Edited by Richie Cuthbertson, Friday, 6 Oct 2023, 21:17
Quite
fatigued today. Lots of rain here. I have a sore shoulder, the pain is
unrelenting, it has been like this for weeks, I have no idea what I’ve done to
it. I probably should see a doctor, but I really dislike using phones and
making appointments and don’t feel up to the traveling, so I keep putting
it off.
Whilst sat
in meditation today I remembered the Buddha say that he suffered from backache
almost constantly, and that the only time he got relief from it was when he
went into samadhi. So, I tried that, but couldn’t get into samadhi. So, I
turned to face the pain instead. Felt it throbbing in my shoulder and noticed
how it spread down my arm with a buzzing sort of pain.
I tried to
just see the pain as sensations without the perception of like or dislike. Exploring
what happens when I move the breath energy through that area, using the breath
to bring ease to it. Sometimes that worked and other times it didn’t.
It was hard
to sit still for long as my arm kept needing to be moved into different
positions as it got very uncomfortable. It was hard practising walking
meditation also, as the movement kept jarring the shoulder. But there were
moments where I stayed centred with the meditation object and remained there
for a good while, and I did seem to enter a momentary samadhi and yes, the pain
did go away. But maintaining that state was not always easy.
The mind would sometimes show a lack of
inclination to practise, and thoughts about doing something else grabbed my
attention. Then I remembered that this is one of the five hindrances, and I don’t have to follow
these impulses or thoughts.
(n.b. the five hindrances are: greed, hate, sloth, restlessness, and doubt)
I have the power to choose, to set an
intention. I can consciously choose to continue meditating and stay with the
object of mindfulness. That’s where my power lies, in choosing. So, I choose to
do so each moment, making that choice over and over instead of going
along with the hindrances. That worked for a bit, but sometimes a loud noise
would pull me out of it, and I had to start again.
Samadhi is not easy, but it is a very
important part of the noble eightfold path. That unification of mind is
essential. I notice the difference on the days I don’t practise. It definitely
helps.
Movement is exercise for the body, and
stillness is exercise for the mind.
A mind that keeps wandering and has difficulty
become still, is a sign that it is getting out of shape. Learning how to bring
the mind to stillness and steadying it, strengthens the mind, it does it a lot
of good.
Even if the meditation seems like a waste of
time. One can learn a lot about how the mind
works from the simple exercise of attempting to keep it centred on one thing.
It reveals a lot about what makes us tick, what our desires are, our angst, our
delusions. Can be very interesting.
Pain, the power of intention, and Samadhi
Quite fatigued today. Lots of rain here. I have a sore shoulder, the pain is unrelenting, it has been like this for weeks, I have no idea what I’ve done to it. I probably should see a doctor, but I really dislike using phones and making appointments and don’t feel up to the traveling, so I keep putting it off.
Whilst sat in meditation today I remembered the Buddha say that he suffered from backache almost constantly, and that the only time he got relief from it was when he went into samadhi. So, I tried that, but couldn’t get into samadhi. So, I turned to face the pain instead. Felt it throbbing in my shoulder and noticed how it spread down my arm with a buzzing sort of pain.
I tried to just see the pain as sensations without the perception of like or dislike. Exploring what happens when I move the breath energy through that area, using the breath to bring ease to it. Sometimes that worked and other times it didn’t.
It was hard to sit still for long as my arm kept needing to be moved into different positions as it got very uncomfortable. It was hard practising walking meditation also, as the movement kept jarring the shoulder. But there were moments where I stayed centred with the meditation object and remained there for a good while, and I did seem to enter a momentary samadhi and yes, the pain did go away. But maintaining that state was not always easy.
The mind would sometimes show a lack of inclination to practise, and thoughts about doing something else grabbed my attention. Then I remembered that this is one of the five hindrances, and I don’t have to follow these impulses or thoughts.
(n.b. the five hindrances are: greed, hate, sloth, restlessness, and doubt)
I have the power to choose, to set an intention. I can consciously choose to continue meditating and stay with the object of mindfulness. That’s where my power lies, in choosing. So, I choose to do so each moment, making that choice over and over instead of going along with the hindrances. That worked for a bit, but sometimes a loud noise would pull me out of it, and I had to start again.
Samadhi is not easy, but it is a very important part of the noble eightfold path. That unification of mind is essential. I notice the difference on the days I don’t practise. It definitely helps.
Movement is exercise for the body, and stillness is exercise for the mind.
A mind that keeps wandering and has difficulty become still, is a sign that it is getting out of shape. Learning how to bring the mind to stillness and steadying it, strengthens the mind, it does it a lot of good.
Even if the meditation seems like a waste of time. One can learn a lot about how the mind works from the simple exercise of attempting to keep it centred on one thing. It reveals a lot about what makes us tick, what our desires are, our angst, our delusions. Can be very interesting.
…