I decided to go back to the Buddhist Meditation Class last night and WOW I’m glad I did. We focused, meditated, contemplated and discussed only 2 pages of Transform Your Life By Geshe Kelsang Gyatso which filled up the 2 hour class. It was amazing, I don’t know why I stayed away for so long.
My Notes and Reflections on the Teachings ...
Negativity is negativity, whether you’re in Manchester, London, The USA, India, Africa, Thailand or Australia. Negativity and stress (as emotions) are ultimately the same.
We all want to be happier and remain peaceful despite what is happening around us.
When we get stressed our mind becomes rigid and tight.
Happiness and purifying the mind requires “effort”.
If you have a busy and chaotic mind, simply take 5 minutes (at least) and do a breathing meditation.
My Favorite Breathing Meditation
A breathing meditation is simply, focusing on your breath.
For the first few minutes (of seconds, depending how long you intend to meditate) do a quick body scan. Start at the crown of your head a work down to your shoulders, then down each vertebrae in your spine, down your arms, to the base of your spine, down your thighs, to your calves, to your feet and your toes. How does your body feel? Do you feel any discomfort? Focus on that discomfort and release that pain. Imagine that with each breath you take dissolves and discomfort in your body. Once your body is fully at ease and you are relaxed, then focus on the breath.
To attain happiness, we must train the mind. By meditating, you shift the mind into a more positive place and we will understand the mind more.
A little effort goes a looonnnnggggg way
Nothing can grow or flourish if we don’t apply a little effort. The same goes for our mind.
An Idle Mind Is The Devils Workshop
Proverb
Examples of effort in a worldly sense are:
- Maintaining friendships
- Your health
- Your garden
- Cleaning your house
You shower everyday so you we aren’t physically smelly BUT if we don’t meditate our mind and energy will be spiritually toxic and smelly.
Examples of effort in a spiritual sense are:
- Meditating
- Reading spiritual scriptures
- Contemplating the scriptures
- Applying them to your daily life
Effort is experiencing and applying the teachings and not just understanding them intellectually. We can all understand them intellectually and spread the word because you intellectually “get it” but that is a form of “Spiritual Laziness”.
Spiritually Laziness is when you don’t want to work on your mind, (you don't study, you don’t contemplate and you don’t meditate) and are totally distracted from the outside world. You make excuses why you can’t meditate (I've heard and said them all) but no matter how difficult meditation is (at the beginning) NEVER GIVE UP HOPE.
If you’re going through hell, keep on going
Winston Churchill
By being Spiritually Lazy you are cutting yourself off from all the wonderful possibilities and are closing the door to spiritual attainment and life is meaningless and unhappy.
GO OUTSIDE and be with the world, even if people trigger you, it is great practice, use each negative person you meet as a teacher. How can you grow from each experience? What do the scriptures say? Put your knowledge into practice.
Make the teachings practical not logical or theoretical. Apply the instructions given by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso.
No one will grant you a peaceful mind nor will they wave a magic wand. It requires YOUR effort.
EFFORT IS ALL YOU NEED.
- Do a little meditation then apply it to your life
- Do a little meditation then apply it to your mind
What can you do right now?
Slowly grow your practice, that will open the door to transformation.
Start with a 5 minute meditation, do that for a week, then increase it by 5 minutes every week until you are at a comfortable amount of time to meditate. I opt for at least 20 minutes, however, I have friends that do an hour a day. That isn’t realistic for me; I do a 20 minute meditation, read or listen to an audiobook, I contemplate what I have read, I journal and share my thoughts and insights with my friends.
WE HAVE BEEN ORDINARY FOR SO LONG .... IT’S TIME TO BE EXTRAORDINARY
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