Most of the time in our lives, the world gets away from us. It causes for us to run through thoughts, feelings and emotions to a level that we are not ready to process at within our day.
It gets to a point where we reach "Monkey Brain" as the monks call it. Where our mind is racing, and everything seems like a blur. In these moments I take to meditation to shut down the mind and let the world around me disconnect; even if it's only for a few minutes in our day.
Here is a sample of a great meditation I found online:
Buddha and his disciples decided to undertake a journey in which they would have to cross various territories and cities. One day, they saw a lake in the distance. They decided to stop there since they were thirsty. When they arrived, Buddha said to his youngest and most eager disciple: “I’m thirsty. Can you bring me some water from that lake?”
The disciple went to the lake, but when he arrived he noticed that a wagon of oxen was crossing it. Little by little, the water became cloudy. After this happened, the disciple thought, “I can’t give the teacher this muddy water to drink.” Thus, he went back and told Buddha, “The water is very muddy, I don’t think we can drink it.” After about a half an hour later, Buddha asked the disciple to go back to the lake and bring him some water to drink. However, the water was still dirty. Once he returned, he said to Buddha: “We can’t drink that water. We should walk to the town to get something to drink”.
Buddha didn’t answer him. However, he didn’t make any movement either. He just stayed there. After a while, Buddha asked the disciple once again to go back to the lake and bring him water. As he didn’t want to challenge his master, he went to the lake. However, he was quite annoyed because he didn’t understand why he had asked him to go back again. Since the water was muddy, they couldn’t drink it.
When he arrived, he observed that the water now looked crystal clear. Thus, he collected some and brought it to Buddha. He looked at the water and said to the disciple, “What have you done to clean the water?” The disciple didn’t understand the question. It was obvious that he hadn’t done anything.
This was a moment to listen. To learn. Only when the young one was ready.
The Buddha looked at him and explained, “You waited and let it be. Therefore, the mud settled on its own and now the water is clear. Your mind is like that too! When it’s muddy, you have to let it be. Give it some time. Don’t be impatient. On the contrary, be patient. It’ll reach a balance on its own. You don’t have to make any effort to calm it down. Everything will pass on its own as long as you don’t hold on to it.”
Just remember, sometimes everything in life needs a moment to settle. Take the time to breathe, and it will all come clearer in your day.
תגובות