Hurry Up and Meditate

The best illustration I’ve heard to explain the difference between mindfulness and awareness is what happens when you carry a very full mug of coffee across a room. The surface of the liquid near the rim of the mug could easily spill over, so you are treading with great care. Mindfulness equates to how you keep a very close watch on the surface of the coffee to make sure it doesn’t spill. But as you carry the mug, part of your attention is also taking in the bigger picture, making sure you’re not about to trip over the dog or bump your elbow against a doorframe. That part of your attention is awareness. While working towards the same objective as mindfulness, it is nevertheless a slightly different aspect of your consciousness. (Location 1210)

We need to practise alert relaxation, or relaxed alertness, when we meditate, watching our minds the whole time. What we want to avoid is concentration that’s too ‘loose’, and soon unravels into full-blown distraction, or concentration that’s so ‘tight’ that we tense up and give ourselves a headache. (Location 1230)

BREATHING MEDITATION CHECKLIST 1 Physical posture Legs are crossed, hands resting, back straight, shoulders rolled back, arms loose by your sides, head tilted slightly down, face relaxed, eyes shut. 2 Psychological posture Give yourself permission not to think about your usual concerns. Be a person, in this moment, with no history and no future. 3 Mentally recite your objective/affirmation You may like to do this three times, focusing on its meaning. 4 Focus attention at the tip of your nostrils Observe the sensation of air moving in and out. 5 Count the breaths on each exhalation From one to four, seven or ten—choose a cycle and stick to it for the session. 6 Use mindfulness and awareness Remember that the focus of your mind is on your breathing and watch what your mind is really doing. 7 Bring your attention back Do this every time it wanders. 8 Deepen your concentration Focus on how each inhalation begins, builds and ends; the pause before exhalation; how each exhalation begins, builds and tapers; the gap at the end of the cycle. (Location 1248)

9 Pure presence Be aware of breathing as you breathe. Try to avoid giving yourself a running commentary on the progress of your meditation. 10 End the session However good or bad your concentration during the session, try especially hard to finish like a winner. Then repeat your affirmation. Allow yourself a few moments as you open your eyes, and come back to the room. (Location 1263)

Underlying the many different types of sport, however, we can identify a number of common elements: cardiovascular fitness. Visual–motor coordination. Muscular strength. Self-discipline and emotional resilience. (Location 1273)

In Buddhism, the word ‘realisation’ is used a fair bit when talking about the desired result of analytical meditation. Asking my teacher for a definition of a realisation, he said it was when we reached an understanding of a particular truth which changed our behaviour, be that a mental or behavioural change. Another way of putting it might be that our thoughts and actions become more congruent. Once we subjectively know something to be true, deep down, how can we consistently act as though it isn’t? (Location 1579)

One of the stories I like best of all tells how the novice monk asks a revered and ancient lama: ‘What’s it like to be an enlightened being?’ To which the lama replied after a moment, ‘I walk and I eat and I sleep.’ The young novice was startled by the simplicity of his answer. ‘But I also walk and eat and sleep,’ he said. ‘Yes,’ smiled the lama. ‘When I walk, I walk. When I eat, I eat. And when I sleep, I sleep.’ (Location 1841)