Paying Attention

Attention is love. What we’re doing in meditation is we are loving, and the effects of this work of attention in the meditation periods will be translated into our lives in the form of love. You basically become more loving people, capable of receiving love.
Audio: Hamish
Photo: Unplash

Transcript

Hi again everyone, My name is Hamish and welcome to another reflection from the WCCM Young Channel. Here we share the teachings from John Main, Lawrence Freeman, And the Christian Contemplator tradition. Over the next few weeks, I'm going to continue reading chapters from Grace at Work, The Healing Power of Meditation, Which was a series of talks given by Lawrence Freeman in 2019. Today I'm reading chapter 4, Paying Attention, And here Lawrence Freeman makes a passionate case for attention as love. First a quote. Attention is love. What we're doing in meditation is we are loving and the effects of this work of attention in the meditation periods will be translated into our lives in the form of love. You basically become more loving people, Capable of receiving love. And now the chapter. What are we doing in meditation? We are doing something very simple, Very profound, And very transformative. We are paying attention. When I say that we are letting go of our images and our desires as they arise in the form of distractions, We're not fighting them. We're not saying that's bad, I shouldn't be feeling that, I shouldn't be wanting that, I shouldn't be having that. We are not judging them as they arise. We know they're there. We accept them. We're not trying to suppress them because if you try to suppress them you'll lose. What we do instead is we take our attention off them. And so with infinite patience you are simply letting go. It's like a ship going through the water. You steer your way through the waves of the mind, The desires, The images, The fantasies, The memories, The plans, And gently, One by one, You let them go by taking your attention off them. And we do that by giving our attention to the mantra. That's how it works. Now, What is attention? Attention is a very important quality of life. The addict has got into an unfortunate state in which their attention has been fixated on one desire. For example, The next drink, The next hit, Or the next whatever it is. That's a fixated attention because it's fixated on the wrong thing, On a destructive thing, And it can really mess up your whole life. Relationships, Marriages, Work, Everything. Because the other things that you should be giving your attention to you can't because of this one fixation. Now, I can't force you to pay attention. We could lock the doors, Strap you to chairs, But I still couldn't force you. Which means that paying attention is a free choice. It's an expression of freedom which is the opposite of addiction. So by paying attention and exercising that capacity, That freedom, That gift of being able to pay attention, You are doing something very essentially human and healthy and natural. What is attention? Attention is love. Any act of attention is an act of love. If you choose to pay attention, You're discovering that it is work and you'd have to choose to do the work. No one else can choose for you. And if you choose to do that work, You are in effect giving yourself to the person or the thing that you are paying attention to. We talk about giving attention, Don't we? It's like giving oneself. And when we don't receive attention, We feel neglected. We feel badly treated or hurt or damaged in some way by that. But if we do receive attention, And this is what I think the fellowship of AA, Alcoholics Anonymous, Is all about, And what amazes me in the group meetings, Is the attention of the group to the individual who is speaking. It's a very powerful attention because it is a very healing attention and everybody is involved in that healing process. Those whom give attention and those whom individually at that particular meeting receive the attention. The relationship between the sponsor and the recovering alcoholic is really a very deep relationship, A deep spiritual relationship, In which attention is being given. Attention is love. What we're doing in meditation, And I'm not using this in any sense pierced language or sentimental language, But we are loving. It may not feel like it emotionally at the time, But we are loving and the effects of this work of attention in the meditation periods will be translated into our lives in the form of love. You basically become more loving people, Also more capable of receiving love. Love is a two-way street. Both giving and receiving are equally as important. So this is how I understand meditation. In paying attention to the mantra, As we say it, Be it maranatha or something else, However many times we fail, However many times we fall off and get distracted, We are nevertheless doing the work that has an accumulative effect. And it works in the simplest possible way, By cutting through the jungle, The labyrinth, The undergrowth of our years and the years of accumulated memories, Plans, Desires and images. It is the simplest therapy of all in that sense. But it's not easy. It's not easy because it isn't easy. You have to accept that you're not going to be perfect. It's not about being perfect. No healing work, No true spirituality is about being perfect. Being on a spiritual path is not about being perfect, It's about believing in wholeness and accepting the process humbly. Humbly accepting the stages of healing. Thank you for listening to chapter four in this series of lectures, Grace at Work, The Healing Power of Meditation. My name is Hamish and I'll see you next time for chapter five. In the meantime, Peace be with you all.