Meditation can be difficult – full of restlessness, full of out-of-place stories. This is especially so at the start of the session. It is important to have some stratagems to make the process easier. This is one taught to me by a wise old Ajahn named Vimalaramsi, who is unfortunately no longer with us.
When our meditation is disrupted by some story, the usual instruction is to immediately return to watching our breath. While this is technically correct, it does not take into account our delicate mental state after having run a story. The stories that disrupt our meditation are rarely pleasant daydreams. They are 90% negative in some fashion – sad, fearful, angry, etc. This negativity disturbs and stresses our minds. If we try to re-enter our meditation in this disturbed mental state, we will naturally find it difficult and it can be some time before we reestablish a peaceful mind.
When we have noticed we are no longer meditating but instead running a story, then it is best to pause before returning to the breath. This pause allows the stress in our mind (and sometimes in our body) to dissipate. When the stress is reduced then it is easier to return to the breath.
There are various ways this PAUSE can be treated:-
A) If the story has been quite stressful (anger or fear usually) then we will find that it has stressed our bodies as well as our minds. This stress appears in our neck and shoulders. We can use this. Focus attention on the stressed shoulders or neck. The tenseness will slowly diminish. When it is nearly gone then return to the breath.
B) Less stressful stories only stress our minds so look for the tenseness there. This can be a bit difficult at first but with practice it gets easier.
C) If we cannot notice stress in body or mind then it is still best to pause. An effective tool here is to use a mantra. The Buddhist mantra “budd-ho” is a useful one. As we say the mantra a few times, we can judge if we are becoming more peaceful. When we feel sufficiently peaceful then return to the breath.
Without the PAUSE, the mind is still stressed and it takes more time to re-establish meditation. The small time spent in PAUSE is easy to handle and it makes the return to the breath effortless.
Hope this helps with your meditation practice.
B@ease Terry
©T.Redmond