Misconceptions about Meditation

My journey with mindfulness meditation began when I was in law school. There is a Buddhist saying that “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear”. Well, I was not ready for my teacher until 1997. I was in law school and my life was a mess. I had no clue what I would do after I graduated. I was not in love with the idea of being a lawyer but I had no idea what else to do with my life.

I made an appointment to meet with one of the career counselors at the school. The day before my appointment, the career counselor’s office called and told me that the person I was supposed to meet with had to cancel. They said that there was another counselor available at the same time and asked if I would be okay with the change. I personally could have cared less which counselor I talked to, I just wanted answers.

The next day, I went to my appointment and was greeted by this really happy woman. We went to her office and the first thing I noticed was that she had a little table with a statue of Buddha. It was the first time I had ever known of a lawyer to have a Buddha statue in their office. Actually, it was the first time I ever met a really happy lawyer.

She and I talked about my situation and finally towards the end, I asked her about the Buddha statue. I have no idea why I felt a need to ask such a question. I was not the kind of person, at that time, who had the nerve to ask such personal things.

Things Happen For A Reason

Looking back, I think the reason for asking about the statue was that I felt so lost and she seemed to be just the opposite. I wanted to feel more like her instead of being the miserable person I was at that time in my life.

The counselor was not upset with my question. She went on to tell me that she was a Tibetan Buddhist and that she taught a course at the school about combining Buddhist principles with the practice of law. I admitted to her that I was interested in Buddhism but never really looked into it so she suggested I take her class. For the record, that afternoon, I had no intention of taking the class. Goes to show you that a person should never say never.

 

 

Two months later, I was creating my schedule for the following semester and needed one course to fit in with the rest of my selections. The only class that fit was the Buddhist course and I had no other choice but to select it. As life would have it, I was closed out of all my choices except for the Buddhist one. In all my years of being a student, I never had something like that happen to me before. I have been closed out of one or two classes but never four.

When I walked into that Buddhist class on the first day, I had no idea how my life would change. I learned about meditation for the very first time and was exposed to a way of thinking that not only made sense but spoke to my heart and soul.

Falling Asleep

During the first two weeks of learning meditation, I would fall asleep within minutes. It was quite embarrassing. My teacher told me that it was natural to fall asleep and that it would pass. She was right, it did. However, the next thing I started to notice was that I kept having all kinds of thoughts. For some reason, I thought that by meditating, I would stop thinking.

The most common misconception about meditation is that the purpose of it is to stop having thoughts. That is not true. The mind will never be able to be silent except for maybe when you sleep. The mind will perpetually think of things. That is its job; it is supposed to think. As my Buddhist Master taught me, the mind is like a mad monkey, jumping from thought to thought.

One of the many purposes of meditation is to help you become aware of the thoughts and just observe them without judging them. One of the worst things that a person can do is to judge their thoughts. We all have thoughts that may not be perfect. What gives thoughts power are the feelings with which we energize them.

Ever notice how when you are angry, your emotions easily pick up speed? That is because you are fueling the angry thoughts with your emotions and they just take a life of their own.

For example, I may have a thought of how I wish I could quit my job and do what I love to do all day, every day. I realize that the thought speaks about what my heart and soul are feeling. I can view it with sadness or I can just view it for what it is telling me. Now, if I take that thought and get emotionally affected by it, then the thought has become empowered and takes on a life of its own.

As you continue to observe your thoughts, you become more aware of how you are feeling and you become more aware of the power of your mind. Mindfulness meditation is supposed to make you mindful of what is happening within you.

Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience.

It isn’t more complicated that that.

It is opening to or receiving the present moment, pleasant or unpleasant, just as it is,

without either clinging to it or rejecting it.

Sylvia Boorstein

In order to be at peace, you have to know what is bothering you. Meditation helps you to become aware of the nature of your thoughts. As you become more aware of the nature of them, the thoughts lose their power.

In Buddhism, it is taught that the mind should be empty like a teacup because when the mind is not preoccupied with thoughts, you are receptive to new ideas and concepts. Meditation is to help you become aware of the thoughts which you may not love and to just acknowledge their presence.

Anytime a negative thought comes to your mind, look at it, and just let it go. Do not get angry with yourself for thinking negatively because that will only make you feel more negative. Just see it for what it is and then let it move along.

The mind can be trained to think more positively and meditation does help in altering awareness of your thoughts. Meditation is not supposed to make your mind stop thinking. I think this misconception is one reason why so many people do not try meditating or give up on it.

One way to feel inner peace is to become aware of the track that you have playing in your head. Our minds are constantly thinking of something and the only way to quiet the noise is to become aware of what is causing the noise. Meditation is a method to help bring that awareness.

Note: Here is my most recent article, Sangha Schmangha, at Elephant Journal. To read more about the reasons behind my new schedule change, click here.