"There is nothing to attain, only awareness to sustain!"
 
Namaste!
 
I was given feedback that after suggesting so many different forms of meditation in one of the previous posts, it is proving rather confusing to decide which technique to use...where to begin...
A case of "information overload", or "analysis paralysis"! I do apologize if any of you experienced such an information overload. The Thai meditation master Ajahn Chah once tackled this malady -
 
Of-course there are dozens of meditation techniques,
but it all comes down to this -
just let it all be
Step over here, where it is cool, out of the battle.
Why not give it a try?
 
To make amends to those who are confused and don't know where to look to start a meditation practice for themselves... I want to describe (another!) meditation process, in a step by step fashion. I hope and trust that this meditation should be easy to apply by just about everyone. 
 
As an easy reminder, there are four points to remember "Be-fore" (Be*4) meditation: 
 
Be still
Be at ease
Be attentive
Be persistent
 
Let us apply these pointers to the following meditation...
 
Part I: Meditation in Sitting Posture
 
Be Still and Be at Ease: 
 
¨      Place - Find a relatively calm and quiet place where you will not be disturbed. 
¨      Seat - Take a firm and balanced chair and sit on its edge. Make no contact with the back of the chair. 
¨      Spine - Your back and neck are straight but not tense. Let your shoulders relax.
¨      Hands - Your hands lie on your thighs. 
¨      Feet - Your feet are shoulder distance apart and parallel to each other and your legs form a right angle with your thighs. 
¨      Eyes - Close, or half close your eyes.
 
Be Attentive: 
 
¨      Awaken the body - Now, scan your body from head to foot. Simply become conscious of the "aliveness" of each part of the body. Don't think or visualize anything and do not try to change or modify anything.
¨      Awaken the breath - Place your attention on your breath. Feel it anywhere in the body where it is most comfortable and distinct. For centering the mind, it helps to place attention about two inches below your navel (belly-button) and one third the way into your body (this is the focus of prana or chi in the body). For deepening concentration, some prefer to place attention at the nostrils. Follow your intuition. Breathe joyfully.
¨      Awaken the witness - Forget what happened seconds, minutes, hours, days....ago. Drop all planning for the upcoming seconds, minutes, hours, days. Deeply realize that the now is all there ever is. If thoughts arise, simply don't get involved, witness them and let them pass. Bring your attention back to your breathing.
 
 
Part II: Meditation in Standing Posture
 
Be Still and Be at Ease: 
 
¨      Stand - After sitting for some time, stand. 
¨      Spine - Your back and neck remain on a perpendicular to the ground. Imagine yourself as being suspended from the top of the head by a rope from the ceiling, hanging like a puppet. Let the head, spine and shoulders align themselves accordingly. 
¨      Hands - Your arms are relaxed on each side of you and the palms of your hands are facing backwards. 
¨      Feet - Your feet remain at the same place. Body weight is evenly distributed between both feet and rests in the middle of the soles of the feet. Keep your knees unlocked and lightly bent.
¨      Eyes - Open or half open the eyes. Trust your intuition.
 
Be Attentive: 
 
¨      Be aware of the body posture and feelings. 
¨      Keep breathing peacefully as you maintain this position. Follow the breath as it fills your navel center and spreads throughout your body.
¨      Don't pursue thoughts. Remain a silent witness.
 
Note: To make the most of your precious meditation time and prevent yourself from getting lost in thoughts, you can alternate between sitting and standing postures. Whenever boredom, sleepiness, restlessness, aversion or any such imposter starts gaining the upper hand, simply change your posture. Do this as many times as required...mindfully. When you are tired, sit on the chair. When you feel like it, stand. 
 
This is why I like to call this the "One Might Stand" meditation. 
 
Be Persistent:
 
¨      Begin with sessions of 15-20 min. Later you can gradually lengthen your practice to 45-60 min. 
¨      Restlessness and boredom are actually good signs...it means your nervous system is undergoing a major renewal and overhaul. Bear with it and after the session you will experience much calmer nerves and a smoother life!
¨      Just in case you want the very best results, practice each day. 
¨      With the practice and time, you will become less and less stressed. Your mind will become clearer and clearer. The universe will rejoice with you.
 
 
These meditation guidelines include elements from various different meditation systems (primarily Vipassana and Chinese Wuji Qigong). The final aim of all the different meditation systems is to abide in the silence of the mind, our natural state of being. Our natural state is with us 24 hours a day...that's incorrect...it IS us NOW. 
 
A problem with formal meditation practice: 
 
Despite all the many benefits of regular meditation, there is one trap that most meditators tend to fall into (me too). It is the duality that tends to arise between "meditation time" and "non-meditation time". This means that one diligently tries to be mindful and alert during formal meditation, and but doesn't isn't continuously mindful once the session concludes. 
 
There are ways to get around this trap. One is to change one's perception of "formal meditation practice". Ajahn Chah used to say..."people call sitting in a certain posture and doing some process 'meditation practice'...but I call that 'preparation'. Real meditation practice happens when the moods of liking and disliking arise during the day...are you fooled by them, or can you see through them and abide free? This is real meditation practice...the rest is just preparation."     
 
Another humorous tactic is to put a sign saying "Meditation Hall" above the main entrance on the inside of your home. This reminds you to remain calm and alert as you leave your home each day!
 
"One might stand" meditation uses two postures to develop the practice of present moment abiding.
The same principles can also be applied to the walking and lying down postures (and all other postures as well)...Be still (when walking keep the mind still); Be at ease (allow tensions to release); Be attentive (to inner body feelings; to the flow of breath; to thoughts and emotions). This is the way to integrate meditation into ones life...the way to make the most of life...the way to be 100% alive.  
 
Recently I read a book called "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle. In this book, he related an incident when someone showed him a brochure of a spiritual organization. It was filled with a wide variety of spiritual growth / self-development programs, all of which were interesting and of good quality. The person wanted Eckhart to recommend one or two courses to him. He replied, "I don't know...they all look interesting...but I do know this...be aware of your breath as often as you can, whenever you remember. Do this for one year. It will transform your life more powerfully than attending all of these courses. And it's free."
  
My own creed (which I discovered only just now!) is...
"There is nothing to attain, only awareness to sustain!"
 
There is nothing to attain at all (because what can be attained, may also be lost!). In case some of you are shaken to hear me say, "there is nothing to attain"...then look out ...here comes a tsunami from Ajahn Chah ...
 
"Do not be a bodhisatta, 
do not be an arahant; 
do not be anything at all. 
If you are a bohisattva, you will suffer; 
if you are an arahant, you will suffer; 
if you are anything at all, you will suffer."
 
and if "you" survived that, here's another anecdote...
 
A visiting Zen student asked Ajahn Chah, 
"How old are you? Do you live here all year round?" 
"I live nowhere," he replied. 
"There is no place you can find me. 
I have no age. To have age, you must exist, 
and to think you exist is already a problem. 
Don't make problems; then the world has none either. 
Don't make a self. 
There is nothing more to say."
 
 
So there ... please try this "one might stand" meditation (or any other that you like) and quickly discover that lovely oasis of rest called "Loving Silence". Where is this oasis? I feel a poem wants to flow forth (why am I such a strange monk?)...
 
Step not beyond 
The NOW, my friend -
Its a serious error
Filled with various terrors
A journey of 10,000 miles 
Begins with just one misstep.
So waste not a moment -
Taste this moment!
So you may stand
On" loving silence" sands.
It is nowhere.
It is now-here.
So seek not to get there...
Stop! see, and be here.
At last!
10,000 miles are at an end
This is it - the living end!
 
 
You have toiled long and hard my friend. Now be kind on yourself. You deserve to. The above exercise is an e-ticket for you...take a vacation...journey through the inner planes...awaken body...awaken breath...awaken mind...and discover the paradise island of "Loving Silence" right here and now...do fly here frequently...and if you like this pure land...make it your permanent home.   
 
...I hope some day you will join us...and the world will come as one...
 
Know Peace ~ Nyanasanti  
 
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
do not stand at my grave and weep
i am not there, i do not sleep
i am the thousand winds that blow
i am the diamond glints on snow
i am the sunlight on ripened grain
i am the gentle autumn's rain
when you awake in morning's hush
i am the swift uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circled flight
i am the soft star that shines at night
so do not stand at my grave and cry
i am not there...
i am not there...
i am not there...
 
- one of my favorite poems.