So,
Over the past few months,
Especially since it has been winter here in Arkansas,
And it has been rather chilly,
I have become keenly aware of the inseparable connection between our mind and our body.
Or if you want to put it in a more scientific way,
Perhaps,
You could say the relationship between our psychology and our physiology.
But I do try and keep these talks as close to normal parlance as I can,
But then I sound like a jerk saying the word parlance,
So who knows.
Well,
It seems like the more you constrain yourself physically,
The more in some ways you constrain yourself mentally,
The union between the body and mind is one that is far stronger than we often consider.
If we feel stuck doing the same meditative practice day in and day out,
We may find ourselves beginning to crumple up,
Become discouraged,
Or maybe even give up entirely on what we're working on or what we're doing.
In these reflections,
It doesn't just have to be about meditation,
Though.
It can be an aspect of everything.
You can feel stuck in your physical space,
Be it your home,
Your office,
Or your general area.
You can feel stuck in your mental space,
Be it the things you're interested in,
Your thoughts patterns,
Your hopes,
Your worries.
Or you can be stuck in your emotional space,
Going through the same feelings over and over again without understanding how to overcome them or work through them,
Caught up in cyclical thinking,
In cyclical movement,
And in the cyclical realm of some sorrow that we all find ourselves in.
I think this has a lot to do with the way in which we engage the body and the mind with the world as it presents itself to us,
And how we take that input from the world and interpret it in our own being.
Something which spurs this problem of stuckness,
Boredom,
Sloth,
In my opinion,
Is the systems of the world that exist around us.
If you were a hunter-gatherer,
Moving from place to place,
You would be getting fresh and new events,
Experiences,
And happenings all the time.
But you aren't a hunter-gatherer,
You live in a technological miracle of a world,
And the mere fact that I can speak to you through this medium is magnificent.
But the more we live in the realm of YouTube,
Netflix,
Twitter,
Instagram,
Or wherever you live in this technological world,
The more you may notice the same things coming up over and over again,
Without even realizing it,
Built a kind of cocoon of mundane sameness,
Which while comforting can run dry of fresh perspective,
Fresh experience,
And novelty in general.
The cocoon feels nice,
Though.
It's familiar.
It's a path we don't even have to watch,
Because we know where the grooves and rocks are that might trip us up.
Yet,
Just like if you do the same kind of practice every day for months or years on end,
You will swiftly find that it isn't doing anything whatsoever other than training your brain and body that this is the thing that you do at this time now,
Not adding or subtracting to your being,
Just an activity like all of the rest.
Then,
One day,
You suddenly realize,
Why am I stuck here in this experience?
Why am I thinking the same things,
And not getting anywhere in my practice or existence?
And how on earth do I gain enough speed to escape this pattern I have unknowingly fallen into?
Well,
Firstly,
You try and gain perspective as best you can,
Be it on the meditation cushion,
Sitting on the edge of your bed,
Or staring up at the ceiling in your cubicle.
Now,
This won't be easy at first,
But it will be obvious in a way.
It is strange how,
If you sit back and ask yourself what's wrong,
With a sense of trust and a spirit of honesty within yourself,
Your brain will often tell you in one way or another,
Realizing that you aren't in a meditation practice,
Job,
Or life experience that you enjoy,
Or like,
Or feel stuck in,
And that it is going to take a little work and a little discomfort to find a path out of it.
If we exist for a long time in this own little world of our creation,
It can often breed a sort of pessimism,
Disdain,
And hatefulness in us.
Now,
It is good to be alone sometimes,
To reflect and understand yourself,
Just with yourself,
But too much isolation without a purpose to isolation,
Be it a retreat or otherwise,
Can be quite terrible for us.
We are in fact social creatures at our base.
This is why,
In the Three Main Jewels of Buddhism,
Buddha and Dharma are ever so important.
But Sangha,
Or community,
Is held in equal stature and status.
It seems like human beings operate at their highest level when we work and live together well.
When we can practice spiritually together,
Be it in the same room or across the country.
When we can bounce ideas off each other.
When we can help each other carry a load and accept our own personal level of responsibility with honor,
Grace,
And nobility,
In whatever way you want to think of that.
Getting caught up in our own little patterns and falling into a sort of existential dread can be somewhat kept at bay,
I think,
By not only being a pillar unto ourselves and doing the things we need to do to improve who we are today against who we were yesterday,
But by contributing something to our community,
Our tribe,
Our friend group,
Our family.
Be it kindness,
Small acts of love,
Help,
Or reality checks when we need them.
By doing so,
We get out of our own little world and see that our life echoes into eternity.
We aren't so trapped as we think.
The places we go,
The people we interact with,
The content we consume,
All this acts as an extension of our consciousness,
Of our mind,
Of the way in which we can practice and be mindful towards this life we are living,
As you or as me.
I am not a master.
I am not a founder.
I stand on the shoulders of giants to see as far as I do,
And if it had not been for those around me and those who came before me giving me access to these new ideas,
These new ways of thinking,
And new ways of doing things I am passionate about,
Then I would have barely moved the mark if left to my own solitude.
These new experiences can open up your world.
New practices in spiritual life,
In physical life,
Or in your own mental castle can make your life feel more significant,
Especially when shared.
I know this is an odd talk,
But this is all basically a very long-winded way of saying go out there and be curious,
Be patient,
And be effortful in the things you do.
If it's meditation,
Switch up your style or your effort or the time that you put in on the cushion or however you do your practice.
If it's exercise or work,
Try and approach it from a new perspective or try a new routine.
I know that sometimes in my exercise I can get awfully bored and all I have to do is do it in reverse and suddenly it feels fresh and new.
Then be you with others as honestly as you can and I think you'll find that you are out of that rut,
Out of your cocoon,
And in some way living the truest version of your life that you can,
Not in solitude,
But shared,
In your community,
And in this big wonderful world.
So I hope this in some ways can help you get out of that rut,
To feel that resistance and follow it to whatever end it is of becoming the best version of you and adding a little joy to this world.
So good luck and practice well my friends.
This is Silas Day and I hope you have a wonderful day.
