My dearest friend,
My cousin,
Thank you so much for inviting me to share this very special moment.
We only have so very few.
I'm truly grateful to be with you here,
To be with you now.
Let's sit and share this moment.
I treasure you and value your question,
What is meditation?
What words could I possibly find that fully conveys the beauty of meditation?
My own journey began with my own very similar question so many years ago.
I must admit to understand very little about meditation,
And least of all is where it takes us.
The choice to make the unconscious conscious.
It's one of the first steps along this path,
And in fact you've already begun just by asking,
By seeking,
By breathing in and breathing out.
Automatically our mind orchestrates for us,
Even without us thinking how many other patterns are racing through our subconscious.
Complete concentration on breath,
This unconscious function comes into our conscious awareness in meditation.
A single pointed focus.
By changing our breath we can change our entire emotion,
Creating space,
The sacred space devoid of reaction.
Just close your eyes and listen deeply.
Deep breath in,
Long relaxing breath out.
Start to notice the rhythm,
Feeling the space you're creating,
And know that you are breathing in life.
Begin to feel the beat of your heart,
Know that you are alive.
Continue to follow that rhythmic thread flowing even deeper.
Listen with all your heart,
So closely you can hear the acorn groaning to burst from its shell.
Burst from its shell,
Even though it's buried deeply under the winter snow.
Listen so intently you can hear a flower bloom.
In that space of growth we consciously shift from thinking into feeling.
These moments our unconscious becomes conscious.
We are aware,
We can feel the stillness,
That space between action and reaction,
The space between inhale and the exhale,
So fluid,
Just consciously aware.
Immersing yourself in it,
Feel it in every fiber of your being.
Know your lungs are breathing,
Your heart is beating,
And begin to feel the entire universe conspiring on your behalf.
My apologies cousin,
I know my words lack the flavor and richness your question deserves.
The Buddha taught the Anapadasati Sutta,
Mindfulness of breathing.
We were told at the right time,
The right place,
The right posture,
Very important,
Often essential for successful meditation practice.
Though we have been breathing throughout our entire life,
We perhaps have done so without mindfulness.
As we shift and try to follow each breath,
We find ancient wisdom as we compare the natural state of an uncontrolled mind to an untamed calf,
Even the wildest monkey.
Our monkey mind's long been saturated,
Visible data,
Discernment is required,
Not to judge,
Just to separate these observances,
These thoughts,
This monkey mind,
Separate from our true nature.
We become the witness,
Perhaps sitting legs crossed,
Spine straight,
Mind alert,
Breathing in the long inhale.
We know I am breathing in and breathing out long,
Relaxing breath.
We know I am breathing out,
Choosing to let go,
Choosing to inhale new life,
Creating space,
Body and mind,
Breathing out,
Continuing to let go of the tension that binds us.
We find the space for unentangled acceptance,
Acceptance of the present,
The moment,
Mindfulness of our breathing.
We develop the power,
The freedom to create this space,
Finding space between the action or incident in our reaction,
This feeling of being awake.
Imagine the freedom you have to create this stillness with each breath.
My cousin,
I know you love to run,
This is a course that's yours to run.
Only you can choose to lift the tension from each step in each breath.
Give yourself permission to be free from suffering.
See every mile you travel in your mind's eye with a single pointed focus,
Fixed on the piece that fills your footprints.
Let nothing distract you,
Only harmony,
Only flowing one step to the next,
One breath,
Inhale,
Exhale.
Surely this is meditation,
Always listening,
Hearing the footsteps,
Hearing the breath,
Hearing whatever thoughts may slip into the spaces you create.
Make that space your sacred space,
Guard it,
Reserve it only for stillness.
Whatever thoughts of your day,
Whatever aches and pains along the way,
Just witness,
Observe,
But do not let them occupy the space,
Lest they begin to define you.
No more than the hills and valleys along your route,
Or the gravel and pavement under your feet,
These things do not define you.
Only flow,
Harmony,
Peace.
We begin to enjoy the making of unconscious into conscious with every stride,
Every breath,
Every choice,
Every thought,
Word,
And deed,
Not defined by the tissues and organs.
The breath continues to flow,
Nourishing our body,
Nourishing our mind.
And so it is,
Our practice will nourish the world around you,
And feeling the relief as you lift one leg,
And the other,
And again and again,
Creating these moments of stillness,
Stillness that occupies the space between tension.
And this is freedom.
In that space,
Your real nature has already emerged in the form of your very beautiful question.
And so now the choice is one of faith,
And choose to mount up.
Let your soul fly free on wings of eagles,
Focusing,
Concentrating,
Ever so mindfully guiding the breath.
Choose,
Dear cousin,
To unbridle the abundant flow of beautiful questions.
This is a practice of life worth living.
In my own journey,
I've simply arrived at my breath,
Pulling at my own thread of questions.
I pass through my heart,
And deep into my soul,
To discover it was and always will be a universe conspiring on my behalf,
Despite my slumber.
And now in meditation,
I'm awake.
The unconscious becomes conscious,
Unlocking abundance,
Creating space and time.
And in the stillness,
Listening and humbly bowing to the eternal wisdom in each beat of the heart,
Each inhale and exhale.
And occasionally,
In these sweet moments,
I'm blessed by grace.
I can feel my heart,
Can feel my breath flowing to this eternal rhythm of truth,
Feeling the vibration of the earth in harmony with the universe around me.
In this truth,
You and I are united,
Though the miles,
The distance,
May separate our physical bodies,
Our hearts and souls beat as one.
What is most real in me is also real in you.
Although we are bound together in this way,
We are truly free.
Each moment,
You create space.
Each time you bring your hands together at heart center,
We honor that space we share.
With one pointed focus,
We make it sacred.
And surely,
This is the ancient wisdom of meditation.
Each time you pause in your day to create that space,
Just know the light,
The love in me honors the light,
Love in you.
With all my love,
With all my love,
With all my gratitude,
Namaste.
