Meditative Moment

Came through late the other evening, a quick question about Mercury in Retrograde — and the short answer? Meditate.

Zen Flesh, Zen Bones – Paul Reps & Nyogen Senzaki

Someplace, why I’ve worked at concatenation, and now I can’t find it, there’s a missive with the simple idea that meditation answers those questions that google can’t.

This started with an early morning laundry list. Not really laundry, but a long list of items that I wanted to get accomplished, in the next couple of hours, days, weeks. Came up in a mediation, and in that meditative repose, the first few items that burbled up?

• To-do list items!!!
• Laundry list!!!
• Shopping list!!!

The next thought was that maybe I should get up and write some of this down. The lists kept scrolling by, and I stayed, waiting for that brilliant point of light, that moment when I was in a totally mediated position.

Brain will shut down.

The goal of the meditation practice I’ve been following? The goal is to arrive at a state of not thinking about anything. To arrive at that kind of state, though? I have let my brain cycle through the various lists.

A master reiterates, “Focus on breath.”

And I wonder, “Am I coming down with a cold, sure feels like, maybe it’s just dust. Did I change the AC filter this month? Pay the electric bill?”

There is no right or wrong in this kind of practice.

Over the years, my practice changes, mutates and shades of meaning emerge.

No right or wrong way.

But my discovery is that I begin to start with lists. How my brain focuses when I’m not supposed to focus.

“Let’s start by making a list of items we need to get done, like, yesterday….”

See?

And cf., Farts in a bathtub.

astrofish.net/travel

Zen Flesh, Zen Bones – Paul Reps & Nyogen Senzaki

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