One of many first issues we be taught on the trail of meditation is that want is an impediment to our progress. And its inverse, avoidance (aversion), is an equal barrier to our evolution.
However at present, I wish to discuss want differently. As a result of, we will truly harness want to deepen and ripen our mindfulness meditation. That’s proper, want might help us dwell within the wealthy fullness of this very second, undistracted and comfy.
However first, let’s shortly assessment why the Buddha taught that want is such a strong hindrance to realizing our primary nature as limitless, entire, and basically free.
The Drawback With Want
Pioneering Vipassana meditation instructor Jack Kornfield describes the sticky web of want like this:
The primary hindrance is want for sense pleasure: nice sights, sounds, smells, tastes, bodily sensations, and thoughts states. What’s the issue with want—what’s flawed with it? Nothing, actually. There’s nothing flawed with having fun with nice experiences. Given the difficulties we face in life, they’re good to have.
However they idiot us.
They trick us into adopting the ‘‘if solely’’ mentality: ‘‘If solely I might have this,’’ or ‘‘If solely I had the proper job,’’ or ‘‘If solely I might discover the proper relationship,’’ or ‘‘If solely I had the proper garments,’’ or ‘‘If solely I had the proper character, then I’d be pleased.’’
We’re taught that if we will get sufficient pleasurable experiences, pasting them collectively shortly one after one other, our life might be pleased…
Once more, the issue isn’t the thing of want, however the power within the thoughts. The power of want retains us transferring, in search of that factor that’s actually going to do it for us. The wanting thoughts is itself painful. It’s a self-perpetuating behavior that doesn’t permit us to be the place we’re as a result of we’re greedy for one thing some place else.
Even once we get what we would like, we then need one thing extra or completely different as a result of the behavior of wanting is so sturdy. It’s a sense that being right here and now isn’t sufficient, that we’re one way or the other incomplete, and it retains us reduce off from the enjoyment of our personal pure completeness. We’re by no means content material.
It’s the similar drive on the earth at giant that creates the havoc of individuals wanting and consuming, hoarding, and combating wars to have increasingly more, for pleasure and for safety which might be by no means fulfilled.
Possibly you may relate to a few of this?
Whenever you look carefully, you discover that a lot of our tradition is structured to stoke our want for lovely issues, individuals, experiences, and many others. We’re swimming in it.
But when want is such an issue, how can it assist us in our meditation? And the way can we harness it to develop and nurture our humanity?
Understanding Our Distraction
Once we meditate, we shortly acknowledge that it’s difficult to maintain our consideration targeted on our meditation object.
We carry our consideration to the breath. And earlier than we even notice it, we’re drifting away, misplaced in a pleasing fantasy. We’re serious about plans for the weekend and what we’re going to have for dinner.
Or possibly we’re ruminating and regretting one thing that occurred yesterday. A grudge that we hold feeding with unfavourable ideas like a dragon chasing its personal tail.
The extra we try and steer our consideration again to our meditation object, the extra we discover our distracted situation.
This is without doubt one of the first steps in growing self-awareness. We see that we’re chronically distracted and misplaced in mind-wandering mode. Our attentional system is frayed and fractured.
And more often than not, that situation isn’t obvious to us as we transfer from one expertise to the following. And we don’t discover as a result of most of our friends and companions are equally distracted.
We dwell in a area of distraction.
The issue is that we’re by no means happy on this state. We’re stressed and haunted. Dimly conscious that inside wholeness and elementary contentment is at all times simply out of attain and we’re at a loss for attain it.
Harnessing the Therapeutic Energy of Want
However right here is the place we will start to harness the optimistic and therapeutic energy of want. As we begin to develop into conscious of our predicament, we get little glimpses into what it feels prefer to be totally immersed within the current second.
We discover that the longer we relaxation our consideration on our meditation object, the calmer we develop into. The thoughts begins to settle. Our physique relaxes, and our senses open up, and we begin to hear and really feel the music of life once more.
Similar to we did once we had been young children.
When this occurs, we shortly notice the pristine nature of the current second. After which we will begin to discover that now we have a small margin of alternative.
We are able to truly select to remain within the current second or we will select to stay misplaced within the carousel daydream of want.
It’s right here that we will pose a easy however highly effective query to ourselves.
Which do I need extra? To stay on this stressed unhappy half-asleep state? Or to carry the thoughts dwelling to my deeper self? To unify and cohere on the deepest ranges of my being?
In fact, I need the latter.
However now I see that I have to nurture and feed my want for that presence and wholeness as a result of my want for distraction–a deep culturally bolstered behavior–is stronger than my want for wholeness and unity of thoughts and objective.
Feeding and Fueling Your Want For Presence
Certainly, the Buddha’s teachings inform us that the antidote to this painful situation of deep distraction is the inside unity of consideration and equanimity that we domesticate in meditation.
As you feed and gas your want to attune to the current second, the result’s wholeness, coherence, and therapeutic.
That painful bone-deep feeling that one thing is lacking dissolves within the cool calming waters of your equanimous thoughts.
And one of many important keys to all of that is fueling your want to dwell within the current second. To attune, second to second, to the ever-unfolding right here and now.
The extra you do that, the extra your want for presence grows till it turns into so sturdy that you’ll shield it like a fierce mama bear defending her little one.
When you’d prefer to be taught extra about develop and nurture this want, then I encourage you to hitch me for the Coming House Mindfulness Meditation Coaching Program.
