(Continued from our previous article https://www.mantraam.com/post/dharana-part-one-meditation-series)
People rarely ask explicitly & mean it too.
😁
These things are still better understood in simile.
My 3 favorites are:
1. Wash the dishes
2. Drink your tea
3. Watch the grass grow (small story)
1. Wash the dishes
There are 2 ways to wash your dishes.
One is to clean the dishes-
You have your eye on result. Not on present. You are only waiting for washing to be finished so that you can enjoy desired result.
It has few problems. You are restless, anxious, waiting & your happiness lies in future that too conditioned on favorable result. This is how most of us live.
Second way is to wash the dishes.
Path is goal.
YOU are in present with only aim of doing present activity with full attention irrespective of what will come next in future.
Needless to say that you will achieve cleaner dishes by this method simply because of 100% honest undivided attention.
But more importantly, you will be satisfied throughout the activity since you are not eyeing a distant goal.
2. Drink your tea-
When you do any activity as simple as drinking tea then don’t divide your attention to any distant memory/ thought.
Just sit down, relax, lift your cup & sip your tea with full awareness without thinking anything else.
This will be very enjoyable, undiluted experience.
To attain such blissful state in simple moments of life you need to practice 2nd way of washing the dishes.
Hence adage “If you can’t wash your dishes then most likely you won't be able to enjoy your tea too.”
Because awareness of the present moment is to be practiced in the simplest activities first.
Wanna hear the story "watch the grass grow"?
😁
3. Watch the grass grow (small story)
Once there was a great master.
Everyone wanted to learn meditation from him
But he wouldn't accept disciple.
One day a man reached him with earnest request to teach him.
Master agreed readily to his great surprise.
He eagerly asked what needs to be done?
Master said “sit besides me”.
He did that.
After many minutes passed by and master was only sitting quietly, doing nothing but staring at some far off place.
Young man asked what next?
Master said “Do you see that grass over there?”
Young man nodded.
“So, watch the grass grow” said master.
Young man was astonished.
But no matter how much more he waited there were no further words of explanation or technique to come by from Master.
He asked finally “Is that it?”
“Yeah!” Said the master
He further tried to probe. “What’s the next step?”
Master said “There’s no next step. That’s it.”
So there’s no fancy next step.
No miraculous secret mantra.
Nothing.
Keep watching the grass grow.
Be in the present moment. Be fully aware. Be eternally patient.
That’s it!
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