pause, sit back and ask ourselves how is it all going? Oddly, when many of us secretly worry that we are rotten practitioners, or that we are feeling guilty about not practicing or any other number of things that make us feel bad, we do not in a more kindly manner just ask ourselves this. It’s a good question.
So lets start.
Do I have a meditation habit? We don’t need to go into this. We all know that little and regular is better than a periodic blowout when we feel bad. Meditation is not a sedative or a pain killer. Used like this it doesn’t work.
Do I know what I’m doing? Astonishingly many of us could not describe our meditation method and why we do it like this and not another way to another person if asked. Have a go - speak out loud or write it down and see what you discover.
Why am I doing it? We are repeatedly told not to seek a result while actually on our meditation seat. So do I? And while we are at it, why do we do it at all? Have we checked our motivation recently. Again try saying it out loud.
Have I embraced curiosity? It is all to easy to imagine meditation is like going to the fridge to get something soothing and pleasurable. This obscures the more accurate metaphor of going to cook a recipe and being interested - curious - about what we find.
And lastly is my meditation penetrating my life? We call meditation ‘practice’ - what are we practicing for if not to find a wiser and kinder way of being with ourselves and others.
So how did we get on?
And let’s use the curiosity thing here as well - whatever our answers they are an invitation into being curious, not just another thing to beat ourselves up about.
NW. 30 July 2023
Well the first two were easy..... yes...I do practice and I do know enough to be getting on with.
Then it got interesting...why am I doing it? Originally it was to resolve anxiety and panic attacks, now its just a habit and gather that I am better to be around (& a bit kinder to myself) when I keep my regular practice. But there is no conscious bigger goal of say becoming a full on buddhist or becoming enlightened....but I am interested in exploring further ....by which I mean more time in silence, practices beyond MBSR, maybe a vipassana retreat one day. Just to see what it's like and if I can?
Curiosity is definitely something I could to tune…
Thank you so much for posing these questions , and reflection with curiosity, is a something amazing in itself. Someone mentioned that meditation,( in the group last week), can be felt as something for benefiting all, especially if perhaps, is not possible for some to practice, for many reasons . That was so lovely to hear, as it feels universal, rather than personal perhaps.
Thank you too for all the blogs so far they are so helpful to read and mull over. Hennie