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The
Here & Now Meditation
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A Quick and Effective Way
to Overcome Suffering
(Condensed Version)
Mimi Khuc & Thanh-Trieu Nguyen
This booklet was created from the full version of
The Here & Now
Meditation: A Quick and Effective Way to Overcome Suffering printed by
Here & Now Publishing,
Copyright © 2004 Mimi Khuc and Thanh-Trieu Nguyen, ISBN:
0-9763491-3-2.
This booklet may be reproduced and distributed freely but
without alteration.
The Here & Now Meditation Foundation
College
Park, MD 20740
Email:
hereandnowmeditation@gmai1.com
Website:
www.hereandnowmeditation.com
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The
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Table of Contents
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The
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Preface
The book, The Here & Now Meditation, started out as just a few pages
outlining a simple meditation technique. These pages eventually expanded
into a small booklet to help people find inner peace, happiness, and
harmony in their lives. That booklet was made available free of charge
and was also offered as an e-booklet on the internet in five languages:
English, French, Spanish, Dutch and Vietnamese. The book—an expanded
form of the original booklet—was in response to our readers’ requests
for clarification on certain aspects of this meditation practice.
Included some of the new information we developed in the book, This
booklet here is the newly condensed version, and once again, is
available in various languages on our website free of charge.
The full book has eight chapters—four of them have been adapted for this
booklet. You will find a brief description of the other four chapters at
the end of the booklet.
To serve the general population, we use only simple terms and concepts
about meditation so that we can reach the beginner everywhere. We will
not be discussing viewpoints of any particular religion or school of
thought. Throughout this booklet, when we do make comparisons or
evaluations, they will be based solely on one merit—the effectiveness of
a method in liberating a person from suffering.
A few things to keep in mind while you read: This booklet combines
Eastern and Western concepts in a way that may ask its more traditional
readers to consider new and different ideas. For all readers,
traditional and untraditional, please read with an open heart and a
quiet mind—a mind that does not respond to its need to analyze, argue,
criticize, or compare with available preconceptions and standpoints.
And please read slowly. The substance of this booklet resides not only
in the written words but also in the silence behind them. This booklet
is meant to be read for both the knowledge obtained through the mind and
the wisdom found by the heart.
Happy reading.
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*This chapter is an
adapted version of the original chapter.*
Chapter One
An Introduction To The Mind
The
following conversation took place during a counseling session between
one of our spiritual counselors and a young woman in her midthirties:
Counselor: Hi, how may I help you?
Woman: Everything is going wrong. I need help. I need a stable
job. I also need a better place to stay... Right now, I share a room in
someone’s basement. I want my family to love me. My husband left me. I
need a nice man... a nice husband. My car keeps breaking down…
Counselor: What you just said you need, I think is reasonable. I
think everyone would want the same… Do you know of anyone who has all
these things?
Woman: Yes. Some of my friends.
Counselor: And are they happy?
Woman: Well…not really.
Counselor: Do you think if you had all these things, you would be
happy for good?
Woman: Maybe... Well, not really... Not for good.
Counselor: If you don’t mind, I have a personal theory why. I may
be wrong but let’s just take a look at it. I think we come from a place
where we are absolute love and peace. Maybe that’s why we always feel
needy and lacking now. To cope with this lack, we cling on to the love
of our parents, then siblings, then friends, lovers, spouses, children…
We keep feeling that lack so we try to fill it with fame, power, status,
wealth. Everything works for a little while, but then that feeling of
lack comes back. I don’t have the magic wand to give you what you were
asking, but I can show you how to truly fill that lack. Once we do this,
nothing else really matters. You have those things you asked for—fine.
You don’t have them—that’s fine, too. You are at peace with yourself and
with the world anyway...
By separating from that place of completeness, we have created a
secondary mind that uses words. Our original mind is always wordless and
quiet; all perceptions are without interpretation, judgment, analysis,
comparison, or deduction. Everything just IS. The secondary mind is what
you and I are using right now. It rants endlessly about things that
cause unhappiness. Once we learn how to tame that mind, we can return to
the state of our original mind. We can transcend that feeling of lack
permanently. Would you like to learn how?
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The
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Suffering And Its Accomplice: The Mind
In Western culture, the word “suffering” is usually linked with
traumatic life events, pain, and sadness. Eastern cultures, influenced
by Hinduism and Buddhism, often view suffering as a basic building block
of life—life is suffering. The definition in this book lies somewhere in
between. Suffering, of course, refers to emotions such as sadness and
pain. In this book, the definition of suffering broadens to include any
emotional state linked with unhappiness. Our complete definition of
suffering, then, is as follows:
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Any emotion that is NOT happiness, love, and joy. Examples: anger,
jealousy, sadness, fear, hurt, anxiety, bitterness, sorrow, grief,
vengefulness, hate, contempt, loneliness, etc.
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Any state of being that is NOT peace, contentment, and harmony.
Examples: violence, neediness, confusion, nervousness, anxiety,
withdrawal, denial, lack, devastation, worry, depression, etc.
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Any action that is NOT of kindness, tolerance, and compassion.
Examples: controlling, judging, criticizing, insulting, attacking,
abusing, complaining, nagging, belittling, etc.
With this definition of suffering, it is clear that most of us suffer to
some degree. To solve this widespread problem, we first need to ask what
causes our suffering. Here are some reasons many of us list. I am
unhappy because...
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I don’t get what I really want or need.
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Someone did something bad to me.
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Someone did not do something they should do for me.
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Things don’t happen the way I would like for them to happen.
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I am in constant fear of losing someone, or something.
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I fail in everything I set out to do.
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There is no meaning to life.
These all seem like reasonable life situations to cause unhappiness. But
there are people who are happy even with many of these situations! What
is the difference between them and us? The answer: The condition of the
mind! One mind is still and quiet while the other speaks, usually in
complaint. Yet, has it ever occurred to you that perhaps you are NOT
your mind? When you want peace and quiet, does that mind stop its noisy
nagging? Doesn’t that mind disregard your wishes most of the time?
The next time you think any of the kinds of thoughts in the above list,
try separating yourself from your mind and tell it to “be quiet.”
Hopefully, it will obey and become quiet or change the subject. If it
does obey at first, watch and see how long before it sneaks back to the
previous subject. It seems that, for many of us, our minds are not
completely under our control. This book is written for those who have
not yet mastered their minds.
The concepts in this book rest upon the awareness of the following two
truths: First, the principle source of almost all emotional misery and
mental suffering is the dysfunction of a very special and important
mechanism of the human being: the mind.
Second, the mind is just one of the many parts of the human being such
as the heart, eyes, and nose. This mind cannot be taken as the total
self. We are not our minds and our minds are not us. Therefore, we are
not the mind’s reactions or deductions that lead to the emotional states
of sadness, pain, or anger.
This book will guide us on how to cure this dysfunction and how to
recover the high quality functions of our minds such as creativity,
inventiveness, and awareness. By the time you finish reading this book,
you will be equipped with an understanding of the workings of that mind
as well as the skills to deal with it.
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The Workings Of The Mind
The Mind’s Imprecision
The first problem with the mind is its imprecision. The “knowledge” of
the ordinary mind is “inexact.” Below are two examples of inexact
conclusions made by the mind:
Example #1: Your eyes see that you have sown a seed. Then, your
eyes see a tree growing in that place. Your mind then concludes, “I have
planted this tree,” and it may jump further to claim, “That tree is
mine.” In actuality, the eyes saw only two facts: The first is your
hands have placed a seed into the soil, and the second is a tree grew in
that place. Knowing only those two facts, the mind then draws the
conclusion that the second phenomenon (the tree) is the result of the
first one (sowing the seed).
The incorrectness, or inexactness, is that the eye did not see other
factors involved such as soil, water, air, sunlight, minerals,
fertilizers, etc. However, it would be equally inexact to conclude the
other way: “This seed was sown by me—plus, thanks to the soil, water,
sunlight, etc., it grew into a tree.” Why is it still inexact?? Because
the eyes actually saw only the sowing of a seed and the existence of a
tree. It is the mind that pulls out stored knowledge from its memory
bank (i.e. soil, water, sunlight...) and applies such knowledge to the
phenomenon that the eyes saw (i.e. sowing of a seed and a growing tree).
It then draws the conclusion. However, it is totally possible that the
tree seen by the eyes could have grown from another seed planted by
another person. Or there could be a thousand other factors involved.
So, when we see “A” and then “B,” it is not certain that “B” is the
consequence of “A.” Hence, the True mind is one that knows “A” as “A”
and “B” as “B” without further deduction.
Example #2: Nine months after a couple has sexual intercourse, a
tiny human being is born. The mind concludes, “This litle human was made
by me and is my offspring. He belongs to me.” The mind draws this
conclusion even though it does not know if there may be other forces and
reasons that may bring this being into life.
In these examples, even if the mind had drawn a different conclusion
using its stored knowledge, it would most likely still be inaccurate
because the mind is always limited in its “knowing.” Using limited
observations, the mind habitually deduces, reasons and fills in the gaps
in knowledge with its stored, old “knowledge.”
A pure, true, and exact mind receives information without adding or
deducing anything; it is one of Stillness. Then, when the need for
interpretation and reasoning arises, the True mind performs such tasks
in this Stillness without judgment and erroneous deduction—and at the
same time, the True mind is aware that it is reasoning and interpreting.
It is also aware that there is always room for possible inaccuracy.
In short, whenever the mind draws a “conclusion,” be aware of the
process it is using. What are the correct mind processes? They are the
processes used when the mind is operating in perfect Stillness. They
occur without judgment, criticism, suggestions, or deduction. They are
only peaceful observations and perceptions.
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The Mind’s Shoulds And Shouldn’ts
Problems and suffering worsen when that imprecise
mind decides to use its inaccurate knowledge to make judgment. In the
examples below, we see how the mind works: it searches its memory bank
and then applies old opinions and values to new observations. And if
the world around a person does not comply with its expectations and
interpretation, the mind becomes agitated. It may nag or even throw
tantrums.
In the examples below, we see how the mind can take
information from our senses and apply its expectations and judgments to
cause us irritation.
~ Sight: “I believe we should live in neat,
orderly and clean surroundings. When I see clothes on the floor,
dirty dishes, and clutter, I feel very uncomfortable. I don’t like
messy people. They should live cleaner, healthier lives.”
~ Hearing: “I really dislike loud, disturbing
noise. I am especially irritated when people make noise carelessly
and inconsiderately. I am offended by people who slam doors, talk
loudly on their cell phones, or talk during movies.”
~ Taste: “I am very picky when it comes to food.
In fact, I would rather go hungry than eat unappetizing meals. I get
upset if a dish is not up to my standards in taste and aroma.”
Our mind also makes more sophisticated judgments based on its
observations. Some common preconceptions that the mind uses to
distort incoming information include preconceptions about
relationships, value, roles, and identity.
~ Value: “If I wear this outfit, people will
laugh at me (for being tacky, having no taste, being poor), or they
will compliment me (for being classy, beautiful, fashionable). When
I look at people and see the way they dress, the cars they drive, I
immediately know their worth.” Here, the mind defines value and
meaning through appearance. The mind pays great attention to
compliments and criticisms from others. Thus, the mind will be
greatly distressed if there are no available means to provide the
proper status symbols for the self or family.
~ Identity: “I lost my job and all my money. I am
a complete failure.” The above faulty thinking processes of this
mind could lead us into believing that we are the direct and sole
cause of all life phenomena and things that represent success and
failure. For example, the mind should only see a fortune as just “a
fortune” instead of “a fortune that I’ve created” or “a fortune that
I’ve lost.” This correct perception will enable us to overcome the
suffering related to success and failure, loss and gain, honor
and disgrace, and to liberate ourselves from the everbinding
illusions, “I am in control of all things in my life,” and “I am
what I own and what I achieve.”
~ Relationships and social roles: “Although my
father (or mother, sibling, friend, spouse, child, niece, nephew) is
related and/or close to me, when I encountered difficulties and
needed help, s/he did not help me like s/he should have.” Here, the
mind defines family and close relationships as linked with certain
responsibilities. If these responsibilities aren’t fulfilled, the
mind judges and blames.
“Children should obey and be dutiful to their
parents.” “Parents should give love equally, foster and care for
their children until they are solidly successful.” The roles of
child and parent are heavily linked with certain responsibilities
and expectations in the mind. These expectations can be carried out
to extremes without awareness at all. For example, in an actual case
we know, a mother expected her daughter to prostitute herself to
support the mother’s gambling habit.
“In a family, women are responsible for
homemaking and the care of their husband and children. Men are
responsible for finances, and material comfort.” If a person falls
short of his/her expected role, both the person and others around
the person will suffer the mind’s nagging, judging, and blaming.
With respect to the mind, relationships are the most
troublesome aspect in our lives. New perspectives can help lessen our
problems. For example, we should see our spouse as follows: “This is a
human being, who prior to meeting me, has already lived in this world
for decades, owns a complete set of personal concepts already misled by
his/her own mind, and whose body and soul are completely independent of
me.” Has it ever occurred to you that this person may exist in this
world for other purposes besides being your spouse? This perspective
will help the mind accept and respect others around us; it will no
longer require others to give up their own “knowledge” and values—misled
or not—for our misled knowledge.
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The Mind’s Endless Past
And Endless Future
The mind often doesn’t need observations to keep itself occupied. It
has the past and the future to think about. A major source of our
suffering comes from the mind’s incessant remembering and reliving, and
worrying and fantasizing. We often miss out on the experiences of the
present because the mind takes pains and regrets from the past and
relives them like a broken record. We also live a part of our time in
the future by worrying, planning, and fantasizing excessively. The mind
obsesses about these events that are actually from a different time and
makes us live them during the present.
In summary, here is how the mind, through dysfunctional processes,
creates our suffering.
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It is busily repeating thoughts and experiences
from the past.
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It immerses in worries, fears, and dreams of the
future.
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It torments us with its adamant application of
opinions and views created by societies, regardless of reason or
logic.
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It judges, analyzes, insults, argues, and builds
images and emotions of violence, hatred, jealousy, etc.
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It can even bring illness and pain to the
physical body through its continuous transmission of damaging,
chaotic thoughts to the cells.
When a man mumbles and talks to himself all day, we say he’s mentally
ill. We fail to notice that all of us also talk to ourselves endlessly
all day and all night—except we do it quietly in our heads. This is a
serious chronic problem, but because everyone is affected, we think it
is “normal.” So instead of us being the “owners” who operate and
control the mind, in reality, that mind endlessly runs and controls us.
As long as we are unable to turn off that mind when necessary, we are
not beyond suffering.
It is not our goal here to forget the past or to not plan for the
future. Nor is it to have no opinions or viewpoints. The problem with
the processes in the above list is that they happen automatically and
habitually. When we say we want to turn off the mind, we mean that we
want to regain control of its processes. We want to turn off its
autopilot. The goal then is to be able to have a choice over these very
processes and applications—we want to be able to choose when to apply an
opinion or prior knowledge, or when to reminisce of the past, or when to
build images and emotions within ourselves.
The human mind is not a disaster for mankind. On the contrary—it is an
extremely valuable mechanism IF we know how to use it. Once we become
owners of our own minds, we can cultivate its positive qualities such
as creativity and awareness.
Eliminating suffering requires three things: an understanding of the
mind and its habits; a method to tame that mind; and, most importantly,
a cultivated awareness of our selves and our relationships with others.
We have already presented an introduction to the mind’s processes; in
the next chapter, we would like to present a simple method that can be
used to cultivate the necessary awareness. This method is only one of
countless meditation methods in the world—but we have found it to be one
of the simplest and most effective for our goals. Here, we present it
for those who have not yet found a useful tool in their search for
lasting happiness.
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*This chapter is an adapted version of the original chapter.*
Chapter Two
Our Key: The Here & Now Meditation
O ur key to
eliminating suffering is a simple technique that enables us to liberate
ourselves by turning off the mind. This key is especially geared
towards inexperienced practitioners of meditation. Anyone can practice
it easily at any place and any time—even while sitting comfortably in a
chair, lying down, standing, walking, or working.
This Here & Now
meditation neither requires us to leave the normal life of the material
and social world nor expects us to abandon loved ones for solitary contemplation
for any length of time. Furthermore, it does not belong to any religion.
Anyone can use it.
The Purpose of Meditation
Meditation has been in existence for many thousands of years ever since
people learned how to be quiet both in words and in thoughts. This
quietness has helped reenergize the body and bring about true and
complete rest to the mind.
Within the framework of this book, we shall focus on eliminating unhappiness
for ourselves and on preventing us from hurting others again. After the
true root of unhappiness is dealt with successfully, you will find that
true lasting peace and happiness shall be yours to keep.
Basic Here & Now Concepts
The very first goal of many meditations is to quiet, or still, the
thinking mind. Normally, if we were to focus our attention on something,
the thinking mind would be the one directing this action. This thinking
mind leads and directs nearly all of our daily actions and thoughts.
Some meditation techniques use it to manipulate itself into quietness. Others
also resort to “mindful” methods where one uses this thinking mind to
stay aware of the senses, thoughts, and actions such as eating, chewing,
walking, thinking certain thoughts, etc.
The Here & Now technique, however, does not attempt to “wrestle” with
that mind. At the beginner level, the thinking mind is sitting at a
designated place, unthinking and unfocused during meditation. The mind
and body get to rest deeply and thus experience profound peace and
tranquility. As one becomes more proficient, this state of being will
free the mind from its own habits of endless chatter. At higher levels,
the True mind carries out normal daily activities while constantly
keeping an awareness on or connectedness with the inner Stillness. In
addition, the method includes a means to continue practice even while
you are asleep so that you can reach the subconscious mind.
So what exactly is “Here & Now”? It means literally being “here” and
“now.” It results from keeping the mind where the body is and from the
absence of thought while in a heightened state of awareness. In this
state, the mind stands still, unthinking—not darting to the past,
jumping to the future, or analyzing and drawing inaccurate conclusions.
“Mind” and “body” become One, uniting the physical body with its
inherent inner Stillness; a state that transcends time and space.
Simply put, if we can keep our minds quiet when not in use, we are
already way ahead of the game. Then, if we can keep our minds quiet even
when we use it and when we are asleep, we are at a much higher state of
mind that no longer suffers needlessly. With this Here & Now method,
most people can enjoy great improvement in their emotional and mental
wellbeing within a few days. You do not even need to believe in the
method for it to work. All you have to do is try it and put in sincere
effort.
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Using The Here & Now
To summarize from the previous chapter, emotions generally develop in
these ways:
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From opinions,
feelings, and past interactions stored in the memory bank.
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From
interpretations made by the mind through the five physical senses.
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From thoughts
of events that have occurred in the past or that may occur in the
future.
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From values,
beliefs, and expectations applied by the mind to life events and
other people.
Here are the ways in which we can address these:
To stop the mind’s automatic use of certain old knowledge, we can be
“present” using the Here & Now meditation. When we find ourselves
reliving a certain past painful event or feeling, we need to make
ourselves “present” by using the Here & Now method to enter the state
of Stillness, keeping the mind quiet for at least one minute. Then,
afterwards, in that state of inner Stillness, we can observe the event
or feeling without reliving it. We can think of a memory while
simultaneously never disconnecting from the present and the present’s experiences.
We can minimize the bind between the mind and the senses by using the
Here & Now meditation. You need to do this if, for example, your eyes
see a rose, and then the mind hurriedly darts back to the past and pulls
up hurtful images and memories related to a certain rose of the past. In
cases like this, take a slow deep breath, enter the inner Stillness
using the Here & Now meditation, and listen in that state of being. You
will be able to calm down that edgy and overactive mind quickly.
To stop the mind from living in the past and future, we also need to
deal with the mind’s control over the imagination. The mind has a
special ability. It can “see” pictures and “hear” sounds without using
the senses. It even creates feelings, tastes, and smells by itself and
stimulates mental and physical reactions. For example, when the mind
imagines a lemon being squeezed into the mouth, saliva glands
automatically respond. This special ability, however, is a doublededge
blade that can bring both sadness and happiness. Our imagination can be
creative and innovative causing us to create art and inventions. But it
can also paint fantasies from the past or future that cause us
suffering.
When we need to interrupt a useless or negative session of the
imagination, we can take a slow deep breath and enter into the Here &
Now inner Stillness. Once in the Stillness, the mind will immediately
stop its imagining process. This technique is especially helpful in
preventing the imagination from getting out of control and bringing harm
to us or those around us.
To change the mind’s expectations and judgments, we may need to explore
new perspectives on life events. Chapter Three contains examples of new
perspectives that can help us cultivate awareness and perhaps change the
way the mind habitually applies its opinions and expectations to
ourselves and the people around us.
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Experiencing The Here & Now
The final goal of this meditation technique is for us to be able to
remain in the state of inner Stillness at all times, whether we are
sitting, standing, or walking, and whether we are awake or asleep.
There are typically four stages to reach that goal:
Stage 1: In this stage, through a conscious effort, we can
interrupt the flow of thought during what we call a “sitting
meditation.” We can also experience Stillness, inner peace, and the
resting and clarity of the mind during meditation.
Stage 2: Here, when we are not in sitting meditation and while
carrying out our normal daily activities, we can experience the presence
of Stillness quite frequently. We experience this both naturally and by
the conscious effort of doing one minute meditation throughout the day.
Stage 3: In this stage, the mind has become quite docile, less
chaotic, and more manageable. Through practice, we can calmly face real
life situations, be aware of our mind’s drives and habits, and step out
of emotional turmoil as we maintain Stillness throughout.
Stage 4: In this fourth stage, we and our minds are in a natural
state of oneness without struggles or chaos. Here, we live our lives
with an everpresent inner peace and connection with that inner
Stillness. The mind no longer automatically analyzes, judges, reacts,
draw conclusions, or nags as it used to do.
It is believed that the most enlightened sages stay in this state of
Stillness continually.
Note for practitioners of other disciplines:
Practitioners of the Chakra System and other energy systems: When
practicing the Here & Now meditation, because the initial goals of the
Here & Now method are Stillness and the complete absence of thought,
you will need to relax all the muscles on the forehead and around the
eyes to avoid concentrating at the eyebrows and forehead, especially at
the location of the “Third Eye” chakra, or Chakra 6 to some.
If you are used to feeling energy movements, frequencies, or vibrations
or having visions during meditation, please ignore them because the
essence of Here & Now is the Stillness behind all of them. You should
keep the mind completely still, without expecting anything—not expecting
even the experience of Stillness itself because the act of expecting
also hinders our experiencing Stillness.
Practitioners of traditional meditations: Traditional meditations often
emphasize complete wakefulness. The Here & Now method emphasizes
complete inaction which includes not struggling to stay alert. The ideal
initial depth of meditation in the first stage is the state of being
half-awake and half-asleep: between the two states of being asleep and
awake.
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Level One: Entering The Stillness
Important: Please note that three levels have been designed for
the sole purpose of practical training. They do not indicate levels of
spiritual achievement, only different applications of the meditation
technique. Begin with Level One. Only advance to the next level after
mastering the previous techniques. However, do not feel pressure to
advance—many people comfortably and effectively use the first- or
second-level techniques even after mastering all three levels. Just find
a comfortable one for yourself.
Level One explains the basic way to quiet the mind and enter
Stillness, opens the heart to compassion, and teaches techniques for
self-healing, anti-aging and stress management,
Level Two teaches how to deepen the state of Stillness. It also
contains advanced exercises to practice sustaining Stillness during
everyday activities and to neutralize negative emotions. (See the book,
The Here & Now Meditation.)
Level Three consists of methods of spiritual cultivation using
the Here & Now meditation.
Sitting Meditation
While we call the daily meditation a “sitting meditation,” remember that
this meditation technique may be practiced at any time, any place, and
in any posture. Just make sure you are as comfortable and relaxed as
possible.
Step One: Inhale slowly through your nose. As you slowly exhale
through the mouth, feel as if a wave is sweeping from head to toe to
relax your entire body. You can keep your eyes open or closed. If open,
they should be gazing but neither focusing nor concentrating on any
object.
Step Two: Tell the mind, “The body is here,” knowing the mind’s
arrival at the heart area of your chest. Let go of yourself and relax
with the mind unthinking and unfocused. Especially relax the muscles
around the eyes and forehead whether the eyes are open or closed. Every
so often, vaguely know that the mind is sitting quietly at the heart
area.
If the mind starts wandering away or thinking, just quietly remind it,
“The body is here,” and settle it again at the same location. Then
immediately let go of thoughts and relax your body and mind again.
Remain in that unthinking and unfocused state for a minimum of one
minute and maximum of 30 minutes. New practitioners should not meditate
longer than 30 minutes at first. After about a month, you can go as long
as comfortable.
Step Three: To end the sitting meditation, take a slow deep
breath. As you slowly exhale, open and focus your eyes fully. Stretch
your body if desired as you end the session.
If you wish to continue the session with some other methods of
contemplation, then after fully refocusing, sustain the Stillness
while in the normal state of wakefulness. Quietly gaze at or observe the
surfacing images and passing thoughts without analyzing or reasoning.
This practice can be performed for as long as desired.
If your goal in meditation is developing your “higher Mind,” we advise
that you work with a teacher who is accomplished in this area to guide
you personally. The regular mind can be easily mistaken for the “higher
Mind.”
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Sleeping Meditation
At first, we transcend suffering when we reach Stillness during the
sitting meditation. Next, we integrate this Stillness into our everyday
activities. Then, in the sleeping meditation, we attempt to deal with
another part of our mind: our subconscious. For us to no longer suffer
even in our dreams, we guide both the subconscious and our thinking mind
to dwell in the Stillness even during sleep. This allows us to wake up
each day feeling fresh and at peace with ourselves and our world because
it prevents the mind from continuing its habits at night.
The technique is as follows: whenever you feel drowsy and are about to
fall asleep, tell your thinking mind and your subconscious, “Take refuge
in the Stillness during sleep.” Then, let go of all thoughts and
muscles, and fall into a peaceful sleep.
Signs Of Stillness During Meditation
A meditating person in deep Stillness will show the following signs: The
body is not swaying, the limbs are still, and the head does not nod or
move. The person’s face appears peaceful without any tenseness.
Breathing becomes extremely light. With Stillness, even in long
meditation sessions, limbs and back should have no aches or pains. In
addition, perceptions of time and space can be slightly distorted. For
example, upon opening the eyes after meditation, a person may
inaccurately estimate the length of time under meditation, or a person
may feel slightly disoriented. Another indication of Stillness is
feeling physically refreshed and mentally peaceful after a meditation session.
The Here & Now meditation may be practiced as often as desired
throughout your day. For effectiveness, we suggest at least one 10- to
30-minute long sitting session and three short sessions of one minute
each during daily activities. If your mind is very active, often darting
to different times and places, practice more often and for longer
periods. Then when you are ready to fall asleep, whether taking a nap,
going to bed, or returning to sleep after waking up during the night, do
the sleeping meditation steps.
Remember that our main goal is to live in the present, be in full
awareness of our mind’s processes, be in control of our thoughts,
emotions, actions and realities, and maintain Stillness and equanimity
through life’s tribulations. Thus, after you have learned to achieve
Stillness, silently keep in touch with it as frequently as possible.
Again, frequent one-minute pauses in Stillness throughout your day will
be incredibly helpful.
Self-Healing, Anti-Aging & Stress Managing
For self-healing: After a few minutes of regular
meditation, tell your mind to rest at the ailing locations and then
promptly let go of your thoughts and re-enter the Stillness for 1 to 30
minutes. (If the illness is in wholebody systems such as the
circulatory, lymphatic, nervous, etc., then place the mind at the top of
the head instead.) For Stress Control and
Anti-Aging:
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Every day, do at least 15 minutes for the Here &
Now sitting meditation.
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Do the 1-minute Stillness throughout the day to
prevent stress build-up.
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Each time you are about to fall asleep, take a
slow, deep breath, relax, and tell your mind and your subconscious
to dwell in the Stillness during sleep.
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Every time negative thoughts or feelings arise,
take a slow, deep breath and enter the Stillness for at least 30
seconds.
Don’t forget to take pictures of your face to see the before & after
affects.
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Neutralizing Forces of Past Karma
Some people believe that the sources of old information are not
necessarily contained within this single lifetime, but rather, from many
previous lifetimes. In this case, perhaps you will find the following
instructions relevant to your goals. But if you don’t believe in past
life, simply ignore this section.
To neutralize forces from past lives, it is necessary to view existing
suffering (illness, painful relationships, painful events, etc.) as the
results of some of our past actions. In such case, one needs to
sincerely feel remorseful—even though we may not remember or know of
those past actions. We then silently apologize to those who have
suffered due to our past intentional or unintentional actions.
In our daily lives, there are times when we suffer from people who,
without apparent reason, seem to persistently make life difficult for
us, i.e. angrily arguing, fighting, taking our money, damaging our
property, etc. To understand this karmically, we assume that at some time
in the past, we had done the same things to them. Put ourselves in their
position in that past and open our hearts so that we can understand their
plight. Then, in deep Stillness, we sincerely regret and silently
apologize to them. Immediately afterwards, enter the Stillness for at least
30 minutes. The deeper the Stillness and the more complete the silence
of the mind, the greater the results.
Characteristics of
The Here & Now Meditation
This Here & Now meditation method has several very important qualities
especially in comparison with other methods:
~Non Struggle: This method begins with not
struggling with the noisy mind and ends with a completely
non-struggling state within and without our being.
~Stillness Versus Watchful Awareness: In this method, our awareness
is sustained through peaceful observation and Stillness, not
through intense watching as in many other disciplines. Yet, the
method is completely compatible with all other traditions and even
with a secular, non-religious life. ~Time and
Effectiveness: If practiced correctly, one can experience this
life-changing Stillness within a few days—some have even experienced
it within minutes. Practitioners usually can integrate the
Stillness into daily life within a few weeks. These are very short
times compared to the months or even years that many meditation
methods require. ~Simplicity: The Here & Now
method is one of the simplest and easiest methods to learn,
requiring very little time and education, no expenses, and no
instructors. The method is also very easy to teach—once mastered,
one can easily show others how to practice within moments.
~Compatibility: The Here & Now meditation is neutral and
complementary—it is compatible with all other spiritual and
religious traditions. It is even compatible with a secular,
non-religious life. The meditation helps bring about clarity in both
mind and spirit, allowing you the freedom to follow any path you
choose and often even helping you proceed along those paths. Lasting
happiness is a human goal that belongs to no single tradition and to
all people everywhere. ~Compassion and World
Peace: Beside providing inner peace, this Here & Now key also helps
us develop compassion and loving-kindness. We can build world peace
only after we have achieved compassion and inner peace for
ourselves.
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*This chapter has been taken directly from the original chapter.*
Chapter Three
New Perspectives
I n this
chapter, we present perspectives that we feel are useful in alleviating
suffering. These stories are not meant to be strict guidelines, rules,
or even instructions. Again, the main goal of this book is to help you
find paths to lasting happiness. Unless you feel it will help you personally,
you do not need to change your life perspectives in any way. Because we
and many of our practitioners have found some of these stories and ideas
helpful, we decided to share them with you and let you choose among them
those that resonate with you.
Most of the ideas
below deal with the mind, its opinions, and its insistence in applying
its views on others. This is because this aspect of the mind can be the
most confining part of our lives, causing suffering in the forms of
anger, hurt, frustration, outrage, self-righteousness, and more. As we
grow up, our minds accumulate opinions, views, and beliefs from our
parents and others around us. These views are not inherently
harmful—many of them are good, teaching virtues such as kindness and
generosity. What changes these opinions into things harmful to us and
others is the mind’s insistence that others must believe as we do and
others must behave as we think they should.
When we interact
with people, objects, and situations, we often come upon things that
contradict our minds’ views of how things should be. Our minds become
uncomfortable because that man should be more decent, that woman should
be a better mother, my daughter should be respectful, my son should
call me. In coming in contact with other beings and objects, our minds
immediately analyze and judge using its longstored opinions, often even
demanding the people and situations around us to adjust themselves
accordingly. He shouldn’t have been late—he should be more prompt. It
wasn’t supposed to rain today. There isn’t supposed to be traffic at
this time. These thoughts run through our minds constantly, leaving in
their wake continual suffering.
So, our first step
is to end in our mind the demand that others must comply to our minds’
points of view, especially the points that we and the majority of people
believe to be good and correct. Our minds need to understand that if we
have the right to have our own opinions, so do others, so long as these
opinions do not lead to harm to the community or society. Instead of
imposing our opinions on other people and on life situations, we apply
our opinions only to ourselves. This is a necessary beginning step in
the construction of happiness.
The second step is
to sort through all our minds’ opinions—which now only apply to
ourselves—and make decisions about which opinions are useful and which
are useless in our path to happiness. We may find that many of these
opinions are restrictive even though we no longer apply them to others.
These opinions are restrictive on ourselves. Find the views that cause
you unhappiness, such as certain expectations of yourself, and choose to
change them. Once you’ve identified them, you can begin working on
changing them through the Here & Now meditation (see italicized text
below).
The following
selected perspectives may help you identify views within your-self that
you would like to change. Again, these stories have been chosen on one
merit: the ability to liberate us from suffering. Thus, any view that
still holds us in bondage, that still restricts us, including those
well-established in traditional value systems will not be discussed. We
will not assert whether something is right or wrong, or good or bad. We
offer only what we have found to be useful.
If you wish to change any of your perspectives or adopt new ones, do the
following before meditating the Here & Now: repeat once to yourself the
main point of that perspective, then put it out of your mind, and
immediately enter the Here & Now meditation. The deeper the Stillness,
the more effective this method will be.
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The Nagging Mind
“One day, my mother scolded me unjustly. It hurt me
and made me cry. Every time I tell someone about it, I feel hurt again
and cry again. In fact, when no one is around for me to tell it to, I
remember it and even relive it. I relive the memory, the words and the
feelings, and then I end up crying as if it is happening again. After
two weeks, I have managed to relive the pain and cry 18 times total! If
this thought pattern remains with me, if my mind keeps doing this, who
knows how many more times I will hurt and cry—when in reality, my mother
scolded me only once.”
*****
In their younger days, her husband had an affair, but
afterwards, he regretted it and became a good, faithful, and loving
husband. However, her mind kept recalling the old story, and she
continued to feel hurt. She would remember the hurt, and she cried all
through the forty years of marriage no matter what he did to comfort
her. Her mind could not let go of those memories of hurt, and even after
his death, it would not relent. Now, the memories of the affair still
surface whenever she visits his grave.
“Must” And “Should”
The words “must” and “should” may be necessary in life if we want to
maintain reasonable peace and order in societies and communities. But
what if our mind is burdened with these two words endlessly, day and
night? “A husband must be responsible, children must…, I must…, you
must…, they must…, we must…, God must…” “You should do it this way…, I
should…, she should…”
*****
“In the span of a single day, I purposely counted how many times my mind
used the words “must” and “should,” and discovered the exact extent of
how much I still hold myself and others in bondage. I also discovered
that these ideas, opinions, and points of view are not truly mine but
rather were imposed upon me by my parents and by society. I in turn
impose them automatically upon others, especially my offspring. So as I
unthinkingly pass on restrictive and useless opinions and views, I may
create further bondage for generations.”
*****
A meditation student complains to the master about a friend. “Master,
all day he tells me what I “must” and “should” do, and I feel annoyed
and frustrated. How do I solve this?” The master answers gently: “Have
you noticed how you want to argue or defend yourself to him? Know that
his use of words like “must” and “should,” especially when they have the
subtle meaning that something is wrong with you, is a form of violence.
He is unconsciously attacking you. But your need to defend and explain
yourself is also a form of violence—it is violence within yourself,
within your mind. Your mind attacks and resents him. We can only find
true inner peace when we no longer feel that dire need to explain,
defend, argue, or even wonder…”
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Wants Or Needs?
“When I want something I can’t have or when I want others to do
something and my wishes are unmet, I suffer—I feel frustrated, angry,
disappointed. My mind complains constantly about these unfulfilled
wishes and demands.” If you experience these feelings, then ask
yourself this: “Do I want it, or do I need it?” If the answer seems to
be need, then ask further: “If I don’t get my wish, does it kill me?” If
it actually harms you, then it is need. However, if it doesn’t, it is
want. And if it’s want—if you don’t really need it—perhaps you would not
suffer if you chose to no longer want it.
The Bondage Of Criticism
We feel upset and hurt when someone has a wrong or negative opinion
about us. To deal with this, we should understand three things.
1—We feel hurt because the mind wants to change that person’s opinion
about us. It is this want that causes our hurt—not necessaritly the
opinion itself. We are upset because our minds want the person to think
something else, to have a different opinion about us. And we suffer
because of the mind’s need to defend and argue.
2—People form their opinions from their minds’ general background: their
mind’s beliefs, values, and standards. And unless new information has
been added, it actually would have been difficult for the mind to have
formed the opinion differently. So it’s pretty safe to conclude that
people mean no malice; the mind just could not help it.
3—There is no need to change that opinion. To deal with our
suffering—our anger, hurt, frustration, outrage—we need only to deal
with our mind’s need and desire to change that opinion. Once the mind no
longer feels this need, the opinion will no longer bother us.
Also, while criticism from others is hurtful, criticism of ourselves
from our own minds is likely more traumatic and damaging. The mind can
torture us for our entire lives by frequently bringing up the memories
of weaknesses and mistakes of the past. We must forgive ourselves and
move on so we can live in peace. Without compassion for ourselves, we
can’t truly have compassion for others.
Once we have understood the relationship between criticism and the
mind, we can use the Here & Now meditation to neutralize our negative
emotions. Understanding is done in the mind, but true understanding and
experience must be done in our heart where it is wordless.
The Past And The Future
“Years ago, I lived in poverty. We had no food. We didn’t eat regularly.
Now, we are comfortable and have more than enough food. But I still
remember the feeling of hunger and I fear it. Even now, when I sit in
front of a lavish meal, I remember when we had no food, and I worry that
something might happen in the future—I worry that someday this food
won’t be here anymore. I worry so much about those “what if’s” that when
I try to eat, the food then tastes like nothing at all.”
*****
“I was willing to sacrifice and put off my own wants to build a future
for myself and my family. I worked hard towards my goal. Now, I have
achieved that ‘future.’ But I look back and realize that my children’s
childhoods have long passed, the youth of my spouse has been lost, and
my health is no longer vibrant enough to enjoy an active and passionate
family life. The forgotten present has long become the past…”
*****
She suffers over something that happened or did not happen in the past.
He never stops worrying about something that has not yet happened or
that might happen in the future. They seem to have forgotten about
living in the present. Perhaps she would no longer suffer if she realizes
that she cannot go back into the past to make changes—no matter how much
the mind wants to. And he would suffer less if he understands that the
act of worrying does not influence or change anything in the
future—whether he worries or not, the outcomes will be the same.
Worrying itself does little to influence anything or anyone—except it
may cause suffering to the worrier.
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Judgment
With our limited minds, we do not—and cannot—fully comprehend the reasons behind things which we perceive as good and bad. Knowing how limited
our minds are, perhaps, we should hesitate and pause whenever our minds
pass judgment so quickly, easily, and often.
*****
Judgment is the habit of an active mind that imposes its opinions,
values, and beliefs on the self and on others. Although morals and
ethics are important for social order, many judgments can be a form of
violence attacking the people being judged. And the person being judged
can also be the self—as long as the ability to pass judgment on others
exists, so will the ability to pass judgment on the self. Both these
abilities are forms of bondage that lead to suffering. The true mind
does not judge—it only observes in silence and peace.
*****
“I tried to live one whole day without allowing the mind to pass any
judgments or make any accusations. That’s when I realized that my mind
judges and accuses all day…”
Happiness And Suffering
A meditation student asks: Why does everyone hurt me and make me
suffer—why does no one bring me happiness? The master answers: No one is
capable of causing our suffering or bringing us happiness. We are the
only ones who are capable of doing such things to ourselves. It is not
what happens to us but rather how we react to what happens. Observe your
mind and how it reacts.
Changing Our Significant Other
A woman asks her therapist for ways to change her husband to improve
their marriage. The therapist sadly replies: “I’m sorry, I don’t have
this ability. Many of us think that after we marry, we will gradually
change our spouses. I don’t think I have ever met a person who is truly
capable of changing another person. Here, I can only show people how to
change themselves to find inner happiness.”
Changing Places
“Last night on the news, I watched a man waiting on death row. I knew he
committed crimes but as I looked deeply into his numb and staring eyes,
I couldn’t help wondering: If I were in his place, how would I feel
right now?
Forgiveness
A meditation student asks, “I suffer so much from how others treat me.
My loved ones have hurt me, betrayed me, and disappointed me. How do I
get rid of my resentment and hatred?” The master answers, “Meditate and
forgive all of them.” A few days later, the student returns with
success: “I have learned forgiveness, master. Thank you.” The master
answers: “You are not finished yet. Meditate, open your heart, and love
them.” A week later, the student returns, again with success. But again,
the master gives new instructions: “Now, meditate and be appreciative
and grateful. Without them and the roles they played, you would not have
had the opportunity for such personal growth.” The student returns
again, convinced that the lessons are finished. The student proclaims,
“I have learned to appreciate these people for giving me the chance to
learn forgiveness!” The master answers: “Then you should go and meditate
again. They have played their roles correctly and well—why is there even
a need for forgiveness?”
Self-Pity
Of all the pain-causing thoughts, the self-pitying ones can produce the
strongest pain. Justified or not, they can cause us to experience and
reexperience pain: “I am so unfortunate. How could that person say such
horrible things to me? Why doesn’t that person love me? God is so unfair
to me! Everything goes wrong in my life…”
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Separation And Love
A person comes into our lives because s/he is meant to come—just as
when s/he is leaving, it is meant to be. One of the most painful
experiences is when someone we love leaves our lives. Another is when
that person does not return our love. But we must realize that the
existence of love depends neither on the other’s physical presence nor
on the other’s feelings. We do not love people because they are near nor
because they love us in return. So why should their absence or lack of
love stop us from loving and experiencing the joy of loving? The joy of
loving has nothing to do with the pain of separation. To feel pain from
separation is to misidentify need for love—we do not suffer because we
love; we suffer because we need. Our minds reinforce these needs and
demands instead of allowing us to experience the joy of loving.
*****
Relationships never really end. They only change in form. When a person
leaves our life, the relationship is not “over.” It only changes from
“spouse” to “notspouse,” or “close friend” to “not close friend.” We
are always in some kind of relation to everyone around us. We do not
“lose” people—they are always there, existing. What causes suffering is
our mind’s desire to have a specific kind, or form, of relationship. It
does not like changes. This applies even to death—we want that person to
“be alive,” a particular state of being and kind of relationship to us.
Perhaps it would help to know that even in death, we are still in
relation to that person, if not through souls and spirits, then through
our memories and the relationship we have with that person in our memory
and the love we shared.
The Measure Of Success And Failure
What do we define as success and failure? When we work hard and achieve
security, wealth, family, independence, a career, we think to ourselves,
“I am successful—I am Success.” Then when we lose these things, we
think, “I have failed—I am Failure.” But the things we use to define
success are impermanent, things that come and go in our lifetime. So why
do we make these the measure, the standard, of our worth, of our life’s
successes and failures, and then suffer because of this measure?
Religion Of Origin
Question: “I was born and raised in a particular religious
faith. As an adult, I felt the need to search further, beyond what I
felt as the limits of that faith. My family is very upset about this,
and I had to move out to ease the pressure for everyone. However, I am
still very troubled—I don’t feel free from it. What should I do?”
Answer: “Sometimes, there is little you can do to change how
others feel. However, you can change your own emotions and feelings. You
can use the Here & Now method to calm the conflicting emotions about
your loyalties to your family and your new spiritual path. Furthermore,
perhaps your past, your faith of origin, is not a coincidence in the
first place. Perhaps there is a reason why you were raised a specific
way and also a reason why you choose differently now.
Mine’s Better Than Yours
Practitioners are arguing about the legitimacy of various meditation
methods and the spirituality and religious beliefs behind them. They
claim theirs to be the best and refuse to accept others’ methods and
beliefs. Then, someone stands up and asks: “My friends, what in life is
not spiritual? What in life is not part of something larger? The
universe was created long before what we now call religions. Everything,
including spirituality, comes into being at the necessary time and
place. None are more “true” than others. Perhaps each one is only more
appropriate at a certain time and place and for a certain people. We
wouldn’t be arguing if we could look beyond the religious historical
events and see them as manifestations of different means to the same
end.”
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Is That So?
The following is a summary and translation of a famous Buddhist story
about a Japanese Zen monk: One day, a pregnant woman and her family
arrive at the temple of a serene monk. The woman points at him and
falsely accuses him of being the father of her child. The family yells
and curses at him for his “sins.” He listens patiently and then
responds: “Is that so?” They leave only to return some months later with
the infant to leave in his care. Again, he responds, “Is that so?” and
takes the child. A few years later, they return again to apologize to
him for their mistake and to take back the child. He calmly responds
once again, “Is that so?” as he watches the child taken away.
Inter-Relationship
A meditation student asks a master: “What is the best way to deal with
human interaction in my cultivation? Should I seclude myself to avoid
all interaction so I can prevent the accumulation of new karma?” The
master replies: "Sure, you can if you want. But for some reason, I,
personally, keep feeling as if I owe somebody something no matter what I
do. When I eat my meals, I feel I owe the farmers for their labor. When
I turn on the lights, I feel I owe the people who work at the power
plant. When I do the laundry, I feel I owe the people who work at soap
factories. But, of course, that’s just me."
Why Are We Here In This Life?
The following paragraphs portray different views on the meaning of our
existence in this life and world. Some of these are similar and can work
in tandem with each other while some are contradictory—it is up to you
to choose some, if any at all, that are helpful to you.
1. Faith In The Universe
Society and the universe may seem extremely chaotic. However, when we
look more closely, what seems like chaos is actually following a kind of
a definite order. An individual’s life may also seem chaotic and
aimless, but with keener perception, one can see wondrous order and
arrangement. There exists certain universal forces that are more
intelligent than we are, a kind of guiding energy and power that
manifests the rhythms of all the ups and downs that will gently lead us
to wherever we need to go and to be.
2. Karma
“To believe in karma, the universal law of cause and effect, is to see
all relationships and life events as a part of that larger cycle. So
when someone hurts me or causes me loss, instead of suffering, I view it
as a payment of an old debt from a previous life. I feel relieved, and
my heart is lighter because the debt load has lessened.”
3. Roles And Lessons
“I don’t believe in karma. I believe that this world is a gigantic stage
where each person is both an actor and script-writer for his/her own
role. Before birth, we choose our roles and request others to play
important opposing roles such as parents, spouses, children, enemies,
loved ones, etc. The main goal on this stage is to ‘experience’ and
evolve spiritually; one learns forgiveness, compassion, and
unconditional love. One also learns bondage and freedom, suffering and
happiness. Therefore, I sincerely thank everyone whether their roles in
my life were loving or hateful, good or bad. I also have respect for
those who hold lesser and weaker positions in my life such as my
children, my younger siblings, my employees, and people with less money,
power, beauty, and intelligence, because I know that they certainly are
truly not anything less than I. They have actually granted me a great
privilege by acting in these lesser roles.”
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4. What Is This Lesson?
“I believe that all events and relationships in my life are lessons
designed to help me evolve spiritually. Therefore, each time I face a
trauma, challenge, or even success, instead of allowing my mind to blame
myself, others, or the universe, I ask myself: What lesson can I learn
from this?”
“I believe that all life experiences are lessons—and the main lesson is
to let go of my attachments and, thus, understand the essence of
illusion and impermanence in life. For example, if I am excessively
concerned with money, especially if I believe it to be the determining
factor of my worth, I may experience financial failure and loss, one
after another until I let go of my attachment to money. If I am attached
to and dependent on emotional relationships with others, especially if
I see them as a part of my identity, I may experience many relationship
failures and the loss of loved ones. These lessons will keep on
repeating until I understand the nature of my attachments. Once the
lessons are learned, my specific problems seem to dissipate and my life
automatically calms down. I find inner peace and equanimity. I find
peace because my life is calm, and my life is calm also because I find
inner peace—the relationship is circular.”
Unconditional Love
What is unconditional love? To love unconditionally
is to love without condition, without expectation or demand. It is easy
to love someone who is perfect. But what of the imperfect? A mother may
view her mentally handicapped child as a punishment from higher forces.
But perhaps the child is a blessing. Perhaps the child is here to teach
the mother true unconditional love. Unconditional love is the ability to
love a handicapped child who cannot speak pleasant words to us, who has
no social status and achievements of which a parent can be proud.
*****
How does one love a man or woman unconditionally?
Loving people unconditionally is loving them totally, both their “good”
and “bad” parts. It is not loving them despite their bad qualities—it is
loving them also because of those qualities. When we love people
unconditionally, we are able to watch them living their lives, being
themselves, without wanting or needing them to change anything. In fact,
we love them without needing them to belong to us—we love them
regardless of whether they return our love, whether they are with us or
in our lives.
Love Versus Need
How do you know when you love someone? We often say, “I know I love her
because I can’t live without her. If she left, I would hurt so much.” Or
we say, “When I’m not with him, I miss him so much. I always want to be
near him.” But these don’t seem to capture the essence of love because
love does not hurt or cause pain. What causes us pain, what those quotes
above are actually describing, is need. Need asks, demands, expects.
Need constrains and confines. Need hurts. And need is the work of the
mind. Love does not require certain behaviors or certain feelings. Love
does not require at all. Love is joyful and liberating—it is freedom
for both those who love and those who are loved. Love is the work of the
heart.
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Experiencing “All Is One”
People often talk about “oneness,” and many say, “All is one.” Many ask
how we can go about experiencing it. But we as humans cannot describe
the “it” experience in words, much less show someone how to reach that
experience. The story below is an attempt to describe one experience
through the language of the mind—and is a pale and pallid comparison to
the actual experience. This is not a formula or instructions for you to
follow. We hope you find this story helpful in some way on your own
path to experiencing the oneness of all that is.
Woman And Child
Most people say she's Woman. Some say she's Child. She thinks she's
both. Together “they” often go to the beach. The woman gazes into the
deep water, longing for her lost continent of a distant past. The child
builds a sand castle and giggles when the wind sneaks up and pecks her
on the cheek. Once in awhile, the wind asks softly, “Who are you?” The
child laughs. “I am Me, of course. Silly you!”
Then one day, the woman pauses and wonders who she really is. They say
clothing does not make a person. So she takes off all her clothes. They
say the physical form is not the true identity. So she slowly lets her
body dissolve into the air. And after every bit of the physical matter disappears, the layers of her nonphysical form
fall away, too. Then to her
surprise, there is nothing but Stillness, wordlessness...
The Child is fascinated. She wiggles a bit and feels herself expanding,
expanding, and expanding... She wiggles again and finds herself
pervading the entire universe…
Something is very odd, yet so natural here. With her coverings peeled
off, all things appear as Stillness and formless just like her. In fact,
the “Stillnesses” are one and the same. Either everything is a part of
her or she is in everything, or maybe both. As she loses her self, the
entire physical universe comes back into being within that Stillness.
Now, she is the little ant that is being crushed under someone's shoe.
She is the small boy flying a kite. She is the monk preaching to a
large group of people. She is the disfigured leper whose pusfilled
wounds are being cleaned by an undistinguished nun, and she is also the
nun at the same time. She is the man murdering a child, and she is the
father grieving over the child's coffin. She is that man who touches
a woman... touches her deeply... and then walks off without an
explanation. She is also that same woman, fixing her gaze on the horizon
at sunset for the next thousand years, silently grieving the loss of a
moment of the past. She is the young girl standing at a street corner
waiting for customers, and she is also the nun praying for the
salvation of the human race. She is all the mountains and rivers, and
she is a small stone, deep in meditation for centuries on end. She is
all those humans able to roam the different, both seen and unseen,
universes... And she is all of those universes…
All the particles of her physical body start to gather themselves back
into a shape... Then come the nonphysical layers... The Stillness
joins in and, voila, the woman-child appears as before. She wears a
flimsy gown and stands on the balcony, being a woman. The blinking stars
bear her witness; her body shivers as the wind caresses her skin... She
embraces life's passion; her being pervades the universes. Then she puts
back on the ordinary clothes of the woman-child. In peace and
equanimity, she again finds herself among the worlds of mortals and
immortals, knowing that she belongs to them and they her...
She puts on the outfit of a master, pretending to disseminate wisdom to
a group of students who she knows are none other than her own self.
Though they may or may not be aware of this, she knows they need nothing
from her or anyone else. Those who have paranormal power look at her
Stillness and say they see gods and goddesses. She smiles lovingly...
She knows they only see reflections of their own yearnings and needs.
They are a part of her, are they not?
So the woman and child go back to the beach. The woman again gazes into
the deep water; the entire marine kingdom comes alive within her. The
child again builds a sand castle and laughs when the wind sneaks up and
pecks her on the cheek. And again, the wind asks softly, “Who are you?”
Without looking up from the sand castle, the child smiles and whispers,
“I am You.”
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Other Chapters in the Book
B elow are
brief descriptions of other chapters in the full book:
Chapter Four:
Self-Healing. This section discusses using the Here & Now meditation to
heal. With this method, you can actually watch your pain subside within
a few minutes. While the method is very effective, we know that many meditators, especially those whose goal in meditation is a kind of
spiritual enlightenment, dislike the idea of using meditation for
healing purposes. This meditation method involves both mind and body,
however, so a person may use it effectively with either or both.
Chapter Five:
Managing Stress And Slowing The Aging Process. This section explains how
to use the Here & Now meditation to relax and manage stress, or to slow
the aging process.
Chapter Six:
Questions and Answers for Experienced Meditators. This section
addresses various questions posed by meditation masters from varying
disciplines and discusses more advanced concepts and techniques in a
comparative manner.
Chapter Seven:
General Questions and Answers. This is a question and answer section.
Topics include technical aspects of the meditation, advanced concepts
on the mind, practical applications of the new perspectives, and
suggestions for spiritual cultivation and personal transformation.
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*This chapter has been taken directly from the original chapter.*
Summary
H ere is a
summary of the main points of this book along with a few tips on
practice.
~ The mind is
not the self. We are not that mind.
~ The senses
receive and transfer information to the mind. The mind “perceives”
and then interprets the information based on its knowledge and
feelings stored in the memory bank. When we misidentify ourselves
with the mind and believe we are those feelings and thoughts, we
will become sad or happy according to the mind’s directing.
~ Suffering is
any emotion that is not happiness, any state that is not peace, and
any action that does not come from compassion. This includes
emotions and actions we don’t normally consider suffering such as
anger and vengefulness.
~ A state of
profound Stillness can interrupt the mind’s control over our
emotions and actions. This Stillness is not just a pause in
thought—it is a natural silence within us that allows us to be in a
state of peace, a state of silent wholeness. In this state, we are
untouched by the mind’s habits which have created need and
expectation. In this state, we can bring peace to the mind and the
body thus bringing peace into our lives.
~ The Here and
Now meditation offers a daily meditation to reach Stillness. To
relieve our suffering and the suffering of those around us, we need
to be able to bring a part of this Stillness into our daily lives.
In whatever you are doing, try to maintain a certain connectedness
with that inner Stillness.
~ The most
practical exercise is to listen and converse in Stillness. This
means listening and responding with an absolute absence of the need
for analysis, judgment, vindication, and problem-solving. When any
of these tasks become necessary, we should perform them purposely
and only in Stillness instead of allowing the mind to do them
habitually and automatically.
~ Making
judgment on others comes from a need within us that the mind has
created. This need is one of self-reassurance, self-consolation, and
self-elevation. And this need drives us to act out in a form of
violence that can be very hurtful to those around us. Instead of
temporarily patching our wounds by attacking others, we can
permanently realize our wholeness and peace by reaching the state
of Stillness so that we no longer hurt others through judgment.
~ Stillness is
not the opposite of action—it does not mean inaction in life.
Living in Stillness means living without an inner struggle with life
and the situations we face. Externally, we still live our daily
lives and still cope “face-to-face” with our present realities.
Inner stillness does not mean outer motionlessness.
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Here & Now Mottos
We call the favorite phrases which can be easily applied to the “Here
& Now” way of life our “mottos,” or sometimes jokingly our “mantras”:
~ For those of us who are quick-tempered or tend
to nag our spouses and children about trivial things such as being
messy in the home, not squeezing the toothpaste from the bottom up,
not rinsing the glass after drinking orange juice, etc., this motto
can help reduce the nagging and angry reactions: “If it isn’t
killing anyone, don’t complain!” ~ For those of us
whose minds habitually deduce, analyze and judge, we can practice
stopping that tendency. The minute the mind receives information
from the senses, and before it can jump to an interpretation, stop
and tell it, “That’s it!” or, “Period.”
~ For those of us who habitually impose our
opinions on others, requiring others to follow the rules of our
beliefs, we should frequently tell ourselves, “It’s all right. No
big deal!” ~ For those of us whose minds are often
preoccupied with complaints, perhaps it would help if we thought to
ourselves, “It could be worse.” ~ Remember the
story about the Japanese Zen monk in Chapter 3? In all his life
situations, good and bad, he would calmly comment, “Is that so?” and
peacefully move on with life. This monk sets an example for all of
us. As we face each situation that life creates for us, perhaps we
too should try to calmly comment, “Is that so?” with a smile on our
faces and peace in our hearts.
Thank you for taking your journey with us. We hope you found this book
useful in some way. The Here & Now meditation is only one method among
many used to first establish the sacred inner Stillness. Once you have
found Stillness within yourself (with whatever method you prefer),
please use it to cultivate deeper understanding and compassion. Only
these will create lasting happiness for you individually and for the
world as a whole.
May you and all beings find true peace, joy, and understanding in life.
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