I sat on the balcony looking up at the couple of birds swiftly fluttering their wings against the blue of the sky.I was waiting for my bread as it toasted and this interim time allowed me to “just sit”. In that moment I realised yet again that something happens when we slow down.
So what happens? And why especially when we are in a quiet setting or in nature? In that moment as I “just sat” , something stilled . The obsessive voice of the “everyday” disappeared allowing something else to expand; that expansion held a feeling of peace, a feeling of non striving which resulted in the feeling of peace.
Buddhists talk of “Monkey Mind” which perfectly describes this constant narrative inside us and when first meditating, one becomes uncomfortably aware of this interminable machine -like quality of thinking. It is a stream of opinions and judgments about everything that crosses the path of your awareness, whether physically seen or mentally perceived. We are trapped in this never ending monologue created by us and yet controlling us.
It seems that the solution is found in slowing down through conscious means such as in meditation. I remember a private meeting with His Holiness Karmapa in India,when I was with a small group of people from Samye Ling and afterwards I walked out and had a very strange sensation. I bent down to put my shoes on and found I was moving in slow motion; I could not for the life of me move quickly. This lasted only for about ten minutes but was a profound experience. I am not advocating that one should go about like this all the time ( interesting as this might be) but it does help to get one in touch with deeper parts of oneself outwith the realm of Monkey Mind.
And also as a result of tapping into this other part the “hold” of Monkey Mind is weakened.
In fact just writing about this today has brought back the peace of that moment.I hope you catch a little strand of it if you read this.
* I took these photos walking in the woods in West Midlothian on a particularly warm summer’s day two days ago.
Wonderful to have met with the Karmapa,am sure such a moment like that can always be called on to help at times of need.You appear so happy,and at peace with yourself.
Judith, It’s still a bit of an up and down journey. But at the same time, I am working with the downs so that they become part of the journey to the up. Then the ups become different, no longer dependent so much on external good happenings.
Thank you for your response…always good to hear from you.
Warmest Wishes
Cassandra