I’ve described this experience earlier this year, but felt a need to put it into a less intellectual, more heart/poetic style, so….
“Meditating,” after a fashion
Trying to relax with whatever arises,
To not change it, improve it, dismiss it as not good enough.
To “do” nothing.
The meditation guide reminds us,
“The search is over, nothing to find, nothing to do….”
Suddenly sadness, great sadness….
Tears.
I’m always doing, seventy four years of always doing,
Always trying, always wanting to do the right thing,
To discover the right thing to do
And do it…..
I’m so tired……
A few seconds of great sadness
It’s gone
Tears dry up.
Of course it’s been fine that I’ve always been trying
To do the right thing.
And to continue.
But down under, such tiredness…..
Sort of forget about it, get on with life,
But the knowledge is there, somewhere.
Two weeks later, meditation retreat.
No conscious memory of the tiredness, sadness.
I’m practicing meditating on Impermanence,
The flow, the changing, the morphing of
One thing into another into another into another….
Suddenly I’m at peace.
My talking mind want to call it Peace,
It’s so much deeper than anything I’ve known,
But no need, that’s gilding the lily,
It’s just peace.
No big deal, nothing to do about it or with it.
I’m just at peace.
The air is pleasantly warm,
The sun touches my skin.
Nearby some men are trimming a tree
With a chain saw.
Noisy, that’s the nature of chain saws.
No matter, the world is fine.
Talking mind isn’t used to being so quiet,
So once in a while it asks,
“Is this rigpa?”
“Is this resting in the nature of mind?”
Well maybe sort of
Maybe not.
My words don’t matter.
Thoughts like this occasionally come,
Say their thing
And fade away.
No big deal,
I’m at peace.
Five minutes, ten minutes, half an hour.
It just naturally lasts.
No effort to hold on to it.
Peace finally fades into the background,
That’s all right.
Back to meditating on flow, change, impermanence,
Back to life.
It doesn’t matter that almost all the time
I’m trying to find the right thing, do the right thing.
That’s good.
Peace is good.
It happens a few times in a few days,
And goes.
I’d like it to happen once in a while,
But no need, no drive to push for it.
Life is good.
Dr Tart,
During my CAP this morning I was distracted from my breathing (don’t worry, I got back to it) because I felt a strong sense of indebtedness to you for the Mindfulness101 series at IONS. Being a long sufferer of depression (and other issues), your mindfulness audio series has helped me get closer to being in control and in touch with my life.
I wanted to express my gratitude in some tangible way. So thank you. Your calm and open attitude with warm light mirth is the only way I can meditate comfortably.
Sincerely,
Adam.
mind connect
flows
the
do the right thing
and yet
social consciousness
impinges
upon my
knower
student and teacher
rather guide
am
I
hello to you
and kindred
spirit
walks with
wisdom
thank you.
Life is
good
is
what is?
Nature
is harmonious,
graceful,
connected,
interactively
flowing
Humans in social
systems
breaking
natures laws
humans using other humans
dishonesty
Age of
Anxiety
Life is good
my heart knows that
spirit that I am
living in physical
dimension
knows
I am at peace
And
And
well
Why
not
If we can
why not?
If we can
find a way to
encourage SocietyCulture
to shift to a more
healthy
way of existing
why
not?
So I am at
times like
you
tired
and
yet
flows in me
encouragement
from deep