Nothing. At first you follow your breath to get yourself focused, but then...you try and clear your mind and think of nothing. Thoughts will arise, yes, and you acknowledge that you're thinking about something and then let that thought go.
| When I hear that word I imagine sitting cross-leged, hands open in front of you, and with eyes closed, humming. |
That's how we sit. We have pillows called zafu's and mats called zabutons that we sit on to help with our posture, and yes, we sit with our hands on our knees, open palms up, or with them in our laps, palms up. Sometimes we chant " Om mani pade hum' which means "Hail to the jewel in the lotus', but not everyone chants out loud. Some folks have malas (like me) that they use to count the number of chants they do, some people have singing bowls that they use and they follow the sound....it varies. My job today was to help people attain the proper position and provide and atmosphere that was condusive to meditation...the rest they did on their own. Then we sat and talked about the dharma and the Buddha, did a little yoga, drank some tea....it was very peaceful and very relaxed and I had an excellent time.
Yes, spring has come
This morning a nameless hill
Is shrouded in mist. |
Thank you, Myrr. I'll share that with the next class.
| Meditation is a personal thing, but I think it's a great way to get a group of people together. |
It is, because the layers of pretention were stripped away and we were no longer the people we wear daily..the mother, the prison officer, the cop...we were all just humans trying to walk the dharma and be better humans.
