Enlighten up already.
Hi there,
It's John here,
Or in Espanol it's Juan,
And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only Juan to think that mindfulness and meditation have a lighter side.
As the title of this meditation implies,
The word lighten is right there,
In the middle of en-lighten-ment.
Sure,
There are many serious implications of this practice,
And it takes a serious commitment to sit through all of life's ups and downs.
But there is also a dynamic about this work that is seriously funny.
When life does get very serious,
Sometimes the pressure or stress can build to a level where karmic relief allows at least some of that stress to dissipate.
A humorous way to start our practice today is with the realization that all of this doing nothing is really something.
Let's settle in,
And I hope you like the bell to begin today's session.
In a light-hearted way,
Let's start with a few nice,
Slow,
Full breaths.
On the inhale,
We can stretch up a little,
Filling the lungs with fresh air and energy.
On the exhale,
We let go and release.
You might try extending the exhale a bit,
To fully express and cleanse.
In Sanskrit,
There is a term prana for the breath,
Which means life force energy.
As you settle into a natural breathing rhythm,
Let's invite a slight smile to the corners of the mouth.
Just this simple gesture can already lighten our hearts.
We can invite that smile there,
In the heart,
Too.
This time and space that we have for our simple practice can evoke a feeling of gratitude,
And the gratitude in turn can evoke a feeling of joy and light-heartedness.
With that easy-going attitude,
We can rest our attention on the breath,
Or any home base,
Like sounds or a point of touch.
And when we can bring some intention to the ease of meditation and create a space of peace,
Joy,
And calm,
That space draws us in.
A light-hearted experience becomes a beacon of light that illuminates the way back here again,
Tomorrow.
Many of us get very serious about enlightenment,
And we think we can think our way to its realization.
A funny saying in response is that meditation isn't what you think.
Enlightenment isn't a destination.
It is a path that is open for everyone to experience.
Every sit is a gateway to that path,
And as we live mindfully,
We travel the path.
And when we lighten our hearts and our outlook,
We realize that so much of our doing and achieving and accomplishing actually takes us off the path.
Isn't that just a little bit hilarious?
So the lightening up can enlighten our way.
Enlightenment and humor are interconnected.
Enlightenment is sometimes described as realizing that life is a great cosmic joke or a cosmic play,
Which,
When understood,
Leads to pure joy and laughter.
Humor transcends the ego,
And laughter helps it dissolve as well as our tendency to take life too seriously.
Through this practice,
We find joy in the moment.
Laughter can induce gamma brainwaves,
Which are associated with deep meditation,
Moments of insight,
And enlightenment.
Laughing at oneself and the chaotic nature of life brings a sense of liberation,
Which can be viewed as a form of enlightenment.
One of my trusted teachers for many years now is Tara Brock,
And I love the way she weaves humorous stories into the fabric of her teachings.
Sometimes she'll share a funny story or anecdote and then say,
That had absolutely nothing to do with what I was talking about,
But I felt I had to share it.
We all love to laugh,
And many of us love to make others laugh.
Giving the gift of laughter to others and providing that comic relief isn't just an act of generosity,
It's an act of humanity.
We know how good it feels to laugh,
And we want others to feel good too.
And so finally,
I'm going to share with you,
Or maybe torture you,
With my three mindful dad jokes approved by my daughter.
Number one,
How do you know when you're on a path of enlightenment?
Never mind.
Number two,
Why did the Buddhist cross the road?
To find out what enlightened meant.
Number three,
And I've saved the best for last,
How do you know when you're buying enlightened potatoes?
The bag will say meditators.
Thank you for lightening up your practice today.
I wish you peace,
Joy,
And laughter.
