We had the Sunday Introduction to Meditation Class at Yoga Bliss yesterday: several guided meditations and a period of mindful walking. We began with the practice of “Getting to Know Your Breath,” from Anne Cushman‘s new book, Moving Into Meditation. We sensed breathing by “homing in” on four aspects: location, length, texture and spacing between breaths.
We talked about our motivation to meditate. We all wanted to calm our minds and, nevertheless, experienced relentless mental activity. Traditional meditation practice isn’t necessarily about suppressing thought or even physical discomfort. I’ve been taught that meditation is an opportunity to learn about the workings of our minds more intimately. With continued practice, subtle aspects of our conditioning reveal themselves. This takes a lot of compassion, faith, patience and trust.
I gravitate to circles of support to help me keep my practice alive. I find circles among my family, friends, fellow students and valued teachers. Some are very intimate and small – like the circle I share with my partner Tim. Others are more distant – like the “cyber-sangha” I’ve found at the Upaya Zen Center. Sangha is a Sanskrit word that most commonly refers to the monastic community of ordained Buddhist monks or nuns. In the Western popularized sense it is the community of spiritual friends who support each other on the path: our continuing journey to free ourselves from suffering.
Upaya hosts many wonderful spiritual teachers involved in various forms of service work, including Frank Ostaseki. I recently discovered Frank’s wonderful text entitled: “Five Precepts of Service.” He wrote these to support hospice caregivers, and, he suggests that they can be applied more broadly. I think they can support our meditation practice:
The First Precept: Welcome Everything. Push Away Nothing
The Second Precept: Bring Your Whole Self to the Experience
The Third Precept: Don’t Wait
The Fourth Precept: Find a Place of Rest in the Middle of Things
The Fifth Precept: Cultivate Don’t Know Mind
Frank also provides a narrative to help us think about how to apply the precepts. I like to work with each one as a sort of “koan.” Koans are questions or stories in which we seek meaning. The seeking is more important than the answer.
Living the precepts is more important than “knowing” them. Not knowing can often be a shaky, vulnerable place. It seems like our minds are geared toward knowing – fortifying our sense of selves. That’s where we can really use compassion, faith, patience and trust. On Sunday, one student mentioned how his practice “works him” just as he “works the practice.” We can cultivate these qualities within ourselves and also offer encouragement and support to each other. Sometimes it’s a matter of just showing up – eyes meeting eyes, one breath at a time.