Through meditation to the end of time
My mind was in a forever-lasting loop of rumination on everything. Let me tell you this, enjoying a good meal is hard work when you’re always on high alert analyzing what people think of you, or if your car is going to be stolen.
Life seems like a constant struggle without rest. One event after another, what if this happens? What if that happens?
And life is that way. There is always something, every day, every second. A new event, new phone, new celebrities, something for your mind to chase.
Your mind loves chasing, solving problems, and analyzing. This is what it’s for.
But.
We have no obligation to think about everything.
Thinking and overthinking
Thinking is useful. If you want to write, think. Want to drive somewhere, think. Talk about an important subject, think. Decision-making requires thinking.
Our lives depend on thinking. We should appreciate the process. It allows us to be us; it allows us to be better.
Thinking leads us to our goals. We should think.
The only issue is thinking all the time. If thinking leads us to our goals, we should have time to enjoy the accomplishments. But we are thinking about the next goal, or something else.
We’re so used to thinking that there is no stop to it and this is when it becomes a burden.
It’s not a virtue if you have no control.
The process is wonderful. Not being able to stop is not.
Only superpower you’d ever need
Break the constant loop of thinking.
Let your thoughts be, let them come and go.
Meditate.
This is no secret, but it’s also not widespread knowledge. Honestly, it’s widespread through religions and philosophies, but people tend not to believe something which requires actual work.
If you can’t get it instantly, it’s not worth it.
But it is. It’s worth every second.
Imagine being calm for those 5,15,30 minutes of meditation a day. Truly calm, when you don’t worry about your car’s insurance or your future. You focus on the present. You listen to the world and your breath, your mind slows down, you feel relaxed.
Sometimes your emotions show up, sometimes a thought. Let it go, it’s fine. Sit, stand or lie down, do what you like and embrace the moment.
After some time, you’re going to experience this calmness during other activities.
End of time
You, your body and mind, are subject to change. You get older, slower, forgetting more and more.
Everything around you goes through the same process. Creation and death. Everything falls apart only to allow other things to show up.
The governments are changing, fresh crises showing up.
You go through the cycle of life, your moods vary hour to hour, day today.
Everything changes with time.
Where does all that happen?
Where is the place which allows you to see the change?
How can you tell you’re thinking?
This thing or place where you can notice your thoughts, does it change with time?
You are not your thoughts. When you notice them, you can see there is something more. That more is where our consciousness shows up. Our default perspective is as we are our thoughts, and noticing them proves that we’re not.
In your consciousness, all your life happens, but it always happens in the present moment. You can’t live your life in the past or the future, there is only now.¹
Knowing this mechanism allows you to stop identifying with your thoughts. Meditation brings true quietness that you can access while being aware.
Most of us experience that quietness when we see an immense beauty or in moments of full focus, for example, while climbing or parachute jumping.
Enjoy your spiritual path
Recently I encountered an article by David Gerkin² which resonated with me deeply. Day after day, I notice how important is the intentional, regular effort. It works for the body and it works for the mind.
The main points from the article are:
1. Start your journey.
Like with everything in life, there are tons of ways and some are better and some are worse.
Not starting is the worst. Start and enjoy your choices. You can change them later.
2. Practice meditation.
This is the most important rule. Practice. My idea of a spiritual journey is to discipline your mind, so it’s not in the way of experiencing the world. Meditation disciplines your mind, the same as going to the gym or running disciplines your body.
Practicing things I don’t fully understand is a way of being closer to them. I have to start with insufficient understanding and I have a tendency to reduce everything to be understandable for the brain.
I understand the model of the thing, not the thing itself.
So, the simplified model allows me to practice, and practicing brings me experience, which is more than I could understand with my brain by only thinking.
This is why practice is so important to me.
You can think of it as delayed gratification. You put your energy now and someday you’re going to be rewarded. If you’re observant, you’re going to understand you were being rewarded all the way.
Benjamin Franklin said:
“The things you do often create the things you believe.”
Practicing without full knowledge requires a belief that it’s going to work, somehow, someday.
Focusing on what you do, paying enough attention, makes it worthwhile. You don’t have to do anything to appreciate the present, you only have to pay attention.
In a sense, all we do in life is to someday say that life is good, but the only way to think that is to focus on now.
Start your practice and enjoy it along the way. Pay attention to what you do.
Takeaway
If you’ve ever wondered how to embrace life with a smile, or whatever you decide to face it with, I really recommend taking a deep dive inside yourself.
You’ll hear a lot of noise informing you what’s necessary to feel good. People are going to tell you what you should do to be happy, what to avoid, or why to be always careful. Sometimes they’re going to be right, sometimes you’d end up depressed by following those pieces of advice (including mine).
Knowing what’s right is difficult.
Meditation and mindfulness are useful to have in your toolset for handling life. And you need to handle it. The better you handle the basics, the more time you have for advanced topics.
Meditation is where some of the true magic happens. You reconnect with yourself; you accept yourself; you discipline your mind, so it obeys you, not the other way around.
When I was just starting my journey, I was full of doubts about what to do and I tried to start with the perfect attitude. It took a lot of time for no real benefit. The breakthrough came when I accepted the fact I’m going to make mistakes and I’m going to learn from them. I internalized that there are things I don’t know yet. There is no point in overthinking at the start line. For sure, I’m going to miss something important. I accept that.
Some time for preparation is often necessary. Beware the perfectionism which can paralyze you. It’s better to start and make mistakes than not start at all.
Thank you for your attention. I wish you love on your path.
More
¹ Sam Harris: Meaning of life
² David’s Gerkin: 2 Words to Simplify Your Spiritual Journey
