Meditation: be aware
Meditation
The word '
meditation' is widely used to mean a variety of things. Many people imagine that meditation means sitting in a crossed-legged position and listening to your breath. Such practices or methods are not meditation. They serve to encourage meditation. Meditation is not a method or
exercise; rather, it is the condition of presence. It is important not to mistake the menu for the food.
Immediacy
Tai chi encourages
meditation because the exercise involves total immersion in what is happening. This means no dreaming of the future or worrying about the past. No conscious thought at all. We do not chant or count or use any real method to accomplish a state of meditation; being body-centred in enough The difficulty involved with learning tai chi should be sufficient to keep your mind where it needs to be. You must be completely present.
Zen mind
Tao and
zen are concerned with attaining a state of inner stillness and harmony with all things. To accomplish this, your sense of self must fade. You must be so immersed in what you are doing that self-consciousness vanishes. Even 'mundane' tasks such as washing dishes, cleaning or ironing clothes require enough physical and mental involvement that you can relax into an undivided state of mind. We only live in the immediate moment and this is where our
mind must be. In self defence, this state of mind is absolutely critical if you hope to survive a hostile situation.
No mind
Meditation is the condition of awareness, not a method or a conclusion. It is the act of removing any barrier between the thought and the act. When we lose our conscious thoughts, our stress and worries will go with them. Stillness and quietude will take their place.
Breath
If you are struggling to remain body-centred, place your attention on the breath. Feeling your breath can be useful. Every time your mind drifts, guide it back to the body, to the breath. Back to feeling, seeing, listening. No matter how many times your thoughts lead you astray, let awareness bring you back. Slowly the mind learns to be grounded in the 'here and now'.
