Zen Meditation: There’s Nothing To It
My meditation journey began about four years ago. Like all beginners, I had no idea what I was doing at first. But I stuck with it, and I’m glad I did.
For those of you who have never attempted meditation, you may be wondering why any sane person would dedicate a portion of each day to sit in silence and think about nothing. That’s a fair question, I suppose, but it’s the wrong question. What you should instead be asking is why it has become acceptable (and expected) that we live in a state of constant and unrelenting stimulation, with advertisers and electronic devices and unrealistic work schedules vying for our every waking moment.
Embracing Silence
At its core, meditation is about maintaining and protecting the much-needed silence in your life. Silence isn’t just golden, it’s a necessary part of the daily human experience. Our minds and bodies are not built to withstand the nonstop barrage of car horns, bells, whistles, music, street chatter and social media notifications. Likewise, we are not physically built to endure never-ending visual stimulation through televisions and phones. Our minds and bodies are ancient and remedial, and some would argue, semi-prehistoric.
Silence is the first step in acclimating the body and mind to meditation. Meditation demands silence and contemplation. You begin meditation by focusing on your breathing. When you slowly breathe in through your nose, concentrate solely on the coolness of the air entering your body. When holding that breath for a few brief moments, focus on the sense of fullness within your body. Finally, when you let go of your breathe, pay close attention to the warmth of the air as it exits your body. Physiologically, once your breathing and heart rate slow down, your mind will follow. I like to think of my physical body has a truck that is pulling the trailer which is my mind.
And you do not need to be deep in a meditative state to enjoy the benefits of silence. Ten or 20 minutes of silence can be a wonderful way to take a break in the middle of the day. Sit on a park bench and watch ducks swim around a pond. Think of the ducks and nothing else. Watch fish swim in a fish tank. Regardless of what you are doing, if you enjoy the silence and focus on what is right in front of you, your mind and body will calm themselves rather quickly. Make silence a daily priority.
Focus
This is the part of meditation which seems to frustrate many beginners. How does one simply sit on the floor in an upright position with eyes closed in a silent room and think about nothing? Actually, it’s much easier than it sounds. When meditating, you may be confronted by a steady stream of thoughts and worries. Instead of attempting to crush these thoughts, simply let them be and acknowledge them from a distance. I prefer to visualize my pestering thoughts as fluffy white clouds floating across the blue sky. I sit back in silence with a clear mind, watching my thoughts blow by in the warm summer breeze beneath the hot sun.
And what do I think about when meditating? Absolutely nothing. And that’s the whole point: when you meditate you return to reality. You learn that the thoughts in your mind are not real and that they are not even happening to you. The only things that are real are what exists within the four walls of your silent room. When deep in meditation, the whole world slows down to a crawl, your body sinks deep into the floor beneath you, and you feel yourself gradually melting away.
The more you meditate, the easier this will get.
Abandon Your Desires
One of the core tenets of Buddhism is that the source of most misery and dissatisfaction in life is desire. There is a great scene in the movie The Many Saints of Newark that illustrates this teaching. Actor Ray Liotta plays the role of an imprisoned convicted murderer. The prisoner’s nephew comes to visit, explaining that he and his new wife have been unable to start a family. The convict explains that while in prison he began studying Buddhism, learning the pitfalls of desire. The nephew then inquires whether a family is a “thing.” The prisoner then stares down his nephew and poignantly declares “it’s the wanting.”
In the West, we’re trained from a young age to soldier on through school and college and career with a stiff upper lip. Happiness be damned, we’re gonna succeed at any cost! Sports that children and teenagers used to play for fun (baseball, basketball, soccer) have taken the joyless form of angst ridden tournaments with screaming parents wringing their hands, hoping to God their kids might be good enough to land a college scholarship.
If you haven’t figured it out by now, desires can never be fully fulfilled and materialism leads nowhere. (I just bestowed upon you the secret to life in a single sentence. You’re welcome!) Leave your goals, wants and desires behind at when walking through the Zen door, and you will have taken the first step along a path toward inner peace.
There Is Nothing to Learn
Zen is the art of unlearning. The truth of life is simple, and all we need to do is unlearn our lifetime of acquired bad habits. Zen philosophy teaches that each of us are already enlightened. Once we peel away the extraneous layers of greed and desire and distraction, we will find that our peaceful core has been there all along, patiently waiting for our train to arrive at the station.
Years ago, I saw a funny cartoon of a yoga master with a long beard sitting in the lotus position. Next to the master sat his disciple, who looked up at him and uttered: “So now what?” The yoga master responded: “What do you mean? This is it!” Understand that cartoon, and you will know Zen philosophy.
Meditate Always
It is a misconception that those who meditate experience silence and harmony for 30 or 40 minutes, then jump right back into their regular hectic life. Not true! The art and practice of meditation should become a part of your every waking moment.
Mundane, everyday tasks such as meal preparation, laundry, washing your car, sitting at red lights, and walking your dog are perfect opportunities to meditate. Instead of making breakfast in the morning and worrying about all the work emails that require your attention, focus upon the smell of the eggs cooking in your pan. Pay special attention to the way the apple feels when you are slicing it on the cutting board. When you walk your dog, focus upon the way the ground feels beneath your feet with each step. A bird in a tree should demand your complete attention, as well. What is the bird doing and what are its colors?
These enthralling events are happening around you all day long, and if you stay caught up in your own mind with your racing thoughts, life will zip right past you and it will be as if you had never been here.
Breathe, focus, relish silence, desire nothing and appreciate what you have, because you already have all that you need.
J.S. Lender’s new novella + short story collection, Terror at Twin Lakes, is on sale now! Follow J.S. Lender on Instagram and on Substack.
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