Mastering Meditation

By Alex Simpkins

"The gate to enlightenment lies before us, Though we hesitate at the door Let us draw up a comfortable cushion. And rest it on the floor. "

-Alexander Simpkins

 

    Martial arts have been linked to meditation since their very beginnings.  The legendary roots of the martial arts are attributed to the originator of Zen Buddhism, Bodhidharma.  Fiercely devoted to meditation for nine years.  His reputation spread, and eventually he began teaching this intense form of meditation at the Shaolin Temple.

          The monks did not seem to be able to sustain their concentration.  Recognizing the problem, Bodhidharma developed 18 sets of movements to give the monks a way to improve the mental focus.  These exercises were the legendary beginnings of martial arts.  Once the monks incorporated these movements into their meditation they found themselves deeper in meditation than ever before.  Thus, the unity between martial arts and meditation was born.

          Although meditation is implicitly part of martial arts, many styles do not directly incorporate meditation.  This article will guide you in making meditation part of your life and your art.

          “See first with the mind, then with the eyes, and finally with body and limbs.” 

Getting Ready

          Meditation is an experience.  The more you do it, the more natural it becomes.  Theory is secondary.  Practicing these meditations regularly, you share in a tradition that has enriched the lives of people around the world for centuries. 

A Place to Meditate

    People often ask, “Where should I meditate?”  The atmosphere of the place you choose can be very helpful, although once you are well-acquainted with meditation, you can do it almost anywhere.

          At first, find a quiet place to meditate.  It may be a quiet room or even a certain corner in your house.  Set up the area with a meditation pillow for sitting and mat on which to lie down.  Lighting should be subdued; not too dark or too bright.  Some people also like to burn incense or bring in a fragrant or lush plant.  Keep it simple, but give it atmosphere.  Zen tea rooms are traditionally decorated naturally and simply to create an atmosphere of sanctuary.  A single flower in a vase, and a lone calligraphic scroll hanging on a blank wall are usually the only decorations.

          Pillows on a wooden floor make up the furnishings:  quiet surroundings to foster a quiet mind.

          Nature can be inspirational for meditation.  Meditation done outdoors, at a park, in the woods, or perhaps in a beautiful garden can help bring about a feeling of Oneness.  Water can also have a calming effect.  The beach, the shore of a lake, the edge of a pond, or the banks of a stream can all be possible sites for a meditation session.  Often people choose to meditate with a group.  Sometimes the commitment and momentum of many people embarking on meditation together, striving for enlightenment, can carry you along.  Others prefer solitude and privacy, feeling that the group atmosphere is distracting.  Whether you choose to meditate with others or alone is a matter of personal preference.  There are many meditations centers and retreats springing up all around the world.  They offer from hours-long up to month-long retreats for regular meditation.  Yet, your personal, private experience, alone or with someone, may be complete.  There are no prerequisite conditions, but one : meditate!

          Meditation can even be done in the middle of a busy downtown area.  In Tokyo, “meditation cafes” offer popular places to go for quiet moments.  Speaking is not allowed; even when ordering, customers must point to the items on the menu.  All the tables and high-backed chairs face the same direction, so each customer can enjoy privacy.  Patrons relax and calm their mind, while savoring a delicious cup of tea or coffee.

          The most important consideration in choosing a place to meditate is that you feel at ease.  Return to the same place each time for meditation.  Habit and consistency help.  Eventually you will find that meditation’s blessings flow very naturally in your special meditation place.  The next consideration is when to meditate. 

A Time to Meditate

          Whenever we have given a lecture on meditation, people complain that their lives are too hectic and busy already and that they could not imagine finding any time at all to meditate.  They are always surprised to discover that meditation can be done in as short a period as one minute and still bring positive effects!  How much time you devote to meditation is a very personal matter.  Undoubtedly there are wasted moments in your day or evening that would be ideal for meditation. 

          A beginner can start off with one or two minutes a day and work up to half-hour, but even ten minutes a day can be effective.  The unconscious, inner mind does not function on clock time the way our conscious mind does.  Sometimes the deepest meditative experience occurs in a flash.  Then again, an insight may evolve over many months of meditation practice.

          Meditate at least one time nearly every day.  Start from where you are, devoting the time that you can comfortable fit within your schedule, whatever you can do.  You may discover a new capacity to use time.  But above all, meditate regularly!  Be faithful to your practice.

Meditation Instructions

 

Meditation’s calm

The sweet incense it brings

Restores us to peaceful

Inner wellsprings

Helps us shed all cares

Cools and soothes the soul

Clear the mind

Make us whole.

          -C. Alexander Simpkins

 

          This section presents exercises for developing basic meditative skills tom empty your mind and fill it, strengthen your mind-body link, and learn to work with your unconscious. 

Meditation Postures

          Fundamental, simple postures are most conducive to meditation: sitting, standing, and lying down.  Once you can meditation comfortably when you are still, you can extend the meditative mindset into more aspects of daily life, such as when you are in motion, and doing things.  Everything you do and experience can be an opportunity for deeper experience, more challenging practice. 

          At first, some find it difficult to sit in the meditative posture.  The following exercise helps you discover this posture and become at ease with it. 

Finding your Sitting Posture

          The sitting position is the most common meditative position.  Sit cross-legged on the floor or on a small cushion on a pad.  Close your eyes fully or partially.  Keep your back straight and your shoulders relaxed and expanded without hunching forward, so that your breathing passages are clear and your head is straight.

          You may place your hands in any one of the standard meditative positions.  Extend your arms so that the backs of your hands are over your knees.  Clasp your forefinger and thumb in a circle, with the other three fingers extended.  Another method is to fold your hands together.  Fingertips can be either together or with a rounded space in between.  A third method is to place your hands one on top of the other, palms up, with thumbs touching.  Finding the position that is most comfortable for you.

          Sway forward very slightly, then back.  Rock forward, then back, several times – not so far as to lose your balance, just enough to feel a gentle shift.  Feel the motion as you move; experience how you pass through a natural balance point at the center, and then go beyond on each side.  Gently rock back to that center point and remain there for a moment.  Next, rock sideways: left, then right.  Repeat several times, noticing once again as your pass through the center point.  Return to the center.  When you have found your center, you will feel poised and relaxed, at one with gravity, sitting more effortlessly than usual.  Now you can begin. 

Empty the Mind

How turbid, like muddy water?

"What may allay the muddiness?

Through stillness it will gradually become clear"     

                                 Tao te Ching, chapter 14

 

    Everyday mind can fill like a muddy pond, stirred up by thoughts, plans, and worries.  Emptiness is the pathway that many forms of meditation take to reduce distractions.  Clear mind, also referred to as the Buddha mind, is the cornerstone of Zen.  Beyond words, clear mind is a limitless perspective, the meditative perspective.  This is the foundation for inner work.

          By experimenting with these exercises, you will discoverer a newfound sense of yourself centered in your intuition. 

Clearing the Water Meditation 

          The exercise helps you “warm up” before clearing your mind of distracting thoughts.  Sit quietly with your eyes closed.  Imagine that you are sitting on the shore of a pond.  The crickets sing: birds fly overhead; a fish jumps out of the water, feeding on insects, splashes back, and jumps again after a bit, in another spot.  Wind whips over the water, stirring up the muddy bottom.  All is movement.  Then gradually as the day passes, the conditions begin to shift.  The wind dies down.  The frogs settle in for a nap, the crickets are silent, birds perch in the trees, the fish stops jumping and waits.  The pond is quiet.  The murky rippled surface calms as the mud sinks to the bottom, and the water is again crystal clear, reflecting the natural surroundings.  All is stillness.  Imagine this scene vividly.  Stay with the quiet, crystal clear water

Mirror Mind Meditation

          When the perfect man employs his mind it is a mirror.  It conducts nothing and anticipates nothing.  Thus he is able to deal successfully with all things, and injures none.  Clear mind is like a mirror; always empty, yet reflecting the world all around.

          Sit upright on the floor, legs crossed, hands resting on your lap.  Close your eyes.  Vividly visualize your mind as a mirror, clear and empty.  Keep this image of a mirror reflecting nothing.  If a thought occurs to you, see it as a reflection in the mirror, knowing it is not the mirror, only the reflection.  Let the mirror clear again.  Eventually fewer reflections appear, until your mirror remains clear.

Classic Zazen

          Zazen, sitting meditation, is the classic exercise used in Zen Buddhism.  Zen monks spend many hours meditating in this way seeking to bring about an enlightened state of consciousness that continues to develop.  Follow the instructions carefully, and with time and practice you will experience a special calm and quiet awareness that comes from somewhere unknown, within you.

          Sit upright, cross-legged, with your hands palms up and the backs resting on your thighs.  Let your body be upright and straight – but not rigid – without learning either left or right.  Your head should be held straight with your ears and shoulders parallel to each other.  Hold your tongue loosely against your palate and keep your lips closed an teeth together.  Eyes should be closed and teeth together.  Eyes should be closed or half-open.  Refer back to the exercise on finding your sitting posture.

          Breathe calmly and regularly.  As you begin to meditate, clear your mind of all thought.  When a thought does arise, notice it and then dismiss it, returning to your calm, clear mind.  By continuing to do this over time, you will eventually find that thoughts intrude less and less and that your concentration becomes natural and profound.

Conclusion

          The skills developed in meditation are often so subtle people do not notice them at first.  Persevere in keeping an open and creative attitude, along with practice and training.  You will find the calming, centering effects of meditation enhance your martial art and your life!