Face a Wall

I've been meditating regularly since January, 2011 or so. This qualifies me as a decidedly novice meditator. Even so, I've learned a few things that have helped develop my practice. 

In my small house I have a small space dedicated to sitting practice. My altar is a wooden TV tray. On it are Shakyamuni Buddha and Avalokiteshvara statues, a candle, a flower vase, a water bowl and an incense burner. My meditation cushion is in front of that and for a long time I would sit with my back to the altar, similar, I thought, to how we would practice at Muddy Water Zen on Thursday nights. Then it occurred to me that we turn away from the altar so as to face a wall when meditating. A sort of Bodhidharma style of practice. So, I started to practice facing a wall. In my setting the wall is about 12 inches from my nose. Not having the distraction of something to look at helps with focus. 

(This pic is old. The altar has gone through a couple "altar-ations" since, but the point is well illustrated here I think.)

From reading on the topic and practice, I've found value in not giving in to the mind/body's urges to move about, scratch what itches, look around, or quit before the timer goes off. Being still, enduring the discomfort, or downright pain sometimes, of sitting demonstrates in a small but tangible way that suffering is impermanent. The same goes for paying no attention to your itchy nose. I've set a very doable goal of sitting 15 minutes a day. I usually will sit for longer than that, but setting the bar low is helpful to me. What ever bit of time you decide to meditate, don't get up until that time is up! A lot of thoughts flit through the mind while meditating and the seemingly rational thought that "This is boring, I've sat long enough" will probably be one. In a real sense, what you think, feel, and emotionally attach to are none of your business when meditating. Learning to not attach to thoughts comes with consistent practice.

But, one thing that has most helped me keep to a daily commitment to meditate is technology. If you have a smart phone find a meditation related app you like. I'm not going to promote one over another here, but I have found one that tracks how many days I've meditated consecutively. I would be loathe to break the chain, which is approaching 300 days at the time of this posting. I have to admit to some attachment to practicing daily. My main reason for being so strict about it in my young practice is to develop a habit and skill for meditation. It's not a burden, just a daily practice that I find benefits how I go about life away from the cushion.

How to meditate is beyond my scope of practice. Find a good teacher. Simple as that. Why to meditate and what the benefits are, I do have something to say about... and are also topics for later blog posts.

Be Well,

Geum Jeong