MEDITATION

Meditation provides a break from concentration on goals. In meditation we get in touch with that place in ourselves where we are perfect without having to do anything. The opposite of this is being attached to planning, analyzing, controlling, and trying to make things come out our way. Instead, we can simply accept our present situation and honor it as perfect. This opens us and change happens naturally.

            We do not meditate to become serene, but only to be here now. Serenity and centeredness happen as we let go of everything that prevents us from being here now – e.g., thoughts, wishes, expectations, attachments.

            Sitting meditation is usually done cross-legged or on a chair with back straight, head erect, hands on thighs or knees, breathing naturally and evenly, with mouth closed and eyes open. Keep your eyes open fosters being here now rather than shutting out present reality. Do not stare at the floor; simply see it without concentrating on it. In fact, do not concentrate on anything, only maintain awareness of your breathing.

            Do not try to get rid of thoughts or treat them as distractions. Let your thoughts pass through your mind without holding on to any one of them. Simply observe them without judgment or attachment, as if they were part of a movie.

            This is actually a way of practicing for life: you do not have to be caught up in the drama in your head. You can be the watcher within who sees with full awareness but without anxiety or self-reproach. You can let what occurs inform you rather than overwhelm you.

            When you notice yourself drifting with your thoughts, label it “thinking” and return to awareness of your breathing. In this way you remind yourself that you can choose to leave your personal storyline and come back to the here and now.

            Meditation thus empowers you to acknowledge your present predicament as a light on the next step of your path and so to get on with your life. This is how the present is perfect.

-- David Richo