Zen living is the art of living well, and meditation is a major component of that art. In addition to making a healthy mind, meditation is finding the internal quiet, which is a tool to maintain physical wellness and to enrich spiritual life.
What do you do when you meditate? Nothing! Meditation is not an activity—neither a physical nor a mental one. Nothing is supposed to “happen.”
Then, what does meditation do to you? Meditation makes you feel more peaceful and contented so that you can see your life more clearly. It brings about changes—all in their own time
But, if you do nothing in meditation, then how can it bring about the changes?
Meditation, essentially, is the art of letting go. You don’t have to do anything; you just let go. Letting go is finding your quiet “without analysis, without effort, without expectation.” Letting go enables you to experience the deep quiet that involves your body and mind—the quiet so still that you can almost hear it. This quiet is meditation. During this quiet, you simply let your mind do nothing.
So, how do you meditate, if you do nothing in meditation?
(1) Close your eyes gently to prepare your body and mind for meditation.
(2) Sit comfortably. Lay the back of one hand in the palm of the other, and allow your thumb tips to touch lightly. Rest your hands on your lap in line with your lower abdomen. Learn to associate a relaxed feeling with this relaxed posture.
(3) Now, open your eyes and look down at your left hand. Relax and continue to direct your attention on your left hand.
(4) Wear a soft smile. Gradually, build a subconscious association between your relaxed posture and your feeling of calmness.
(5) Decide your intentions—that is, your approaches to meditation. If you wish to use the quiet to stabilize a distracted and restless mind due to anxiety or stress, focus on one single object (such as a candle flame), an action (such as your breathing), a single word, or even a feeling. If you wish to use the quiet to know yourself better, focus on your awareness of many things around you at the present moment, such as their colors, shapes, textures, and associations. If you wish to deepen your spiritual experience, direct your intention along some structured thoughts, such as a prayer, or an inspirational phrase.
(6) Breathe regularly. However, be aware of your breaths, which connect you to all living things. Do not lift your shoulders, do not tuck in your stomach, and do not swell your upper chest when you breathe; instead, suck air into your lower chest, with your hands feeling your stomach rise as you breathe in.
Remember, there is no right or wrong way to meditate. Do not be concerned about what you do or what you do not do when you meditate. Meditation is doing nothing, or doing without consciously doing.
For more information, visit my web page: How To Meditate.
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
