Meditation

Meditation is a cardinal part of the practice of the pursuit of  happiness. Arguably, it is required in order to optimize one’s pursuit of happiness. It is certainly an extremely useful practice (Thinking about the formidable work the brain accomplishes throughout a day as a workout, meditation at the beginning and at the end of the day can be considered the warm-up and cool-down routines). I strongly recommend committing to 20-30 minutes of meditation once or twice a day as the foundation on which the rest of the practice of mindfulness can be built.

The best way to develop a meditation practice is to find a geographically accessible meditation center and attend meditation classes and regularly participate in group meditation. A second option is to learn about meditation from a good book and/or a reliable website.

The following is a summary of what I have learned so far about breathing meditation. It is not meant to replace a formal study. I offer the following as concepts I found useful in my own breathing meditation practice, which I hope will also be of some use to you.

Technique

First off, a meditation session must be timed. It has to have a beginning point and a clear, predetermined end point. If you meditate in a Zen center a monk or the meditation guide will announce the beginning of the session and ring a bell to let you know the session has come to an end. If you meditate on your own you need a timing device, your cell phone alarm or an egg-timer will do.

Next, the actual drill of sitting meditation. The single ‘demand’ the meditation practitioner asks of him- or herself to meet is to do as little as possible, both physically and mentally. Hence, it is literally the easiest thing a person can be asked to do. What could be easier than doing nothing? At the same time, it is also impossible to do (if for no other reason, and there are other reasons, for the fact that we must keep breathing to stay alive). The meditation practitioner commits to refrain from moving any muscle other than the muscles associated with breathing, regardless of the sensations that arise during the meditation session. The same approach applies to the mental process. One tries to refrain from all thoughts — to think about nothing.

However, it is virtually impossible to stop the mental processes of consciousness and empty the mind. Since breathing has to continue, it represents an excellent target to occupy the mind while meditating. The breath is a readily available matter with which the meditator can keep the mind occupied. In other words, for the duration of the meditation session, the practitioner attempts to ignore all the the internal and external universe and permit the mind to think about one thing and one thing only: the ongoing breathing.

Any aspect of that breathing is fair game: the smell of the air (fresh flowers close to where you sit can offer a nice breath-related something to focus on), the temperature of the air, the sensations in the chest as the air enters and leaves the lungs. Some meditators say repeatedly (in mind) ‘In’ while inhaling, ‘Hold’ while holding the air and ‘Out’ while exhaling. Others count, for example, to four while inhaling, three while holding the air, and eight while exhaling. As long as the mind is busy thinking about nothing but the ongoing breathing it is “in compliance”. And, like I said, what could be easier? Except that it is completely impossible. Your mind will wander. Such is the nature of the mind. It wanders.

Developing a Disciplined Mind

Failing (to meet the demand of keeping the mind exclusively on the breath) is the only way to succeed. It is only when the mind wanders that we can become familiar with the true nature of our minds. We tend to believe that our mind, because it is ours, will do what we want it to do. This is an illusion. One of the benefits of meditation is to become aware of this illusion. The mind has a mind of its own. And it is very undisciplined and thus, not very trustworthy.

Another benefit of meditation is the development of a negotiation process with our own mind.

Our minds are, in many ways, like a puppy. A young puppy who doesn’t even know it has a name. Hence, it should not be expected to come when called, not to mention obey more complex commands, like ‘sit’, ‘stay’ and so on. The practitioner of breathing meditation is like a trainer taking on the challenge of training the puppy and raising it to be a trustworthy adult, qualifying for the title of man’s best friend.

A puppy, simply because such is its puppy nature, is much more likely to get into the closet, chew up your favorite shoe, then pee under the bed than it is to do what you tell it to do. A good trainer remembers that none of this is personal. It’s just the puppy’s nature. Getting upset and angry with the puppy for being a puppy is both irrational and a lousy approach to the training process. A good trainer maintains a calm demeanor, patience and a sense of humor. Furthermore, a good trainer relies on positive reinforcement, using praise and rewards for even the smallest step in the right direction rather than threats and beatings for disobedience.

The meditation practitioner should use the image of the good trainer as a guiding model. Firstly, at the start of the session, the trainer allows the puppy to run around for a few minutes and spend some energy before the actual training begins. Similarly, at the beginning of meditation session allow your mind to wander. Allow a few minutes for your mind to get into the meditation state before it calms down. When the mind calms down it will be more cooperative focusing on the breath, but it will still wander. It is simply its nature. It will not stay on the breath just because you tell it to do so. Like the puppy it will go where you don’t want it to go and will do things you don’t want it to do. It doesn’t take long before it will wander off, especially for beginning meditators. Something is guaranteed to call the mind away from the task. A noise in the next room, an itch, or a tightening muscle. Be that as it may, the meditator must not get upset, angry, or demoralized. The practitioner needs to remember that it is simply the nature of the undisciplined mind. The wandering mind is to be approached, using the good trainer as a model, with a calm demeanor, patience, and a sense of humor. Any form of harsh treatment is simply to be avoided.

Whenever you catch your mind wandering off target try to remind yourself that such is the nature of the puppy mind. When this happens in my practice, I try to chuckle, not only because the puppy is funny to me, but also because it is no big deal. Who in the world is worse off for it? When the mind wanders, as much as possible, without fanfare or ceremony, simply return to and refocus on the breathing, until it wanders off again.

If you can keep your mind on the breathing for 10 seconds before it wanders off, that’s great. With more practice you will find it can stay on task for longer and longer. But, eventually it will wander which, of course, is also great because that is when you get the most out of the practice.

Physical Position

The instructions pertaining to the physical position are simple. Sitting in a lotus position or a half lotus is traditional but it is not a critical issue. Sitting on a chair is just fine. If so, most teachers recommend planting both feet on the ground and keeping a “bright back”, avoiding slouching. Some meditators keep their eyes open and focused on a single point on a wall or in the distance. Others meditate with eyes closed. Either is fine (one should stick with the option chosen at the beginning of the session). Often it is recommended to place the right palm inside the left palm and have the tip of the thumbs touching. Once a comfortable position has been established the session begins. Breathing should be regular and at a comfortable pace. The mind is called to the breath. That position should be kept until the end of the session bell rings.

Session Length

In terms of the length of the meditation session itself, I suggest starting with a very short, always timed, session. Say, three to five minutes, if you have no prior experience in meditating. After a few days, when the end of the session bell rings you will automatically hear yourself thinking “time’s up already?! That was too quick!” (or some version of these thoughts). At that point you are ready to add another minute or two to your next practice session. And the same thing will happen again after a few days or weeks. Again, being surprised by the bell signaling the end of your session will tell you that you are ready to add a couple of minutes to your daily practice. Eventually you will build up to daily sessions that are twenty to thirty minutes long. This is an excellent place to stop (of course, if your schedule permits, there is no reason to not meditate longer; my understanding is that the Dalai Lama meditates for three hours a day. I think he is a readily acceptable role model in this and other matters pertaining to the pursuit of happiness).

As I mentioned above, especially if you become more interested in the practice of meditation, you should find a meditation teacher and community and grow your practice and mastery as it best fits your lifestyle.

The Benefits of Meditation

The study of the brain changes and benefits associated with meditation has been and continues to be a very active area in neuroscience research. Rather than offer a summary of this research (Google it. There’s very interesting stuff going on in that research), I’d like to share what I have discovered as beneficial in my personal meditation experience and will attempt to illustrates some of the concepts discussed in the Theory section of this website.

• Freedom: The way to invest in your own liberation is to cultivate inner discipline. In other words, to cultivate personal freedom one has to generate a personal, functional rule and follow it over time. The practice of meditation is an excellent way to do that, to cultivate inner discipline. Hence, it is an excellent way to methodically invest in your own freedom. Note that in order to be functional a rule needs to be (1)common-sensical, (2)simple, and (3)measurable. The rule to meditate is very common- sensical: Anyone can ask oneself to do nothing but breathe for a predetermined length of time. It can be done when you are well or when you are (physically or mentally) not well. It can be done at home or away from home, alone or around others, and you don’t need special equipment (other than a time measuring device) to do it. It is very simple, right? What could be simpler than doing nothing but breathe? And, it is easily measurable: If you stay put until the bell rings (regardless of what your mind does while you sit) — check. You followed your rule that day. If you don’t sit at all, or if you get up before the bell rings, that day you didn’t follow your rule (and even if you didn’t, no great harm will come to you or anyone else, so no big deal; and — there’s another day coming).
• Self Confidence: Self confidence and self respect are earned when a person  witnesses oneself living a commitment, regardless of how one feels. The practice of meditation offers a chance to witness yourself living by your commitment on two levels. First, there is the commitment to meditate regularly, over time. Second, there is a number of commitments to make while meditating: To do nothing but breathe, to try to think of nothing but the breath, and to gently call the mind back to the breath when it wanders off. When considering making a commitment in general, it is a key to set oneself up to succeed rather than to fail. The first step in that regard is to make the commitment small and manageable; commitments that can actually be adhered to. To refrain from making big commitments that may be too difficult to live by. Hence, when considering committing to the practice of breathing meditation I think it’s a good idea to start with a commitment to meditate just once. Commit to meditating one day at a time (after a few days, as you get a feel for it, you can consider committing to meditating every day (or every weekday) for a week, and so on). As far as the commitment to the duration of the meditation session, you should start with a very short session — three to five minutes, and grow from there as your practice gets stronger.
• Mental Balance: Mental balance has a lot to do with the way in which we divide attention. One place where we can aspire to cultivate mental balance is in the continuum between gravity (severity, seriousness) and levity (dismissiveness). Meditation offers an excellent opportunity to practice cultivating balance in this regard. It is a serious practice. People have been taking it seriously for more than 2500 years, and, even if there was no other reason, just for that I take it seriously. At the same time, it is nothing. It is the practice of doing nothing! What could be less serious than that?
•  Tolerance: Discomfort (which is low level pain) while meditating is guaranteed. It can be physical, mental or both. Uncomfortable body sensations will emerge sooner or later; physical discomfort will trigger uncomfortable thoughts, emotions, and difficult-to-negotiate-with urges. Furthermore, uncomfortable thoughts, emotions and urges often surface on their own, without a body based trigger. So, thankfully — from a practitioner point of view, the practice of meditation is guaranteed to offer the practitioner ample opportunities to cultivate tolerance. To develop the ability to postpone demanding relief from pain, until the session is over. To observe the pain without reacting to it (i.e., without judging it) until the bell rings. It is a valuable opportunity because the pains experienced while meditating are (practically) never a threat to limb or life. It is safe to observe such pains without reacting to them. An opportunity to cultivate pain tolerance without taking a risk.
• Calm: The practice of meditation is the cultivation of the ability to observe the mind without reacting to it. As such, meditation is the practice of cultivating calm.
• Inner Peace: Inner peace is based on the rejection of force as an option in conflict management. Inner conflicts (like discomfort, and often as a result of discomfort) are guaranteed to rise while meditating, sooner or later. The commitment to sit  until the bell rings and to treat the mind gently while doing so is an opportunity to practice rejecting the use of force as a conflict management option. In other words, it is an opportunity to practice cultivating inner peace.
• Compassion: Meditation offers the opportunity to cultivate self compassion (based on the law of sameness, by the way, there is no difference between self compassion and compassion to others). Since the mind is guaranteed to wander, to not do what is asked of it, it is guaranteed to fail to meet a requirement. When that happens it is an opportunity to cultivate the ability to accept it exactly as it is, in its “failure”. That is the essence of puppy-trainer attitude. It makes no sense to reject the puppy as flawed, simply for doing its thing — being a puppy. Similarly, it makes no sense to reject the mind as flawed, or to not accept it as good enough, for doing its thing — wandering. Accepting the mind as it is is the core feature of compassion. Furthermore, the practice readily offers the practitioner opportunities to forgive the mind for wandering earlier (in a given session or in previous sessions) and to cultivate hope that, with ongoing practice, the mind will become more cooperative, better able to stay on the path of the breath.

As I finish writing this section I am, once again, deeply impressed by the realization that something so simple — sitting and trying to do nothing, touches on so many important concepts in the human condition (and I’m pretty sure that the list above is far from comprehensive). Go figure.