MINDFULNESS AND MINDLESSNESS

A couple of days ago, when it wasn’t raining and I had no appointments, I took a walk down our road.   When I got to my turnaround spot I realized that I had seen nothing, literally.   Instead of stopping at the two brooks and watching the water and paying attention to the plants and wildlife, I had walked with my monkey mind in charge, having some fanciful conversation with myself and occupying my thoughts with something other than my walk. 

I refocused and enjoyed my walk home.

Mindfulness is easy to deal with once you decide it should become a part of your daily life.

Mind-less-ness, on the other hand, requires a disciplined effort. 

 

This is the scenario of an imaginary person, but some aspects are probably familiar to most of us:

X wakes up in the morning and grabs his/her cell phone and takes it into the bathroom.   While eating breakfast X checks messages and social networks to see what others are doing.   On the way to work X checks and perhaps talks on the cell phone while dealing with traffic.   At work X places the phone within easy reach while dealing with the stresses of work.  On the way home X checks the cell phone while driving through heavy traffic.  At home X watches TV, gets on the computer, checks messages, e-mail and social media until supper time.   

TV, bed, and check the cell phone before going to sleep.  While asleep X’s monkey mind takes over causing restless dreams and restless sleep.

The mind never has time to unplug. 

At some point your mind needs to unplug for a few minutes on a regular basis.   Five minutes of meditation a day can do that.  

Find a quiet, comfortable room away from your cell phone.  Sit upright in a chair with feet planted on the floor; focus on your breathing and finally empty your mind - relax.

In lieu of this: take your rocking chair out on your porch and smoke a joint.

 

Mindlessness takes practice and discipline but the benefits are real

the Ol’Buzzard

MEDITATION CAN MAKE YOU SMART…

WELL - ACTUALLY IT CAN’T

SO WHY MEDITATE?

Often Zen priest, trying to impress their followers with their own intellect, will answer a novice’s question of ’What should I try to get from meditation;’ with the answer: ‘Meditation.’

Do Zen priest have egos?    Are Zen priest human (that’s the Zen trick of answering a question with a question)?

Actually, they are wrong again.    There is a great deal to be gained from meditation.

Physically, you can drop your blood pressure in a very short time when you master the ability to place yourself in a meditative state.    In a doctor’s office (or at home) I can bring my blood pressure down at least ten points with sixty seconds of meditation technique. 

Mentally, you can force your mind into some down time giving you a chance to let go of emotionally charged concerns – somewhat like a reboot on a computer.  

Remembering that the goal of Zen is to let you view reality in order to live productively in the moment: Meditation practice along with Zen precepts can help free you of ego, preconceptions, prejudice and all the baggage you carry that dictates how you respond to the world.

There is no one way to meditate.   This is how I do it. 

1.    Find a quite place if possible

2.    I like to sit on a pillow on the floor with my legs crossed – but you can be just as effective sitting in a chair.

3.    I place my right hand into my left hand touching my thumbs – because it feels right to me. 

4.    I close my eyes – some people like to focus on an object.   The goal is to reduce as many distractions as possible.   Sometimes I play new age music like Windham Hill in the background to cover up outside noises.

5.    Many meditations instructors tell you to count your breaths – this doesn't work for me…I find it a distraction.   I inhale and visualize the air as it goes through my nose down my trachea and inflates my lungs.   Then I visualize the air as it exits my lungs and goes out through my nose (if you have sinus problems mouth breathing is fine.)  Very quickly you will be aware of your breathing slowing.

6.    After perhaps the first minute I visualize my legs relaxing; my hands; my arms; my shoulders – then I go back to visualizing my breath.   

7.    That’s it: now I am in a relaxed state controlling my breath.

8.    When I am finished I open my eyes and sit still and quiet for short time before moving – I want to carry with me that relaxed state.

No big secrets – no metaphysical mystery.  You might want to start at three minutes and build up – I rarely go beyond five.   I don’t use a timer but you might find it useful in the beginning. 

But, Beware the Monkeys:

We all have a monkey mind.  The monkeys can’t stand quiet relaxed environment and they try to drag distractions through to break into your thoughts.   This is normal and occurs often, especially when you are a beginner.   When this happens you simply acknowledge that you have been distracted, and go back to visualizing your breathing.

 If you attend a Zen Buddhist sangha (meditation group) you will probably find they tend to make meditation an endurance sport.  To me, sitting until I have no feeling in my legs and my back aches and I am physically and mentally uncomfortable has no purpose – then again the priest will tell you that there is no purpose to meditation. 

Then why do it?

Meditation has benefits; as does living a Buddhist life style.  I value Zen Buddhism; but the Buddha reminded us to accept nothing on faith. 

It took the Buddha years to become enlightened - but alas he discovered: ‘you put your right foot out; you put your right foot in; you put your right foot out and you shake it all about; you do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around: that what it’s all about.’

the Ol’Buzzard

NIGHT MONKEYS



- the computer says this is a run on sentence, but what the hell does it know? That was a sentence fragment that I recently included in a letter (yes – an actual real letter) to the only person in my family that I give a fuck about. I have a half-brother and a half-sister and some cousins somewhere, but I haven’t heard from them in thirty years and have no desire for contact. But that is another story – the point is:

When I refer to my computer I call it an it - it has no name. The message that stuck in my id was that the computer says. This brought about one of those can’t sleep, midnight, mind wandering conundrums that the monkey mind grabs and wrestles with despite my ardent desire for my mind to shut the fuck up and go to sleep (a run on sentence?)

I begin to think about all the inanimate things that we give human deference and refer to with human qualities.

• The gas gauge says we have a quarter of a tank (the fucking gauge can’t speak.)

• The envelope says there is postage due.

• The GPS says (but it actually does) that we should turn left.

• The sign says it is a one way street.

• The cell phone says your mother is calling…

We claim that these inanimate things without a name speak to us. It is not like, ‘Jane said to turn left at the corner’ or ‘John said your mother called.’

They are inanimate – they have no name – they can’t speak.

But then the monkey did a 180 around the tree trunk and I started thinking about the things I have name in my life: inanimate things with a name.

• I use to name my cars and trucks (but for some reason never named my motorcycles.) The first car I owned (as a teen ager) was Comanche; the second car I owned was Clyde (probably having to do with a song about a camel.) After that all my cars and trucks had female names.

• In my early years I use to name my guns. After all Davy Crocker had ol’Betsy.

• I have named outboard motors (it is easier to cuss something when it has a name), fishing holes; and of course dogs, cats and birds; and I have even assisted my wife in naming teddy bears.

Don’t blame me that all of this doesn’t make sense. It is that god damn monkey that controls my mind at midnights – grabbing thoughts and running here and there – it is his fault.



I think I will name this post: NIGHT MONKEYS.



the Ol’Buzzard