Sound Thoughts | The Ocean As A Metaphor For Meditation

Using the ocean as a metaphor can help us understand the mind, mindfulness, and meditation. Moving through turbulence into a place of peace. Our mind contains its own always-changing waves. Moving beneath the waves is where peace lives.

Transcript

It's said the ocean represents an accurate metaphor for meditation and the mind.

On the surface there are crashing waves,

Strong winds.

This represents the turbulence of your thoughts and you are affected by these conditions of life by stress,

By anxiety.

Most people are living at this level and are caught up in the mental turbulence with emotions and storms that may drown them.

At this level of mind it feels like it is all about you as though you are the center of the universe.

But when you settle your mind through meditation you start to move beneath the waves and turbulence.

From here you can observe and see the things which cause all the turbulence on the surface,

The patterns you have.

You now see the currents moving through your mind controlling you.

You show up as fear,

Anger,

Sadness,

Reactivity,

Your desire to control conditions.

Yet they are not of you even though they are in all humans.

Here you can see you are experiencing conditions beyond your control.

As you float closer to the ocean floor you experience serenity.

Here it is much calmer.

At this level you can see you don't have to get caught up in the human condition.

Here you find a place of rest and observation.

You release yourself from the habit of trying to control as a way to avoid pain and gain pleasure.

You become free of reactivity.

You allow and accept.

The deeper you go the more understanding you have.

You allow what is there within you.

You more easily allow your thoughts,

Feelings,

And ideas to come and go instead of being swept away by the turbulence.