In September, a kitten started to frequent my garden. Clearly the runt of her feral litter, she was small and seemed to have no interest in the chipmunks or the abundant small birds. Not a good hunter. That statement showed itself as true when less than three weeks later, Gato as I called her, was emaciated and dying of hunger. Having that day deboned a soup chicken, I fed her the skin and gristle. That began a relationship. Gato is well now, needs to be neutered, and comes into the house for deep sleep for a while, then out again for most of the day and night.
Every part of this story is about how small choices and acts grow. They do so because on planet Earth life, consciousness, habits for good or ill, and the well-being of others or the detriment grow. We’ve been doing the same thing with our meditation practice: growing it. This fosters the ability to meditate as well as integrate and apply the instruction into our life. Both ensure that a lack of awareness -heretofore not even known to have been present- is being transformed into Awareness. On and off the cushion integration support changes in one’s habits and patterns of consciousness. All the while, contemplation is being cultivated, honed, and becoming a fertile process of personal transformation; especially because it uses common events such as emotions arising or a thought occurring or the automation of naming and reacting, or things taken for granted.
In our meditation practice, we are slowly becoming familiar with a strata and quality of “mind” or “awareness” that is open, spacious, unfilled, a sameness in all regards; a vibrant, lucid neutrality. It stands to reason, that as this already-present character of awareness becomes more familiar and known by each person, that person’s inner processes will be infused by these qualities. Growth; little by little, and a service to all, beginning with one’s self.
The ways to approach “no mind” are probably limitless. We have been using three methods in our beginning stages. Why? Because people are different. Each person has a learning style, and has ease or challenge with a variety of things in life and ways of doing things. By trying three methods, each person is better able to resonate with at least one, gain familiarity with that overall instruction regarding on the cushion and application throughout the day. Also, it is likely to have greater understanding of the other methods as well through a rounded approach.
What are the three methods?
First, we explored the foreground of our common mind. It is full, always has multiple sensations, thoughts, emotions, perceptions, assumptions, and so forth in it and going on. The sense of “me” or “who” is probably forefront just about all the time also, even when, like the other flotsam and jetsam in our mind, it is unnoticed. The foreground plethora actually gives opportunity to notice the usually not noticed background (ah ha!) which is an open, spacious, an uncluttered, vivid, lucid expanse, empty of the flotsam and jetsam. Unchanging and always present.
Second, we matured the practice of gratitude and noticing our good fortune with praying it forward to all beings. How is this a method pointing toward “no mind”? It’s a foreground/background thing but, in this case, the foreground of having what one needs, for example being able to walk or have water or think clearly and so forth -which are most often taken for granted because of unnoticed self-entitlement or self-cherishing- are noticed for what they are. These features of good fortune in our lives are amazing! To actually notice them, first off, then reflect on how truly fortunate one is, is to notice the blatant foreground. Then, to pray or wish it forward and outward to all beings is to do so from the background emptiness-compassion that made recognizing the truth of good fortune and being supported in life and Path possible in the first place. With practice, both ends of this practice release the distinction-making mind that identifies “me” and my good fortune together with “others” and their needs. Little by little, the spacious wholeness of all in need and all needs being met supersedes. No mind.
Third, and using all the former, we have engaged in tonglen practice: of breathing the difficulties of the world or specific beings into the empty, receptive space born of reflecting on our good fortune. Then, from that abundance, we breathe out all that is beneficial, conducive, and supportive of well-being for all beings from that same empty abundance of good fortune and joy.
What has become clear over millennia of meditation, its sciences and practices, as well as various forms of research done over those same millennia is that present moment awareness is not one thing. It probably is not a “thing” at all, at least as phenomenally recognized. Yet, present moment awareness includes a variety of phenomenal experiences, characteristics and qualities that help us all know that, in that moment, for some ever-so short duration or sustained period, we are/one is in present moment awareness.
If you are reading this, you are likely a meditator; and you have a set of criteria that report -for you- present moment awareness. I do, too.
What has likely become obvious if you follow the meditations offered here over the years is that there a limitless ways to arrive at, support, and familiarize one’s self to present moment awareness (by any of its common or other language names). How marvelous!
Life is relation. All is related. No mind is actually a statement that begs the questions of what is mind, what is thinking, who is thinking, what is the complex set of factors that is what is called mind or thinking or wanting or rejecting.
We come back to breath, to its cycle, its circle, and to the inter-dependence that is life -our life- on this Earth with all beings.
