life without story

Meditation is the practice of "life without story".

All thoughts about ourselves are just 'stories' … they are not who we are.  In fact they are all wrong (every single one of them).  

When we find ourselves without story we find ourselves in Peace, Inclusion, and without need.  Ahhhhhhh.

peace on you,

bob

Meditation instruction

During practice simply surrender to Silence.  

Don't overcomplicate your practice … the direct way is the simplest. 

Peace be upon you,
bob

insanity

During our meditation practice we can see how much energy is put into stories that are not true.  Insanity is that practice of putting energy into stories that are not true.

Notice the insanity and stand free of it!

The Great Way is not difficult  for those who have no preferences. 
When love and hate are both absent everything becomes clear and undisguised.
Make the smallest distinction, however and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart. 
If you wish to see the truth then hold no opinions for or against anything. 
To set up what you like against what you dislike is the disease of the mind. 
When the deep meaning of things is not understood  the mind's essential peace is disturbed to no avail. 

Hsin-hsin Ming:
Verses on the Faith-Mind

thinking

You are not your thoughts!  This is obvious but we easily forget this fact and become slaves to what appears in the mind - reacting to life out of our past - missing the freedom to respond to life in a fresh way.

A powerful meditation technique is to just notice our thoughts without judgement and without reacting in any way to them.   So … during practice, when thoughts arise (they probably will (LOL)) just notice them and say silently to yourself: "thinking".  

In a twenty minute session you may find yourself saying: "thinking, thinking, thinking" several hundred times.  This is ok … the goal is not to quiet the mind or have better thoughts … the goal is to just notice the thoughts and, of course, conclude that you are not them.  Ahhhhh freedom!

peace on you,
bob

That

Meditation practice can become dominated and ruined by seeking.  Seeking a quieter mind, seeking some "spiritual experience", or even seeking to "get better at not seeking".

True practice is simply noticing what has always been so - noticing That which can never be lost or found - That which does not come nor go - That which is always at hand.    

To God belongs the east and the west; wherever you go there will be the presence of God. God is Omnipresent, Omniscient. (Quran 1:115)

WHO?

Meditation is the search for what to surrender; then surrender surrendering. 

Then, if you are really daring and want to swim in the deep end of the pool, find out who it is that would surrender.

peace on you,
bob

don't take it personally

This week I'd like to share two quotes, one from Zen, and the other from Islam.  The quotes are about "true seeing" which is the fruit of ernest meditation practice.

Is it not all this "me-ing" and "mine-ing" that is at the root of our mis-perception and suffering? That things, ideas, and feelings are "ours" is just not so … to quickly validate this, just ask (during mediation): "who is it that is: thinking, feeling,and experiencing?".  You will easily see the absolute nothingness of the self image.  

"Know that fundamentally you do not lack unsurpassed enlightenment; you are replete with it continuously. But you may not realize it and may be in the habit of arousing discriminatory views and regarding them as real." (Dogen)

"To God belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth, and all matters are controlled by God." (Quran 3:109)

peace on you,
bob