Question
I want to learn to meditate. Can you please guid me?
Answer
Hi, Neme.
You haven't said much about your motivation for meditating. For me meditation is letting the body sit quietly and seeing if it is possible to be simply present and sensitively aware of what is happening inside and outside. It is the simple revealing of what is without trying to manipulate the state of mind.
There is a presence that reveals states of mind as they unfold. This presence does not need to be created by us and is not the result of training of the mind. It is a natural awareness that is available immediately to anyone when there is interest in being in touch.
You can find out for yourself what happens if you sit quietly this way. You may find that the mind is full of thinking and there doesn't seem to be any quiet. If this happens, notice that even though the wild thinking is there and sometimes takes up all the space, it is not the only thing that is there. There is also the movement of the breath, the feel of the body on the chair or cushion, some sound of air moving or someone going by outside.
Usually we are only concerned with our thoughts so naturally they have become wild. In noticing how noisy and bothersome these thoughts can be, we can start to pay attention to the rest of life, the simple sensations that are around us. This presence can then begin to reveal more and more of the deep still world from which we are not separate.
Let me know how it goes as you try this and let me know if you have further questions.
You may have specific concerns or anxieties about your life that have led you to want to meditate. You may wonder how this direct, simple presence has anything to do with your concerns. Usually we are wrapped up in our habitual "old" ways of trying to "deal" with our life. Being present with our life instead of "dealing" is the alternative. We have all tried the old ways of dealing over and over and over. Sitting in simple presence is something new and fresh and different from the old way. If you continue with it regularly and sincerely, you will find for yourself how it begins to change the old ways and breath freshness into them.
Best,
Jay
