Mystery: Practice Morsels

Of course, meditation offers countless benefits, and for many of us, practical reasons and time constraints shape how we practice. However, for some—especially during longer retreats or in certain circumstances—the notion of mystery may arise. As one deepens into the experience, a sense of awe and wonder can emerge, an appreciation for whatever all of this is. Even something as simple as the breath is quite remarkable. After all, this body—this compounded sack of filth—is still an astonishing thing.

Transcript

Of course,

There are so many benefits of meditation,

And there's more practical reasons and time constraints for so many of us when we practice,

But however,

Some of us,

Especially to get done longer retreats or in certain situations,

This notion of mystery may come up.

This sense of awe and wonder as one deepens into whatever all this is,

I mean,

Even just the breath,

It really is quite an amazing thing.

This compounded filth sack,

That's a body,

You know,

It can also be perceived as very beautiful on the outside.

When we dig in,

We've got all this unclean stuff inside,

But all somehow miraculously functioning.

And we get into stillness in this breath.

I mean,

What is it?

Where does it come from?

How does it work?

I mean,

We can take a scientific approach,

But why do we need to breathe,

Even to begin with?

Some creatures don't breathe in the way we do.

How much is just involved in that process that just goes on without us even having to do a thing on the very minutest levels to the grandest scales.

So this sense of awe and wonder can really deepen our experience and maybe make it worthwhile.

And sometimes this is there without investigation.

And sometimes we just need to ask one question.

And sometimes one question can lead to more and more and more questions compounding.

And we can make that seem or that can seem frustrating,

Or we can just marvel in the mystery of it all.

And how do we use this to our long-term welfare and happiness and benefit for ourselves and others?