BlogOfParadox

I keep a regular sitting practice. This means that at least once a day, and as often as possible, I sit and surrender fully to the whirlwind that is my life. I don’t try to fight the to-do list, the inevitable tumbleweed of pet fur, the idea that after several years I should somehow be better at this, or any other sort of thought. If you’ve never done this before, allow me to give you a wealth of advice in two sentences.

1. Your brain is filled with restless monkeys bent toward mischief.
2. The goal of meditation is not to quell the monkey rebellion, but to learn to find peace and quietude anyway.

Last night, I meditated while a tiny dog rooted his head under my hands, playfully nipped mudra, stood on my leg to put his toes and chin upon my heart, and finally, exhausted, sat upon my stacked feet.

Monkey Mind, Meet Tiny Mo, the Dyna-Mo

In a sitting practice, it’s usually our mind that does the ferreting and capering until we find stillness, but Mo’s literal scrabbling ultimately led to peacefulness of a different sort. My monkey-mind began to band together, bent upon serenity instead of mischief. All systems were united to thwart distraction. At Mo’s moment of surrender, I felt deep-seated clarity as resonant as a bell.

I think the chihuahua learned as much about non-attachment and stillness in chaos as I did.

What detracts from your practice? Is it something you can overcome, or is it in itself its own lesson?

Filed under: general by Deirdra