One of many first issues we be taught on the trail of meditation is that want is an impediment to our progress. And its inverse, avoidance (aversion), is an equal barrier to our evolution.
However at the moment, I need to discuss want differently. As a result of, we will really harness want to deepen and ripen our mindfulness meditation. That’s proper, want may also help us reside within the wealthy fullness of this very second, undistracted and comfortable.
However first, let’s rapidly evaluation why the Buddha taught that want is such a robust hindrance to realizing our primary nature as limitless, entire, and basically free.
The Downside With Want
Pioneering Vipassana meditation instructor Jack Kornfield describes the sticky internet of want like this:
The primary hindrance is want for sense pleasure: nice sights, sounds, smells, tastes, bodily sensations, and thoughts states. What’s the issue with want—what’s unsuitable with it? Nothing, actually. There’s nothing unsuitable with having fun with nice experiences. Given the difficulties we face in life, they’re good to have.
However they idiot us.
They trick us into adopting the ‘‘if solely’’ mentality: ‘‘If solely I may have this,’’ or ‘‘If solely I had the suitable job,’’ or ‘‘If solely I may discover the suitable relationship,’’ or ‘‘If solely I had the suitable garments,’’ or ‘‘If solely I had the suitable persona, then I might be glad.’’
We’re taught that if we will get sufficient pleasurable experiences, pasting them collectively rapidly one after one other, our life can be glad…
Once more, the issue isn’t the article of want, however the vitality within the thoughts. The vitality of want retains us shifting, in search of that factor that’s actually going to do it for us. The wanting thoughts is itself painful. It’s a self-perpetuating behavior that doesn’t enable us to be the place we’re as a result of we’re greedy for one thing some other place.
Even after we get what we wish, we then need one thing extra or completely different as a result of the behavior of wanting is so robust. It’s a sense that being right here and now isn’t sufficient, that we’re one way or the other incomplete, and it retains us minimize off from the enjoyment of our personal pure completeness. We’re by no means content material.
It’s the similar drive on the earth at giant that creates the havoc of individuals wanting and consuming, hoarding, and preventing wars to have increasingly, for pleasure and for safety which might be by no means fulfilled.
Possibly you’ll be able to relate to a few of this?
Once you look carefully, you discover that a lot of our tradition is structured to stoke our want for stunning issues, folks, experiences, and so forth. We’re swimming in it.
But when want is such an issue, how can it assist us in our meditation? And the way can we harness it to develop and nurture our humanity?
Understanding Our Distraction
Once we meditate, we rapidly acknowledge that it’s difficult to maintain our consideration centered on our meditation object.
We deliver our consideration to the breath. And earlier than we even understand it, we’re drifting away, misplaced in a pleasing fantasy. We’re occupied with plans for the weekend and what we’re going to have for dinner.
Or possibly we’re ruminating and regretting one thing that occurred yesterday. A grudge that we maintain feeding with unfavorable ideas like a dragon chasing its personal tail.
The extra we try to steer our consideration again to our meditation object, the extra we discover our distracted situation.
This is among the first steps in growing self-awareness. We see that we’re chronically distracted and misplaced in mind-wandering mode. Our attentional system is frayed and fractured.
And more often than not, that situation isn’t obvious to us as we transfer from one expertise to the subsequent. And we don’t discover as a result of most of our friends and companions are equally distracted.
We reside in a subject of distraction.
The issue is that we’re by no means glad on this state. We’re stressed and haunted. Dimly conscious that internal wholeness and basic contentment is all the time simply out of attain and we’re at a loss for the way to attain it.
Harnessing the Therapeutic Energy of Want
However right here is the place we will start to harness the optimistic and therapeutic energy of want. As we begin to grow to be conscious of our predicament, we get little glimpses into what it feels prefer to be absolutely immersed within the current second.
We discover that the longer we relaxation our consideration on our meditation object, the calmer we grow to be. The thoughts begins to settle. Our physique relaxes, and our senses open up, and we begin to hear and really feel the music of life once more.
Identical to we did after we have been babies.
When this occurs, we rapidly understand the pristine nature of the current second. After which we will begin to discover that we’ve a small margin of selection.
We are able to really select to remain within the current second or we will select to stay misplaced within the carousel daydream of want.
It’s right here that we will pose a easy however highly effective query to ourselves.
Which do I need extra? To stay on this stressed unhappy half-asleep state? Or to deliver the thoughts house to my deeper self? To unify and cohere on the deepest ranges of my being?
In fact, I need the latter.
However now I see that I must nurture and feed my want for that presence and wholeness as a result of my want for distraction–a deep culturally bolstered behavior–is stronger than my want for wholeness and unity of thoughts and function.
Feeding and Fueling Your Want For Presence
Certainly, the Buddha’s teachings inform us that the antidote to this painful situation of deep distraction is the internal unity of consideration and equanimity that we domesticate in meditation.
As you feed and gasoline your want to attune to the current second, the result’s wholeness, coherence, and therapeutic.
That painful bone-deep feeling that one thing is lacking dissolves within the cool calming waters of your equanimous thoughts.
And one of many important keys to all of that is fueling your want to reside within the current second. To attune, second to second, to the ever-unfolding right here and now.
The extra you do that, the extra your want for presence grows till it turns into so robust that you’ll shield it like a fierce mama bear defending her baby.
When you’d prefer to be taught extra about the way to develop and nurture this want, then I encourage you to hitch me for the Coming House Mindfulness Meditation Coaching Program.
