- Sit early in the morning before you begin your day. It will set your mood and tone
and can open your mind to great ideas and solutions for a situation that you are dealing with. - Find a quiet place even if the only place is the bathroom with the door locked.
- Sit in a way where you are comfortable be it in a chair, or on the floor with a cushion in half or full lotus, on a meditation bench, sitting up in bed with your pillows behind your back, outside in your garden, on the veranda, on the back porch, or in the tub in a bubble bath. Regardless of where you sit make it a priority and sit on a regular basis in the same place, if at all possible.
- Set a specific amount of time, start slow and work your up to longer and longer times. I suggest 5 minutes at first and when 5 minutes feels like it flew by like a jet airplane, move to 10 and then 20 minutes. Simply focus your attention on your breath, in and out, when your mind wanders bring it back to your in breath and out breath.
- Some days are better then others when sitting. Thus, if you have a day that you can’t seem to quiet your mind don’t get mad and put yourself down. Just know that everything takes time to learn, including meditation. Remember growing up when you tried to learn how to ride a bike, or ice skate, or roller skate, or play baseball, or dance. You did not lace up those skates and fly around the ice like an Olympic skater! You started and stopped and fell down, and got up with help, and started again. Before long you were skating with your friends with ease and grace or dancing with your favorite partner at the school dance. Such is life and sitting in meditation.
- Finally, start by setting a goal such as I will do this for one month and if nothing happens and I don’t feel any difference in my life then I will stop. But to be sure that you really did or did not feel any changes you might want to keep a little notebook by your sitting place and jot down a note after your time sitting. Write down both good and bad experiences. During the day you might even notice something that you’ll want to add to your notebook such as “I really was calm at work today as I worked on a very difficult project. In the past I would have gotten upset and angry at myself or taken my anger or frustration out on my co-workers or my family.”
- Finally, after all that I hope you’ll continue sitting and meditating and living a life of peace, love, and compassion for self and others. Try it I think you’ll like it and so will the people around you in your daily life! They will love the new you!
Archive for June, 2019
Zen and Peace in a Not So Peaceful World Part 6: 7 Easy Steps to a Sitting Meditation Practice
Posted in BUddhism, enlightenment, fears, love, meditation, Metta Prayer, Mindfulness, prayer, religion, self-help, sickness, suffering, training, Uncategorized, vows, wisdom, Zen, tagged Buddhism, feelings, health, humanity, inspiration, learning, life, rage, religion, science, thoughts, Truth on June 22, 2019| Leave a Comment »
Zen and Peace in a not so Peaceful World: Part 6 The Language of the Heart
Posted in administrators, Business, cause and effect, fears, hate speech, love, Uncategorized on June 11, 2019| Leave a Comment »
Today I began to think about writing a new blog post and so I turned around and looked at the titles of the books behind me and there I saw a wonderful book by Les Kaye, Zen at Work, A Zen Teacher’s 30-Year Journey in Corporate America. The title made me think about my work and the many jobs I’ve had at so many different places and in so many different environments. I’ve worked as a corporate trainer, minister, ropes facilitator, a college professor, an administrator in a medical records department, and more. Did I discover love in any of those places? Did I feel peace and contentment as I walked through the doors or greeted my students as they wandered into the classroom or on to the adventure training course. I wonder did I exude the feelings of peace and love and if not, what was I exuding?
I read this idea the other day–“breathing from your heart” and I still can’t get the phrase out of my head. Probably because I had written it on a sticky note and it sits on my desk just below my screen and every time, I look down I see it. It reminds me to stop and breath and not just do it with my lungs but do it with my heart. When I stop and do that it seems as though my breath is softer and easier and puts me in a different place. Then I thought, how about thinking of something or someone that I love or that may need a prayer, or a helping hand, or a job, or money to pay their bills, or to buy food. How would that work? If I did it, how would I even know if it worked or not? Why should I even want to know?
Mysteries are so much more fun than living in a hard and fast factual world with research, and books, and tests. How about just letting the “language of the heart” do its own thing in its own time and be surprised when you learn that your gesture, or words, or your smile, or your email made a positive difference in someone’s life. Les calls it “the language of the heart.”
Les goes on to write, “We depend on the language of the mind because we are always working on some practical, everyday problem. We are always involved in situations that are difficult or confusing. But because we must continually rely on our intellects, it is easy to forget the language of the heart. (page 109).[1]
Thus, within our daily lives we can create a peaceful place and thus a peaceful world around us. Let’s start with ourselves using the “language of the heart” with everyone we meet. It doesn’t matter if they are complete strangers, friends, coworkers, or family members. Image what could happen if every time you encountered someone, wherever you are, thoughts and words were filled with the “language of your heart” and not your mind. When you thought a good thought for the person in your presence a simple word like peace, or love, or health, or prosperity directed at them would make you feel good and might even make them feel good…you never know!
You might want to create a little mantra or prayer or word or sentence that would be kind and uplifting. I might want to say to myself as they pass, “I wish this person a safe trip home.” Or “I wish this person a happy and healthy day.” Or if they look like they are in need of prosperity I might say, “I see prosperity here for them today!” Not only will they be blessed but just like a boomerang it comes right back to you!
Living the language of the heart is an awesome way to live! Try it…I think you’ll like it! Let me know how it goes!
[1] L. Kaye (1996) Zen at Work a Zen Teacher’s 30-Year Journey in Corporate America. Three River Press: NY
Zen and Peace in a not so Peaceful World: Part 5 Peace and Unconditional Love
Posted in animal rescue, attachment, cause and effect, Ethics, fears, happiness, hate speech, love, Mindfulness, self-help, sickness, suffering, Uncategorized, wisdom, Zen on June 2, 2019| Leave a Comment »
Father Leo Booth in his book Meditations for Compulsive People writes these words about love: “So many of us love our pets not because they speak of unconditional love, but becau
se they live it (page 135)!”[1] And yet you’ll see so many times on the news about the police shutting down a puppy mill or rescuing animals left out in the yard during a blizzard. I have a wonderful book, Dogs Don’t Bite When a Growl Will Do, in it I read a story about a German shepherd who ran in front of a taxi cab driver and refused to move. He got the driver to follow him to a poodle lying nearly frozen in the snow. Oddly enough the cab driver had just recently given up looking for the dog for one of his customers.
The author continues by writing: “Those feelings—concerns, empathy, and distress—led the dog to perform an act of kindness and compassion (page 271).” Yes, the dog! He goes on to write, “The world is full of opportunities for all of us to demonstrate our compassion. I believe that when we learn to match the compassion shown by our canine companions—or for that matter, unknown German shepherds and anonymous drivers who encounter stray dogs on the road—then the world will be a far better place to live (page272).”[2]
You cannot separate the word peace from unconditional love. Peace and love are like vanilla ice cream and apple pie, or peanut butter and jelly they are inseparable and delicious and necessary for a world to be a peaceful and safe place to live. Pema Chodron in her book Awakening Loving Kindness writes, “It isn’t a sin that we are in the dark room. It’s just an innocent situation, but how fortunate that someone shows us where the light switch is. It brightens up our life considerably (page 25).”[3] Even if that someone is a most unusual team: a German shepherd and a cab driver.
You cannot have peace without love and you can’t have love without peace. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that this is true. You don’t have to be anything but a human being who cares about others and puts them first and NOT twenty first. As Father Booth so aptly describes in these words about Winston:
“There was a time when I abused him.
Gave him a dog’s Life!
In my drinking days when I was lost in self-pity;
Lonely,
Afraid,
Miserable,
Confused,
Angry,
I was hurting. So, I hurt others.
I abused my family.
Disappointed the congregation.
Angered the bishop.
And kicked the dog.
Yes, I kicked my dog—
When I really wanted to kick the bishop?
I can still see those large eyes staring at me.
Winston. Please forgive me.
And I know he did.
Winston watches,
Waits,
Comforts,
And loves in perpetual silence.
A companion and friend.
My dog.
It may seem odd, but I see God in Winston.
Something in that selfless love is divine.
In his silence I am healed
In his play, I am revitalized.
In his expression, I am accepted.
My dog.
His example taught me how to let go of resentments;
Enjoy serenity,
Live humility.
My dog became my mentor (page 136-7).”[4]
And peace arrived…when Annie and Bubbles entered my home.
[1] L. Booth (1995) Meditations for Compulsive People. SPC Limited: Long Beach, CA
[2] M Weinstein, L Barber. (2003) Dog’s Don’t Bite When a Growl Will Do. Perigee: NY, NY
[3] P. Chodron. (1996) Awakening Loving-Kindness. Shambhala: Boston & London
[4] L. Booth (1995) Meditations for Compulsive People. SPC Limited: Long Beach, CA
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