Just as a ship's navigator uses a compass, likewise as we go deeper in our journey of Self-exploration we are also using one main instrument to navigate our way. That instrument is our own mind and it is the only tool we have for the job. So it is very important that we understand how our instrument works, and how to maintain it so it serves us well. This means if we are really serious about going deeper on our journey, we have to become really good custodians of our own mind.
In many spiritual traditions there are 'preliminary practices' which prepare our mind and create a firm foundation to build on. What this looks like to us, in everyday terms, is simply a greater ability to focus. An undisciplined mind is a wandering mind, and a wandering mind creates agitation and obscures our deeper wisdom.
It's no surprise these days that we have increasing numbers of children (and adults) diagnosed with attention-deficit disorders, because we have become accustomed to habitually 'following' a wandering undisciplined mind with it's myriad distractions: TV, computers, games, SMS texting, mobile phones, Facebook and Twitter etc. etc. Once the mind becomes habituated in it's wandering, bringing it back to a point of stillness can seem like trying to stop a runaway train. Yet if we don't calm our mind, then any deeper spiritual experiences we have won't last.
Without a firm foundation in meditation, any deeper spiritual practice we do remains superficial, at the level of intellect, which can't reveal deeper wisdom. All spiritual traditions teach some form of 'concentration' for this reason, but it isn't concentration in the way we normally think of it. Concentration in the spiritual sense doesn't mean 'thinking hard' - in fact it's the opposite. It means not thinking, relaxing your mind, yet remaining awake and alert enough to be aware of your experience. It is a simple fact that you won't experience deep inner peace for yourself unless you practice this.
Yet cultivating this type of concentration is relatively easy. Choose a simple meditation and stick with it. A good one to begin with is a candle meditation. Simply light a candle and set yourself a time to sit and just gaze at the flame. Notice when your mind is wanting to 'think' about the candle, and bring your mind back to simply gazing without thought. Each time your mind wanders, simply bring it back to gazing at the flame. Your mind may be very restless and agitated at first because you are changing the pattern from wandering to stillness, but with practice and patience your mind will settle.
Begin with a short time - 5 minutes - and gradually build up until you can 'rest' and gaze for about 20 minutes each day, without thinking. If you are too agitated and restless to sit gazing at a candle there are 'active' meditations that you can do - see my
eBook on meditation for more ideas and information.
Whichever method you choose, it is important that you practice on a regular basis - this means consistently, and diligently, every day. 10 minutes every day is more effective than one hour a week.
Practicing at the same time every day is very important because your mind becomes 'trained' to 'settle down' at that time. Ultimately, 'settling the mind' is the point: allowing all the everyday agitation to simply settle so you can see your mind in it's natural state. You can see a demonstration of how this works in
this video. You don't need to watch it all - just the bit from 20:30 minutes in to 21:38 minutes - as Buddhist monk Venerable Dondrub uses water to demonstrate how our mind returns to it's clear, knowing, natural state, through meditation!
Even if you don't intend going any deeper with your spiritual journey, your everyday life will benefit from more calm and a greater ability to concentrate.
That's all for now see you next time, and in the meantime... happy exploring!
Best Wishes,
Ruth
