Meditation For Freedom From Thought

What I would do for a good night’s sleep, less to worry about and a day off. A little peace of mind maybe, really what I think I need is peace from my mind. I can’t help but think sometimes that the ability to shut my thoughts off, or slow them down a little would make my world a better place. I observe a lot of my friends and realize they too are often consumed by their thoughts and led in circles by their worries.

“What do I have to do tomorrow? How am I going to get there? Well I have enough time? Did I finish that assignment? Do I have clean socks? Shit. I need to do laundry. No really what I need are new jeans, and shorts. Yeah, shorts it’s almost summer. Damn, when the hell does school end? Wait isn’t my midterm next week? I need to go to sleep. But I can’t sleep. I need to stop drinking black tea late at night. No I need to go to bed earlier. SHIT. REALLY I NEED TO JUST GO TO SLEEP RIGHT NOW…It’s 4am I have to get up in two hours, I’m so sick of doing this to myself.”

Sound remotely familiar? This is my thought process on any given night and I know that the act of digging one’s self into a hole and perpetuating worries via endless thinking is not uncommon amongst the “common person.” Mindless thinking is why people can’t leave their work at their jobs and their “baggage” at home. Constant worry perpetuated by constant thinking is the reason you’re thinking about when to schedule your next bikini wax or hair cut when you really want to be present spending time with Grandma.

“There's confusion and fixation on all kinds of things which don't really help us to be productive. The speed and scattered quality of our own state of mind actually creates discomfort, suffering and anxiety for us. We can't even have a cup of tea and appreciate and enjoy it because our mind is so distracted,” David Nichtern, Senior Shambhala Buddhist Teacher writes in his article “Why Meditate?—Words Do Not Cook Rice” for the Huffington Post.

I’ve been studying under the Shambhala practice of Buddhist Meditation for the past two months. Working with my mind and acknowledging my thought patterns has been a challenge and at times painful experience but the reward in doing so is a better understanding of how I “work” and a stronger ability to acknowledge that a thought is simply a thought and let it go.

Meditation, in its many forms has been recognized as a powerful practice amongst the many cultures of the world for centuries, tracing its origins back to ancient India. Though meditation can be linked to certain religions and spiritual practices, today it is also recognized as a tool to relieve stress and tune in with one’s self, requiring no faith following just a desire to explore and a dedication to constant effort.

The world of science gives meditation its credit too. In an article written in Psychology Today, Colin Allen explains why meditation is effective in managing stress and fear: “Neuroscientists have found that meditators shift their brain activity to different areas of the cortex - brain waves in the stress-prone right frontal cortex move to the calmer left frontal cortex. This mental shift decreases the negative effects of stress, mild depression and anxiety. There is also less activity in the amygdala, where the brain processes fear.”

Among its many benefits, meditation, if you stick with it will help to eliminate those pointless thought patterns that keep you up at night, help you find clarity and peace in the present and can help you be a little less critical of yourself and a little more loving towards everyone else. Let me not glitter and glitz meditation to the point of no return and make you think that you’re going to meditate as a mere mortal and come out of the practice with the gifts of a god. Meditation in no quick fix, if you’re dedicated to it, you’ll find that working with the muscle that is your mind will surprise you in it’s challenges. I find this point illustrated accurately in One City, a book written by Ethan Nichtern, my meditation teacher and founder of the Interdependence Project (a non-profit organization that does community organizing in the circles of art, ecology and activism with a Buddha-minded focus). Ethan says “to practice anything- whether it’s meditation, art, or politics-means to keeping relinquishing the plan and to continually return to what’s unfolding now” (58).

Creating a meditation practice may be a great way to find your present if you find yourself always dwelling on the past or always worried about the future. It could be a simple addition to your morning routine that helps set a positive tone to the rest of your day. Hey, don’t knok it tell you’ve tried it, but if you try it give yourself sometime to work with the challenges of your own thinking. And when the going gets tough “so slowly breathe and smile” (Thich Nhat Hanh).