Читать книгу 20 MINUTES TO MASTER … MEDITATION - Christina Feldman, Christina Feldman - Страница 15

When you practise meditation and discover a mind that seems to be bursting with thoughts, a body that is restless or uncomfortable and emotions that are unpredictable or overwhelming it is easy to conclude that your meditation is impossible and worthless. The moment you focus your attention it seems to be swept away by memories from the past, planning the future or lost in the apparently endless mind storms of the present. You may be tempted to think that your meditation can only truly begin once you have succeeded in getting rid of or overcoming all of the distractions that plague you. This is a conclusion and an attitude that can only lead to tension, struggle and further confusion as you struggle with the apparently bottomless well of distractions. Consenting to this attitude breeds forcing, willpower and striving but does not lead to peace, calmness or understanding.

Patience is one of the primary enabling principles of meditation practice. It is the quality that allows us to find calmness and harmony in every moment rather than the struggle and tension born of impatience. The preoccupations, thoughts and distractions that appear to plague us and prevent us from meditating are not obstacles to be overcome or enemies to struggle with. It is in the midst of all of these that we learn some of the deepest lessons of our lives and our meditation. It is easy to hold love, compassion, acceptance and simplicity as ideals to be achieved in the future. It is also true that anyone can be compassionate when they remain unchallenged, we can love easily when surrounded by flattery, we can easily be calm when we are undisturbed – but this is not the truth of our lives. It is in the midst of disturbance, challenge and the difficult that we learn most deeply about acceptance, balance and compassion. The willingness to let go of our comparisons, evaluations and preoccupations with goals is a major factor in cultivating patience, to stay steady and balanced in the midst of busyness and confusion.

As we are faced with the variety of forces of our minds, hearts and bodies that appear to pull us away from our meditation it is patience that enables us to return over and over to the moment we are in with calmness and ease. No matter how lost we become in our thoughts and preoccupations, we can begin again to cultivate awareness and connectedness in the very next moment. The willingness to begin anew in every moment, free from judgement or conclusion is always possible for us. It is the embodiment of patience.