The Art of Life? Well, you can use this brilliantly for most of life anyhow.
I just heard this and it reminded me of this principle:
The art of meditation is beginning again.
When you meditate, you will be distracted. Guaranteed.
Your mind will wander. You might be caught in a worry cycle. You might think of the best way to accomplish your to do list. Somehow and some way, you’ll be pulled away. You won’t even know it. You’ll be just stumbling, racing, falling along a thought train, watching some movie, attending to some internal story.
Now Here Comes the Art
When you notice that you’re not meditating, just begin again. Simple, but not so easy. At least, not for most of us.
You can learn it though and you’ll benefit hugely. Your life will work way better in countless ways. You’ll be more peaceful, happier, more at ease. You’ll have less stress and your body will appreciate it, your health will notice.
Instead of Beginning Again…
Instead of beginning again, what you do will look like this –
- Scold yourself for going off track.
- Shame yourself for not being good enough. Use going off track as evidence that God doesn’t find you worthy of her love. Or your teacher will never approve of you.
- Blame someone or something for going off track.
- Try to figure out where you went wrong and fix it.
You tell yourself some story. These stories can be quite involved and lengthy. While you’re telling yourself these stories, finding explanations, are you meditating?
Stop it.
Just begin again. Return to your meditation practice – watching your breath, Owl Eyes and Owl Ears, mantra, Loving Kindness phrases or whatever else you employ.
This humorous take from comic, Bob Newhart, will help remind you of what to do. Imagine both parties as the voices in your head – one stuck in the story, the other helping you to move on.
Gently, stop it.
And begin again.
The Art of Life
This problem of going off track shows up everywhere. And the solution of beginning again works its magic everywhere you use it.
Fall Off Your Eating Pattern – don’t trash your diet and give up. Classically, people say screw it and continue to eat the inappropriate foods until they make themselves sick.
Don’t try to make up for the extra calories you ingested by starving yourself. Just begin again. Eat your normal great diet.
Abuse Alcohol and Other Substances – fall off the wagon? Skip the shame. Just begin again the next morning.
Don’t Go for a Run, Skip the Gym — Just begin again. If you miss a Wednesday gym day, don’t rush in and do a double work out on Thursday. If your next gym day would be Friday, just go on Friday and do your normal workout.
Stay Up too Late — Just re-establish your sleep patterns. Here you may need to catch up, but just begin your normal healthy patterns as soon as you can.
You get the idea. Now, a more difficult version –
Relationships
Being a Jerk – You will be a jerk sometime. You will be mean. You will be jealous, spiteful, grumpy, neglectful, forgetful sometime. You’re human; it will happen.
Here, too, your first response when you realize you’ve done this and hurt someone or made their life less wonderful is use the strategies to avoid the consequences.
- Deny it.
- Scold yourself for going off track.
- Shame yourself for not being good enough. Use going off track as evidence that God doesn’t find you worthy. Or you’re not worthy of this person you’re in relationship with.
- Blame someone or something for going off track. (Much used in relationships.)
- Try to figure out where you went wrong.
When you correct this one, you have extra steps.
When you begin again, first make amends and clean up the damage you created.
- Tell the injured person that you know you hurt them
- Ask how you can make it up to them.
- Listen to their response
- and then do it.
Then let go of it all and begin again as if you were a kind and compassionate being.
And, of course, you are. What else could you be but the waking embodiment of all that’s good.
May you walk in beauty,
William
P.S. Please leave your comments and tips.
