August 20, 2013   Chinese Zen , Edward Viljoen , Gautama Buddha , the power of meditation , Yunmen Wenyan

The Power of Meditation: Putting on the Brakes

Practicing throwing on the breaks, in addition to not acting and not talking in heated moments, can be accomplished by developing the ha...

Practicing throwing on the breaks, in addition to not acting and not talking in heated moments, can be accomplished by developing the habit of sometimes mindfully doing one thing at a time, such as eating without watching television, reading or any other activity at the same time. I enjoy a variety of stimuli and I love watching a good movie while having a good meal, and I also see the value of learning how to do something with a single mind which I call concentration; all my attention is centered on the activity at hand.

I may be missing out on something....
 
I acknowledge that as enjoyable as the sum total experience of eating and watching a movie is, I may be losing out on something very special when I fail to concentrate from time to time on one single activity. “When you are walking walk, when you are sitting, sit. Don’t wobble,” [1] are words which remind me to consider that whatever I find myself doing at any moment might as well be the of my undivided attention.

Try This

Put yourself "On Call."   Enroll the participation of a friend or acquaintance who is willing to call you, or send you a text message, at three random times during this day to remind you to think about your meditation practice. When the call or message comes, all you have to do is pause, notice what you are currently doing. If you did meditate in the morning, try to remember that time of sitting. Then, go about your business as usual.



 
[1] Attributed variously to Gautama Buddha or Chinese Zen master, Yúnmén Wényǎn

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