Awakening the Buddha Within _ Eight Steps to Enlightenment - Lama Surya Das [146]
The same principle applies when someone says a harsh word, or even a flattering word. Awareness gives us the vivid presence of mind to notice the words and count to ten before reacting and responding. That’s freedom. The point is that mindful awareness slows things down enough so that you can see how things work before being swept along by old patterns. You have a choice between blind reaction and a creative, considered response. We all do regrettable things and make mistakes because we are semiconscious at the wheel of our life. By giving us time and awareness, mindfulness can help us live our lives in a far more fulfilling way.
Let’s go back to the mosquito. A Buddhist saint might wish that the mosquito finds a tender juicy spot, has a decent meal, and a safe flight home. A novice meditator might try to scare the mosquito away with a twitch. But if you are a meditator who has committed yourself to a period of time without moving, all you do is notice the buzzing and label it “buzzing.”
The Three-Stage Meditation
In my own meditation practice and when I teach, I think of each meditation session as having three stages.
STAGE ONE:
ARRIVING AND CENTERING
We stop doing what we were doing, and thinking what we were thinking. We relax. We arrive. We sit. We get comfortable. If we are sitting cross-legged on the floor, we adjust our cushion and our legs. If we are sitting on a chair, we place both our feet on the floor, relaxed with an erect spine, while leaving our hands at rest in a comfortable position. We simply stop and drop everything.
Start by letting the breath settle naturally. Let everything settle naturally. Let the body settle naturally on its seat in its own way, in its own time. Let the breath and the energy settle naturally in the body. Let the thoughts settle. Simply collect yourself. Simply arrive, relax, and come home to the present moment.
Tibetan yogis and meditation masters teach us how to totally relax and let go of our body, speech, and mind.
Leave the body at rest, like an unmovable mountain.
Leave the speech at rest, like an unstrung guitar.
Leave the mind at rest like a shepherd after dusk who has brought his flock
home and sits content by the warm fire.
Once you have arrived, done is what had to be done. Heart and soul are one. The body, the speech, and the mind have let go. You are there.
STAGE TWO:
INTENSIFYING AND FOCUSING
Now awareness of the present moment is rising. We are heightening our sensitivity and intensity. We are making a conscious effort to pay attention. We focus on the out-breath going out; we focus on the in-breath coming in.
Simply observe breathing. Inhale. Exhale. Let go of everything else. As you breathe, become aware of what you are feeling at each moment: the physical sensations in your body, your belly, your diaphragm, your nostrils. This is cultivating mindfulness and alert presence of mind. Direct your attention to the process of breathing, and stay on that and that alone.
Be vigilant and watchful. Each time the mind wanders, bring it back again to the breath. Bring it back by tugging gently on the leash of mindfulness. Watch the breath. Inhale. Exhale.
Pay attention. Observe clearly; see things just as they are. Clarify. Penetrate with insight. Stay with the breath, unifying and stabilizing your wandering mind. Concentrate all your energies on the breathing.
STAGE THREE :
RELEASING AND ALLOWING
This third stage is the main part of the meditation. There is nothing left to do. Opening to effortlessness, you have arrived fully in the present moment. You are there, in nonjudgmental, mirrorlike awareness—choiceless awareness. You’re not trying to get anywhere or do anything. You have arrived. You are present. You win.
This is the time to enjoy being there, totally, one with yourself and the world,