It’s much easier to not sit, to not practice than it is to practice. There’s a world of things that need to be done, all of which seem to be more important, exciting and worthwhile than sitting down and doing nothing. Yet we keep sitting, and we keep experiencing.
For me, this morning it was my stomach telling me that it was hungry and that I could sit later in the day, just not now- it was breaky time. I was restless, moving, huffing and puffing, agitated at sitting, and starving. It then dawned on me, that it didn’t really matter how the sitting goes, there is no pattern or result, it is, just how it is. To expect something, is to not be living in the present. It’s a mental setup, bound to cause suffering.
To get back to sitting, and not worry about what or how the sit goes is our practice. We do not practice deep sitting, or blissful sitting, or positive experience sitting, we practice sitting. All these extra ideas about sitting slowly creep in, that judge it’s results. No results are required, just to sit, is our task. Reality is how it is, not how we want it to be, nothing is required.
We keep coming back to our mats, and by doing that, we develop our beginner’s mind. What happens in the sit, is bound to be different each and every time.. We are in a world of constant change, no two seconds are the same- no two sittings can be the same either. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, sometimes calm, sometimes agitated, that’s the practice. Sit down and experience the actual, regardless of it’s contents. There’s no need to worry about bad sits, or restless sits, they are no better or worse than any other sit; Reality Just Is. (image from The Zen Frog)
Related posts:-
Popularity: 5%
Hi Wade, great post. Just getting back into sitting after a few weeks distraction. I love morning meditation. It’s going well most mornings now, unless my 3 year old daughter gets up first. That’s one distraction I’m not able to ignore. With peace, Tracy
Thanks just what i needed. Sometimes I get angry when a sit does not feel good and my mind keep wandering away.
YOu’re right just sit! It doesn’t matter. thanks , I’m going to sit now.
Be happy
@Tracy, Glad to hear you’re getting back into it. Meditation, as hard as it is, is a life enabler.
@Marnix, Thank you for your comment and well wishes, honored to be inspiring.
Gassho to you both.
Wade
Sitting is like returning home after a long and tiresome road trip. You stop running and just be. Great reminder, thanks.
@James, that’s a beautiful way of looking at it. The last few days I’ve had that thought in mind, and have really felt that sitting down is like coming home again. Thanks for illuminating that with such a nice metaphor.
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying has a similar saying, not quite as good
“Meditation, then, is bring the mind home.”
Peace,
Wade
Hi Wade,
Nice attitude to sitting meditation. When sitting myself, I bear on mind the teaching of the Thai monk Ajahn Chah who always emphasized being aware of whatever arises in the mind, even if they are feelings of restlessness or anger at an agitated train of thought. Thoughts do crop up that make excuses not to sit: hunger (as you wrote), a pressing chore, an idea that needs writing down, or sleep, for instance.
Just now I was meditating and the mind nearly slipped into slumber several times. Just watching the sensations of sleepiness but not letting go of awareness, I avoided falling asleep, nor did I give in to the feeling and trot off to bed. Now, the tired feeling has subsided, and the alertness that was cultivated in the sitting is still with me…for the moment.
Be well,
Gary, at Forest Wisdom. http://forestwisdom.thaipulse.com/
Thank-you. I have come to that conclusion through experience.
@Gary, maintaining awareness whilst becoming sleepy is one of the hardest things in my experience. Amazing that with practice awareness can even watch that sensation pass.
@James, no wonder it ‘feels’ right :).
Peace to you both,
Wade