“Some may engage in (chanting, singing, and mantras), but the (words) are both the one who sings and listens.”
~ Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, page 75 of I Am Not The Body
“Meditation is necessary to maintain consciousness without thoughts. Meditation is to give attention to attention.”
~ Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, I Am Not The Body
A monk was anxious to learn Zen and said, “I have been newly initiated into the Brotherhood. Will you be gracious enough to show me the Way?”
The Master said, “Do you hear the murmuring sound of the mountain stream?”
The monk said, “Yes, I do.”
The Master said, “Here is the entrance.”
~~~
“Listening intently” is a simple, fun meditation practice. Just sit, relax, and listen to your environment like a dog, cat — or a squirrel in the wild, where your life depends on your listening. At work I used to have fun by listening to as many conversations as I could simultaneously.
One of my favorite mindfulness/meditation videos is this Shinzen Young video, Six Common Traps on the Path to Enlightenment.
If you struggle with any form of addiction AND are also interested in mindfulness and meditation — to the point of being interested in enlightenment/awakening — this quote from Daniel Ingram may be a helpful motivator:
“Stagnation is guaranteed if you cling to pleasant sensations.”
In other words, you won’t make any progress on the enlightenment path until you get past the clinging to pleasant sensations — i.e., the pleasant sensations that you are addicted to.
Ram Dass offered a quote that’s in the same ballpark: “One way to get free of attachment is to cultivate the witness consciousness, to become a neutral observer of your own life.”
(A friend of mine dealt with addiction for as long as I knew her, and I know she was also looking for any motivation to quit, so I try to share anything I learn that might be helpful.)
I know that I may never get to any “final” stages of enlightenment, but IMHO and as near as I can tell from my current meditation practice level, the last steps leading up to enlightenment/awakening/liberation are:
This is a page of quotes from Daniel Ingram, mostly from two versions of his book, Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha.
On a personal note, there are maybe five great books I have read about meditation, and this book is one of the Top 5, maybe #1.
All of the following quotes come from Mr. Ingram.
Mindfulness/meditation FAQ: What are the reasons, purposes, or motivations to practice mindfulness and meditation?
I just took a little time to share some old notes from my meditation practice about “The purpose of mindfulness.” (This is also stated in other ways, like “Why bother being mindful?”, or, “What are the motivations for practicing mindfulness and meditation?”)
In the following sections I describe the purposes and motivations for practicing both mindfulness and meditation.
Before getting into my notes, I don’t know how many people know Ram Dass or have read his writings, but I updated the first motivation here based on his work, because if you really get into mindfulness and meditation, what he states is the end goal.
I have no idea if mindfulness meditation helps with ADHD, but I just thought about that when I read this:
“Researchers report that mindfulness meditation reduced chaotic activity in the brain and the heart ... ‘Activities of the brain and heart became more coordinated during MBSR training,’ reported the authors. ‘Mindfulness training may increase the entrainment between mind and body.’”
“If we do not practice mindfulness while carrying a bucket of water, it is a waste of time to seclude ourselves in a monastery.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human existence.”
“The whole essence of Zen consists in walking along the razor’s edge of Now.”
When I first started meditating in the 1990s, I often had a hard time getting into the proper meditative state when I sat down on the meditation cushion. My “monkey mind” would be jumping all over the place, and it would take me a long time to get it to settle down. Many times I couldn’t even get it to settle down before my 30-minute timer went off.
Because of that, and because I really wanted to become better at meditating, I began experimenting with different ways to get into the meditative state faster.
As a result, this page is a summary of the best ways I know to help you get into a good meditation state when you take time to sit on the meditation cushion (or wherever else you sit). If you’re interested in getting into a deep state fast, these are the “best practices” I know, especially when you’re short on time.
Daniel Ingram was the first meditation teacher I ever heard who said that we should make meditation fun. He said something to the effect that when we sit down to meditate, we should try to sense vibrations as fast as possible — like playing a video game — and said, “Let’s bust some vibrations!”
As I think about trying to make meditation fun — and the use of mantras — I recall meditation teachers who have talked about the importance of staying mindful all day — 24x7 — to achieve enlightenment. For instance, here are just a few quotes:
While many people use the word “enlightenment,” people who have made it there often prefer the words “awakening” or “liberation.” This is a faux painting in an impressionist style inspired by liberation.
While many people think that Zen Masters live solitary lives in caves or monasteries, Bernie Glassman fed the poor, created a multi-million dollar bread company to employ the poor (and supply baked goods to Ben & Jerrys), raised $35M to home the homeless, and was a teacher to Jeff Bridges (“The Dude”). He also started his career as a mathematician and engineer. You can read more here, if you’re interested.
“Bring your mind to one point and wait for grace.”
~ from one of my favorite Ram Dass books, Polishing the Mirror, this is something that Maharaji told Ram Dass
I haven’t decided yet if I like the book, Demystifying Awakening: A Buddhist Path of Realization, Embodiment, and Freedom, by Stephen Snyder, but one thing I do like is the concept of an “80/20 rule” that he learned about for when we are interacting with other people.
The idea is that even when you’re talking and interacting with other people, 80% of your concentration should still be on yourself and your inner processes, and 20% should be on who you are interacting with.
This is consistent with my own thoughts on the subject, and what Ram Dass said about Maharaji, that Maharaji could always be seen mouthing “Ram ... Ram ... Ram,” even when he was listening to others. Ram Dass himself also spoke of this in his own practice, and is almost always seen working a mala in public speeches.
Inspired by a conversation with a friend recently about “trying to love everyone,” I dug into things a little more and found the following information from Ram Dass, Zen masters, the Maharaj-ji (Neem Karoli Baba), and Yoda.
As I keep trying to figure out what Ram Dass means when he says, “love everyone,” I dug through his book, be love now and found these two quotes:
When Zen Master Seung Sahn says, “Go straight, only don’t know”, what does that mean?
When Zen Master Seung Sahn (ZMSS) says, “Only go straight, don’t know,” he is pointing to a fundamental teaching in Zen, which emphasizes the importance of maintaining a mind that is clear, focused, and free from preconceived notions. The following is a detailed breakdown of what I believe this quote means.
First, “Go straight” emphasizes directness in action and perception. It means to act without hesitation, doubt, or unnecessary deliberation. In a sense it means “don’t check” — another phrase ZMSS used, and I interpret as “Don’t second-guess.”
