I didn't come to Deer Park to practice any type of meditation or mindfulness, as most people do, but only to volunteer with their community programs, however, I've had the opportunity to participate in several retreats, both centered around philosophy and meditation, and have really discovered the benefits of what might be called Buddhist practice or mindfulness.
Now this is entirely different from what I always thought of as just having time for thought, which I have always integrated into my life. It could better be referenced as taking time to cleanse oneself of thoughts, as well as one can. But it exists outside of what is considered "typical" lotus-position meditation. The standard long-term goal is, like all meditation, ego-loss (seeing beyond what we refer to as the self), however, in the short term, especially for these practices, the goal is to focus deeply on the activity at hand, not letting it be relegated to the back of your mind so that anxious thoughts can be thrust up front, and in doing so, attain some measure of peace. I've found them very, very effective at doing that (more on how they affect me later). Here are the activities I've found beneficial to myself to do meditatively:
Now this is entirely different from what I always thought of as just having time for thought, which I have always integrated into my life. It could better be referenced as taking time to cleanse oneself of thoughts, as well as one can. But it exists outside of what is considered "typical" lotus-position meditation. The standard long-term goal is, like all meditation, ego-loss (seeing beyond what we refer to as the self), however, in the short term, especially for these practices, the goal is to focus deeply on the activity at hand, not letting it be relegated to the back of your mind so that anxious thoughts can be thrust up front, and in doing so, attain some measure of peace. I've found them very, very effective at doing that (more on how they affect me later). Here are the activities I've found beneficial to myself to do meditatively:
- Tea Meditation - the practice of drinking tea mindfully, and trying to be fully aware only of the moment that you are experiencing. In the words of Thich Nhat Hanh: "Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future. Live the actual moment. Only this moment is life."
- Walking Meditation - Walk slowly, with measured paces, so that each full breath (in and out) accompanies one foot's orbit from ground to ground again. When you walk, it is supposed to be such that your feet "kiss the ground." Let your movement be slow and synchronize it with your breath so that you have to truly focus on each individual step.