First of all, I would like to thank Dr Wong Yin Onn for giving me the slides of his presentation. Please note that: the words in [ ] brackets and blue color are my additional notes, thoughts and opinions. I also changed some of the slides order.
Meditation for Working People, also known as Meditation for Non-Meditator.
In this age of multi-tasking, we never do less than two things at once. We read while we eat, and it works because we get things done. We are Control Freaks. But when it comes to calming our mind in meditation we can’t simply because it would require us to sit still, let go and do nothing.
OVERVIEW
The real Buddhism is not books, not manuals, not word for word repetition from the Tipitaka, or it is rites and rituals. The real Buddhism is the practice, by way of body, speech and mind that will destroy the defilements, in part of completely…
Though a person may never have seen or even heard of the Tipitaka, if he carries out detailed investigation every time suffering arises and scorches his mind, he can be said to be studying the Tipitaka directly and far more correctly than people actually in the process of reading it. – Buddhadasa Bhikkhu
The Buddha’s Dhamma was a psycho-ethical outline as well as a practical path for experiencing the truth in day to day life.
It had only one problem and one solution. The one problem is the suffering of mankind and the one solution is the attainment of a state where there is no suffering at all. The path is the three stepped middle path of sila (moral precepts), samadhi (one pointedness) and panna (right understanding).
The Secret to Happiness
Formal meditation helps the mind to rest from its usual state of frenzied thought. It does not make life’s problems disappear, but it gives us a much clearer picture of our problems and to respond rationally with wisdom. [Meditation is not about running away from life’s problems, but meditation helps us to be calm and focus on the solutions]
What should we expect from meditation for working people? What is the desired goal? It is awakening. In more detail, the goal is a step by step improvement in our understanding of life, leading to an improvement in our conduct and having peace, happiness and security as we walk this path.
To walk a spiritual path we need to stay centered and at peace within ourselves. Resistance brings up negative energies of anger, hostility, judgment and fear. It is often preferable to “turn the other cheek” and maintain one’s spiritual composure. Many a times, the suffering is not worth the suffering. [I remember my own experience in meditation. Sometimes my legs felt so painful, yet in my mind, I could choose not to suffer from the pain]
Do you want to be right or do you want peace? We can choose to resist evil, strategizing, worrying, being angry, feeling miserable or we can choose to let go.
Certainly there are situations when we have to dig our heels in and stand up for ourselves. But it is important to weigh the cost of putting up a fight against the gratification of feeling victorious or vindicated. To “Lose” is often to “Win”
MEDITATION INCORPORATED IN DAILY LIFE
Meditation trains our minds, allowing thoughts and emotions to pass across our consciousness without lingering to distract us. It is NOT trying hard to empty our minds; it is a seismic change in the way we see the internal and external world.
It is an endeavor where the harder one tries to “do it”, the harder it is to attain. It is NOT what we do, but what we didn’t do that matters! We do not resist emotions or arising thoughts but merely see it and not be entrapped by it. It is present moment awareness, inspect not expect, letting go!
Besides sitting down, closing the eyes and watching the mind, can we ‘meditate’ while attending to everyday business? How can we make Mindfulness as a Way of Life rather than a practice separate from daily living?
1. Minding the mind
We can all benefit from a greater awareness of how our mind works. Meditation here and now, amid the ups and downs of life. If we want to understand our mind, we have to watch it while it is happy, angry, sad, fearful, etc.
The Dhamma encompasses all aspects of life, it is all inclusive. When watching the mind becomes a constant habit in daily life, the cycle of reacting mindlessly to the external environment is broken.
Formal meditation is important but it even more important to extend it beyond the meditation cushion. It is not postures that lead to enlightenment, though it is useful to help the mind quiet down.
In meditation we learn to realize the impermanent nature of things. Realize that there is a huge difference between “There is suffering” and “I am suffering.” Only when we cease to be involved with our emotions can peaceful equanimity emerge; simply watching the emotions instead of being the emotion. We must constantly remind ourselves that “this too shall pass” and sit and watch as it passes away. As we do so, peace and happiness reveal themselves on their own, like the sun revealing itself from behind the clouds.
To experience peace does not mean that our lives are always blissful. It means that we are capable of tapping into a blissful state of mind amidst the normal chaos of a hectic life. [I have experienced this myself. If you want to read about it, please read here]
To the untrained person, whenever there is a conflict between the rational mind and the emotional mind, the older brain which controls the emotion will win hands down!
Understanding this is very important for those of us who wish to train our minds to be logical and objective, for we are going against the grain of millenniums of evolution. This is why diets fail and men have affairs!
Can we better integrate our three brains? It turns out that meditation integrates the brains. It rewires and harmonizes them. It lets you see through the blandishments of consumerism and much other falsity. Harmonizing one's brain is a slow and patient project. Evolution has not had time to integrate our brains. Meditation is a way of choosing to help evolution reach its moulding hand inside our head. Three brains are swell, but three brains in harmony are bliss.
[If you want to read more about these three brains, go here]
2. Metta meditation while driving
[Dr Wong told the story how he did metta meditation while driving the long stretch between Johor Baru and Kuala Lumpur. We can practice metta while driving, wishing the cars around us “may all beings be happy”, even those fast cars zigzagging past us (they definitely need our best wishes)]
3. The Game Boy
4. A Modern Gong for Present Moment Awareness
[We can make our watch or mobile phone to beep every hour and when we hear the beep, we just pause and watch our mind for a minute or so]
Present moment awareness is “keeping the body and mind in the same place”
5. Walking
If we can walk, then we can meditate. Just walk slowly in a calm, quiet place like a park. Let the mind be at ease, let go and just be aware of our steps as we walk. Be with the steps that we take, living each moment as we experience it. Please note that it is obvious that we should walk only where our personal safely is not in question.
If you are still struggling with thoughts, do not judge yourself harshly. Simply acknowledge that fact and mentally note, “just thoughts, let it go, just thoughts, let it go” until you really do let it go. And if that does not work the first time, then may be the next time, or the next time. Even if you were stuck in a tsunami of thoughts throughout the walk, you had a good exercise.
6. Mindful eating
Pay attention to what we eat. How many times have we savored the first bite or two only to be swept away by thoughts, planning or worrying? Eat a meal in a quiet contemplative state. Don't push away thoughts when they arise, but don’t let them encompass us, either. Notice the taste of the food, its texture and how it makes us feel as we eat it.
7. Mindful talking
Pay attention to what motivates our speech. Most of the time, we’re taking to someone in auto-pilot mode or fight-or-flight mentality. If we stop to look in and understand “why” we’re about to say what we intend to say, it makes it more likely that we’ll speak with kindness and compassion. When mindless, we often let some really painful or thoughtless words slip.
8. Sleep
A wonderful way to meditate is to spend the 5-10 minutes that we spend lying on the bed before falling asleep in meditation. No pillow talk. Just follow the breath going in and out. Just look at the thoughts that arise and fade away. Was it an “in-breath or out-breath” before you fell asleep?
When we make an effort to turn our attention inwards, we are reconditioning ourselves. (Before this we were only looking outwards!) This looking inward can become habitual; a new conditioning where the minds focuses on itself frequently and regularly.
Where is the balance between worldly and spiritual pursuits?
There should be no boundaries between the spiritual life and daily mundane life.
The foundation of all spiritual practice is to let the Dhamma be the GPS of our lives. We learn to let go of our greed, have contentment and gratitude. We keep our precepts. We must earn a living and have righteous wealth but wealth should not be the one and overriding aim of our lives.
In conclusion,
Mindfulness meditation in daily life brings out the best in us. Its right effort whereby we promote only the wholesome and disconnect the unwholesome from transmission.
Meditation doesn't require burning incense or to sit cross-legged. There
are many alternatives. We could sit comfortably, stand, walk or lay down. Many forms of meditation are based upon the awareness of breath. Through our practice of the different styles, we will find the one
right for ourselves.
Now all that is left to do is set time aside each day to reflect, relax and
meditate. By creating a daily practice, we can expect to achieve greater
clarity in our lives. You will be amazed by life changing results it offers. [As of today, I’ve practiced meditation for 867 days in a row and I certainly enjoy the benefits of this daily practice]
May all beings be happy!
Learn and Grow!
Inge Santoso, B. Com
