First day. It did not begin as planned; does it ever? Last night my cat, Devi, set my alarm. She walked on the clock and somehow set it for 6 AM, with the most annoying of choices, the buzzer. This is an old clock, and I could not get turn it off! That would require the manual. At midnight, I just was not that interested in digging up the manual. Maybe she was supposed to get me up early for my first day of the program?
At 6 AM, when the buzzer shook me from a deep slumber, I took the clock to another room and piled pillows over it, determined to enjoy the peace of my pre-dawn snooze. I did not want to start the first day with “oh how auspicious, how cute, your cat made you get up early!” when I really like that pre-dawn snooze. And no judgments, I promised myself. If you want those last few minutes of sleep, enjoy them!
By seven, I was on my pillow. The preamble for me is often: how lovely! My meditation time! I opened my ears. From the left side I could hear the gentle hiss of the fireplace. From the right side the soft hum of the outdoors. It was very quiet. And then the fireworks began. What am I going to write about? My mind began to design my blog.
Almost every day I notice that within the first few minutes, once I have settled in, my mind gets busy. It enjoys these moments dedicated, seemingly, to it. I am not doing anything else, so it must be time to think, dream, imagine, figure things out. These first few moments can be very rewarding, and I have come to many a simple discovery or realization here. But I know this terrain.
I wait, I listen, I breathe. My cat curls up on my white blanket just in front of me. She loves meditation time.
I wait, I listen, I breathe.
In her book, Sharon states that: I realized that struggling to keep the mind on an object such as the breath doesn’t create the conditions in which concentration most readily arises. Then: This act of beginning again is the essential are of the meditation practice.
I wait, I listen, I breathe.
Half an hour later.. I had dropped into a field of quiet ambient sound. The fireplace still hissed, the birds sung, cars moved through the alley. It was all part of a field of awareness. Occasionally a thought would drift up, and I would start again to listen, and breathe. My cat still curled up in front of me.
I end my meditation with a simple prayer..
May all beings be happy
May all beings be at ease in their body and heart
May all beings be fulfilled, and find purpose
May all beings be at peace.
May we share our mornings together this month!
Day 1 of Meditation Challenge – Listening
Shhhhhhhh…..Listen
The running of the toilet
The ringing in my ears
the distant rush of traffic
Even at 3:30 in the morning when the world should be wrapped in a blanket of silent slumber, this cacophony of sound and nothing louder than the thoughts running through my mind.
Shhhhhhhh…..Listen
The breath, barely a whisper
The beat of my heart
Once I’m aware of the sound it becomes deafening an assault on my senses. The refrigerator kicks in temporarily drowning out the rest.
Shhhhhhhh…..Listen
The soft beat of the heart calling me back. I’m aware that I only hear it with my left ear, it’s as though the right has gone suddenly and inexplicably deaf. Perhaps if I sit with it long enough, listen close enough I will be able to hear my heart with my whole being.
Shhhhhhhh…..Listen