Simple Natural Potency of Mind

The simplicity of mindfulness-awareness meditation belies the transformative power that it holds. This simple power is intimately connected to its proximity to our natural human essence. The more one opens to the nature of the mind, the more familiar it is discovered to be. This characteristic of the mind is empowering for the beginning meditator, but is also precisely what can prevent becoming comfortable with the practice. Some beginners encounter a feeling of welcome and buoyant support, as if a knot had come untied or a door opened to a room full of riches. Other beginners are flooded with revulsion at seeing themselves exposed to their own analysis, maybe for the first time.

The natural proximity of meditation, the familiarity which both attracts and empowers, but also horrifies and repels, is important to learn to relax with. If we can relax and remain inquisitive, the rich dividends begin to flow like a river of previously unknown jewels. If the initial feeling of self exposure is met with the also-familiar discarding of the practice as “not for me” or “never,” its benefits will remain forever out of reach, like a locked door to the room of riches for which we can’t discover the key.

The “locksmith” is usually easier to locate than one expects. The riches, or at least the dividends, that await an honest attempt to develop this simple tool are immediate and life-giving. A small amount of regular practice will begin to make itself felt in the everyday dawnings that are experienced routinely, like discovering where we left something, or how to make a new main dish for dinner. The job of a meditation instructor, therefore is, yes, to provide accurate “how-to” instructions, but also to share their own experience of hesitation and disbelief. Every meditator experiences both sides of the simplicity and power of practice, and anyone who makes the practice a part of life builds a collection of observations about it. Helping others to learn how to meditate is a generous offering, certainly. It is also a natural extension of the simplicity and ever-availability of the mind’s inherent wisdom. Once we begin to learn “how” to meditate, while we may rely on an experienced meditator to guide us, that person will encourage us to become our own meditation instructors. In Shambhala culture, this is a key aspect of developing the societal potential of transformation that is seen as the broadest benefit of meditation.

Posted by Larry Seidl

Image by Paul Brennan from Pixabay