I can't meditate

Nonsense ;) And this is why.

"When I try to meditate

I can't get my mind to be still.

My thoughts go a hundred miles per hour,

So I am rubbish at meditation."

---

This is an utter misconception
(Apologies for being so direct)
Yet I hear it so frequently...
Meditation does not mean "to quiet the mind"
I don't know how that got
Into the Western concept of meditation.

The Tibetan word for meditation is "gom"

Which means "to familiarise".

Meditation means to be a witness.
To watch one's own mind,
To be aware of the thoughts,
To notice the emotions,
To witness the physical sensations.

To get to know our own mind,
And to familiarise ourselves
With the positive states of our mind.

When we watch our own mind
We might wonder "Who's doing the noticing?"
If the thought and the listener
Are not the same, that means
I'm not my thoughts.
I'm not my emotions.
I'm not my body.

But then, what are we?
Maybe the awareness behind it all?

---

So when you're meditating

and you're noticing your thoughts,

you're doing really well. 

---

Watch them
Don't judge
Just let be
Befriend them

And see, they're gone.
Replaced, moved on, shifted....
Better thoughts, worse thoughts,
Both are impermanent.
Like the clouds in the sky.
Like waves in the ocean.

Coming
Going
Coming
Going
Changing
Changing
Always changing.

Wishing for our meditation to be peaceful

As a sign of success,

Is like asking for a life without turmoil

As a condition for happiness.

---

Life has many different experiences,
Like the sky has thunderstorms
And pretty, soft, fluffy clouds.
Similarly, our mind has many different thoughts.

Meditation is watching them
Unfold and disappear.

Train your mind
To be one with the sky.

To rest your mind
With the spacious ocean.
Don't cling to the thought,
Don't drown in the wave.

But watch it,
As if standing on the shore,
And you'll no longer be disturbed.

Now that
(At least, to my limited understanding)
Is meditation.

Calm abiding,
Resting the mind,
Regardless of what unfolds.
Meditation isn't just on a cushion.

That's we're we practise the foundations.
But the true practice is all day,
Every moment, anywhere.

Watch your own mind:
Familiarise yourself with it's movements.
And habituate yourself
With the positive, virtuous aspects.

Is my mind kind?
Is it attaching itself to meaningful things?
Or is it distracted by worldly nonsense?

Just noticing,
Moment by moment,
And then slowly we tame our mind
To turn towards the good.

So next time we think
"I cannot meditate"
When we catch ourselves
Having that thought
It means we're aware!

When we get familiar
With that timeless awareness

We're meditating ;)

I've recorded several
Easy yet profound meditations
(And it continues to amaze me
How often people tell me
They love my voice ;)

They're guided visualisations,
Which is an easy way into meditation:

And if you like to learn
Shamatha practice,
Calm Abiding
Best to point you to one of the masters himself,
Mingyur Rinpoche,
Via the YouTube video
At the top of this blog post.


With inner calm,
Karin

PS
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To connect with your own inner peace
I'd be delighted to speak with you,
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