some time ago, my meditation master and teacher taught me some simple steps to achieve inner calm and clarity of thoughts. and having tried it for more than a year, i totally agree with her. she taught me many things, but what i remembered most were...
step 1 "know, just know" knowing and just knowing and controlling one's urge to make judgment is about controling one's mind. it is not easy. it is natural for us to make judgments. it is natural to us to assume things. yes, it requires a lot of discipline to not judge people. we do not naturally understand that everyone has his/ her story. and by not understanding or making the attempt to understand their story, our judgment often end up hurting them, unfairly. it is unnecessary. so, the next time you see or read something, take a pause before you make any judgment. do reflect, ask, seek to understand, and after doing all these, you should still decide if you should make any judgment. and if you think you should, be clear of what assumptions you have made before you make that judgment. you might have to revisit some of these assumptions and change your judgment subsequently. and if you think the issue is not worth your judgment, then "know, just know". move on. the world won't change, with or without your judgment. practise enough and you will learn to be less excitable.
and step 2 "don't rush"... rushing is not the same as speed. speed is the displacement of an object over a distance expressed as a function of time. rushing is a state of mind. they are different. one can be fast yet deliberate (think f1), and conversely, one can be slow but rushing (think of yourself late for work and in a traffic jam). you get the idea. so, in life, make the effort to slow down, don't rush. in not rushing, you create the conditions to do things mindfully. you create the capacity to enoy and live the moment. if you need to wake up half an hour earlier so that you can take a stroll to the train station, then do it. a stroll to the train station allows you to walk mindfully. to appreciate the morning birds chirping. to observe the hustle and bustle of life. to feel the coolness of the morning breeze. it calms you down. conversely, by stealing another half hour of sleep, you end up rushing. your mind becomes cluttered. you get prone to mistakes. and you fail to live mindfully. you fail to appreciate the hot coffee prepared for you by your loved ones. you fail to say good bye to your child... in short, you fail to live your life meaningfully. and you end up a wreck. and your mind is in a constant state of hyperactivity/ excitement. and you become unsettled and easily agitated.
and step 3 "meditate"... shan't write too much about step 3. i think it is straight-forward enough. and by practising all 3 together, one can achieve clarity of thoughts, calmness and ultimately inner peace. and through these, conditions are created for wisdom to be cultivated.
step 1 "know, just know" knowing and just knowing and controlling one's urge to make judgment is about controling one's mind. it is not easy. it is natural for us to make judgments. it is natural to us to assume things. yes, it requires a lot of discipline to not judge people. we do not naturally understand that everyone has his/ her story. and by not understanding or making the attempt to understand their story, our judgment often end up hurting them, unfairly. it is unnecessary. so, the next time you see or read something, take a pause before you make any judgment. do reflect, ask, seek to understand, and after doing all these, you should still decide if you should make any judgment. and if you think you should, be clear of what assumptions you have made before you make that judgment. you might have to revisit some of these assumptions and change your judgment subsequently. and if you think the issue is not worth your judgment, then "know, just know". move on. the world won't change, with or without your judgment. practise enough and you will learn to be less excitable.
and step 2 "don't rush"... rushing is not the same as speed. speed is the displacement of an object over a distance expressed as a function of time. rushing is a state of mind. they are different. one can be fast yet deliberate (think f1), and conversely, one can be slow but rushing (think of yourself late for work and in a traffic jam). you get the idea. so, in life, make the effort to slow down, don't rush. in not rushing, you create the conditions to do things mindfully. you create the capacity to enoy and live the moment. if you need to wake up half an hour earlier so that you can take a stroll to the train station, then do it. a stroll to the train station allows you to walk mindfully. to appreciate the morning birds chirping. to observe the hustle and bustle of life. to feel the coolness of the morning breeze. it calms you down. conversely, by stealing another half hour of sleep, you end up rushing. your mind becomes cluttered. you get prone to mistakes. and you fail to live mindfully. you fail to appreciate the hot coffee prepared for you by your loved ones. you fail to say good bye to your child... in short, you fail to live your life meaningfully. and you end up a wreck. and your mind is in a constant state of hyperactivity/ excitement. and you become unsettled and easily agitated.
and step 3 "meditate"... shan't write too much about step 3. i think it is straight-forward enough. and by practising all 3 together, one can achieve clarity of thoughts, calmness and ultimately inner peace. and through these, conditions are created for wisdom to be cultivated.
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