Monday

Mindfulness in Everyday Life

It is said that meditation is like our legs and the Dharma is like our eyes. Without legs we can’t get anywhere. But without eyes, we don’t know where we are going, so our legs just stop moving.

You might ask, “Why do we meditate? “There are so many things competing for our time. The speediness of our lives always leaves much left undone on our “to do list.” So the question, what would ever make us go to our chair or cushion to just sit? This begs to be answered. In spite of so much material comfort, living in one of the richest countries in the world, we suffer.

Most of us often feel dissatisfied, that true happiness and well being is somewhat out of reach, or is at best fleeting. Maybe it’s because we are always looking for happiness in all the wrong ways and all the wrong places. Meditation provides a path, and also the skills to travel that path, leading to a lasting happiness and peace. How can it promise such a thing, and what does that mean?

Our mind can be compared to the clear blue sky. Above the clouds is space that is vast, infinite, deep and uncluttered. Without bounds. The mind is similar to the sky, but thoughts are like clouds, hiding our unfettered mind and creating confusion and ignorance. Meditation teaches us how to live from a place of clarity allowing us to experience the riches that clarity offers: peace, wisdom, wonderment, and more.

Sitting is like practicing an instrument. When we leave our meditation spot and go out live our lives, we feel the benefit of our practice. And so do the people we encounter, much as an audience appreciates and benefits from a performing artist’s exertion and inspiration.

All of this is investigated over a five week journey in the Shambhala course called “Meditation In Everyday Life,” currently being offered in Palm Beach. Together, we are exploring meditation, deepening our practice and our understanding of the Dharma.