How much influence do you have over the state of your mind? In all likelihood, you feel you have next to none. You don’t wish to get angry, but you get angry. You have zero desire to get depressed or tense or sad, but all of that happens anyway.
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It happens to the best of us. You don’t intend to sweat the small stuff, yet you wake up in a grumpy mood, or a plan you were looking forward to gets canceled, and you’re abruptly flooded with disappointment. Is there a way to work with these resistant feelings as they arise, without waiting for that time you have set aside specifically for meditation?
As a beginner, if keeping your eyes open during meditation is too distracting, it’s fine to close them. And, as your practice progresses, you may encounter particular types of meditation that involve visualization, in which case, having your eyes closed can be helpful. Generally, though, in Mingyur Rinpoche’s tradition, you are encouraged to meditate with open eyes. If you’re unable to do so at the outset, it’s recommended that you practice it a little at a time until you find it comfortable.
When you hear the word “buddha,” what comes to mind? An enlightened being? A presence that is perfectly peaceful and stable, like a mountain? Boundless wisdom and compassion? Whatever you think of, it may feel like something unattainable, or even superhuman, and certainly far from the hustle and bustle of mundane life. In the Vajrayana tradition, though, the most essential point is this: you are a buddha right here, right now.
Emotions can be so intense. Sometimes it can feel like they’re in the driver’s seat, careening wildly from one extreme to the other, and all you can do is hang on for dear life and pray you don’t crash. Nevertheless, they can be an excellent support for meditation.
“Mindfulness meditation” is omnipresent these days. Some of these programs are based on traditional meditation practices, others are what you might call “New Age,” and others have been invented out of whole cloth. There exists at least one program claiming it will get you enlightened in seven days! But is mindfulness the same thing as awareness?
Hearing the phrase “pain meditation” might not make you think, “Sounds fun, where do I sign up?” However, those folks who already experience some physical pain as they go through life (read: pretty much everyone who lives in a human body) may be intrigued to know that there’s a meditation technique to work with pain. And while it’s probably not going to qualify as most people’s favorite practice, it is worth learning.
“This technique of going in and out of meditation — traditionally referred to as “short times, many times” — is often illustrated by the example of drops of water falling one by one into a large empty bucket. It might take a long while, but in the end, the barrel will be full. Doing informal meditation while you’re working will increase your productivity and the quality of your work; at the same time it will develop your spiritual practice, improve the health of your relationships, and benefit your physical body, too. Altogether, a win-win.”
Is meditation safe? Yes, as long as you have the right teachings. “it is literally impossible to block thoughts and emotions. The mind is like a river, always moving, constantly changing. If meditation instructions aren’t teaching you how to embrace that natural flow, then they are turning the flow into your enemy. Noise, distractions, restlessness, ideas, worries, daydreams — attempting to resist these natural events in the mind will transform them into adversaries. “
“Your awareness is bigger than your negative thoughts. So when you can hold sensations in your awareness, that is kindness. If you feel like you can’t let go of your aversion to some of them, that’s okay too. Just be with your aversion. When you allow yourself to have an aversion, that is love. That is compassion. That is forgiveness. So anything is okay: panic is okay, depression is okay. Guilt, destructive thoughts, whatever — it’s okay. All of these feelings are just like clouds in the sky, coming and going.”
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