to habitual reactions and feelings of being overwhelmed by the events of our inner and outer world. Cultivating a path of simplicity begins with the honest reflection upon our lives to see where there is excessive complexity and entanglement. Do we do too much? Are we over-committed? Do we want too much? These areas signal their presence through tension, obsessive or repetitive thinking, habitual reactions and stress. We can interpret these signals of complexity and excess as messengers that invite us to give clear and conscious attention to the ways we may be able to cultivate disentanglement, simplicity and calm.
Simplicity is a path that is consciously developed through calm attention and wholeheartedness. Learning to be simply present, attending wholeheartedly to the moment we are in, is the path of meditation that can be applied to the whole of our lives. The cultivation of simplicity invariably has with it the companion of renunciation – not in the pursuit of asceticism but in the service of calmness and balance. Layers of judgement, evaluation and comparison are unnecessary burdens that distort our capacity to see each moment and each person in our lives as it actually is. We can learn to let go, to bring a fullness of attention to one moment at a time. In any moment of our lives it is not possible to attend to or solve every detail of our past or future. It is only possible to fully attend to and care for the moment we are in. Thoughts of past and future will continue to arise in the present – held in the light of clear and simple attentiveness they are divested of their urgency and will also pass. Held in the light of clear attentiveness there is the possibility of a more intuitive response emerging.
Just as simplicity is a quality that brings calmness to our outer lives, it is equally a quality to cultivate in our inner world. Meditation is not a path of accumulating theories and information but a path of fostering intuition and clarity. Our meditation is not aided by preoccupations with goals, evaluation or comparison. Learning to be simply present, attending wholeheartedly to the moment we are in is the path of meditation. Through habit our minds will demand answers, solutions, reassurance and familiar labels for our experience but this will simply get in the way of clear attentiveness. A major factor in cultivating simplicity is the willingness to let go of all of these demands, to not cling to the variety of thoughts and comparisons that will inevitably arise, but also to let them pass.
DEDICATION
The central themes of dedication and perseverance run through all great spiritual stories and are essential principles of meditation found in all traditions. As we explore meditation it will not always be a path of exciting revelations and profound breakthroughs. It would be unrealistic to anticipate that every period of meditation will be filled with dazzling insights or states of bliss. Those moments may come to us, but there will also be many moments when it seems that nothing is happening, no progress is being made or when our meditation is felt to be simply boring. There may well also be moments when we are faced with experiences of inner turmoil, states of mind that are challenging or painful inner experiences. This is natural. It is rare for anyone’s meditation to unfold in a predictable, linear manner. There will be valleys and peaks, highs and lows, times of delight and times of challenge.
The qualities of dedication and perseverance are essential principles that sustain us on our journey and keep us balanced in the midst of experiences that change in a way that is not always predictable or desired. In moments when we find ourselves despairing over a lack of progress or being assailed by inner storms of thought or feeling it is not time to resign or surrender to despair, it is helpful to reflect upon our initial intentions and the vision that began us on our exploration. This should renew our intention to open to and be present with whatever difficulty is before us. Meditation is concerned with awakening, and awakening is an inclusive process – it embraces every aspect of our being and experience, the pleasing and the challenging. Don’t judge, don’t reject, don’t conclude – simply bring a calm, balanced attentiveness to everything that presents itself. The moments when our meditation introduces us to experiences of delight are not times to begin to consider retirement. The capacity to keep coming back and to sustain attention in the midst of highs and lows, the exhilarating and disappointing moments strengthens our inner steadiness and potential for dedication.
BEGINNING TO MEDITATE
Within the different schools of meditation you will find a range of suggestions about the optimal way to undertake a meditative training. These will range from the traditions that suggest withdrawing from the world into solitude to the traditions that suggest that the most effective way to meditate is in the midst of our daily lives with all their busyness and challenge. Despite these variations it is clear that for meditation to be meaningful and effective for us it must have the capacity to be integrated into the daily rhythms of our lives. Unless we choose a path of withdrawal or asceticism it is realistic to expect that our meditation will have the power to bring not only inner change, but also greater peace and clarity into the whole of our lives. Most of us do not come to meditation looking for a way to separate ourselves from the world even more, but to look for a way to be present in ourselves and in our families, work and play with greater wisdom and compassion.
The majority of meditative traditions will offer a path that embraces the full spectrum of our lives, suggesting the importance of times that are dedicated to a formal cultivation of a practice and the application of this practice on a moment to moment level in every circumstance. The process of transformation is not exclusively concerned with changing our consciousness, but equally with finding the skills to live with well-being, peace and understanding.
TIME
Considering the differences in our lifestyles and commitments it is not possible to prescribe what is the right amount of time to dedicate to meditation practice. The rhythm of our lives may allow us to take extended periods of time in more cloistered retreat settings that allow us to undertake a dedicated exploration of a meditative discipline. It may also be that the level of our commitments allows only for a regular, daily practice and that our temperament inclines more towards a meditation practice that is developed and integrated on a daily level.
It is helpful to create a time in our day that is regularly dedicated to our formal meditation. When we wake in the morning or before going to bed at night are times that lend themselves well to a period of stillness and reflection. Making these periods of meditation into a reliable part of our daily routine is an invaluable asset in developing a path of practice. We may begin with fifteen-minute or half-hour periods. It is all worthwhile. It is helpful to approach these times with great care – they are not times for rehearsing our day or pondering upon what has been left undone. They are times for focus and dedication.
PLACE
Just as it is helpful to establish a regular time in our days for formal meditation, it is also helpful to create a space. It is not necessary to retreat to a cave or mountaintop in order to meditate but it is helpful to create a certain simplicity around us that reminds us of the importance of giving care to our inner landscape. It may be simply a corner of our bedroom that becomes a dedicated space. If possible, find a place that is somewhat secluded from excess noise and disturbance. It’s time to turn off the telephones and televisions and as much as possible create an external space of silence and calmness.
POSTURE
Before we ever begin to meditate most of us have been exposed to visual images of what meditation looks like in the form of Buddha statues and other religious images. Some traditions of meditation such as Zen will greatly emphasize the importance of adopting a particular posture whereas other traditions will downplay its significance. Whether you choose to sit in a full lotus position or in a chair there are a few simple guidelines that are helpful.
