Monday, April 24, 2006
"We're running a serious business here. . . "
Those are the some of the parting words of my teacher, Ven. Vivekananda, when he met Michele and I for the last time before we left our meditation retreat in Lumbini, Nepal, after practising meditation there for more than a week. He was refering to how serious the retreat was about the practice. A meditation retreat is not a holiday camp, not a leisure activity, not solely for rest and relaxation, not a mind spa, not an escape from reality. We need to practice meditation as if our life depended on it -- because it does depend on it. In so far as meditation is used to teach us how to observe how our mind works, to understand the nature of all things, to eliminate the causes of greed, hatred, delusions, to generate love and peace, then we cannot live to be best of our capacities until we learn how to meditate.
Indeed self-cultivation is a serious endeavour. My teacher's words keep re-emerging from the depths of my mind with louder and louder echoes. It is a serious business. Not something we do "only when we are free", when we have problems we want to escape from, when we are down and depressed, when we want to learn something cool that appeals to our intellects, when we find a meditation method that is easy and enjoyable. If it is our goal in life to be happy, don't you think we need to learn what is the mysterious process in the mind that allows us to feel happy or sad. We need to understand ourselves, our true nature, to understand the nature of all things, to appreciate our inevitable role in making peace in the world. Otherwise, we are throwing our lives away -- we are treating a wonderful opportunity way too casually. And then we get upset when we have problems and are sad! Think about it today: how many hours, okay, how many minutes a day do you invest to making happiness? Do you think you can gain returns to something you have invested nothing in?
The urgency of my teacher's words come all the more strongly to me now with all the political turmoil gripping Nepal these days. Greed, hatred, ignorance will never cease to create unhappiness for people in the world until we root out the causes of greed, hatred, ignorance in our own hearts. You want to change the world? Then, like Mahatma Gandhi said: "You must be the change you want to see in the world."
Lumbini is very far away. And what is happening in Nepal is distressing. But I realised that the best way to honour my teacher, to make things in the world better, is to continue to practice and teach. . . become the change I want to see in the world. . . and treating this as a very serious business.
May our loving-kindness, our prayers, our practice, and the merits we generate from our practice be shared with all in Nepal.
May all beings be well and happy, may all beings be free.
Venerable Vivekananda (extreme right) with the staff at Panditarama Lumbini International Vipassana Meditation Center.
. . .
You can learn how to meditate with us on Saturdays at 10am at mOmentOm yOga. Meditation instructions are also incorporated into our yoga classes as part of the essential teachings of yoga.
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Indeed self-cultivation is a serious endeavour. My teacher's words keep re-emerging from the depths of my mind with louder and louder echoes. It is a serious business. Not something we do "only when we are free", when we have problems we want to escape from, when we are down and depressed, when we want to learn something cool that appeals to our intellects, when we find a meditation method that is easy and enjoyable. If it is our goal in life to be happy, don't you think we need to learn what is the mysterious process in the mind that allows us to feel happy or sad. We need to understand ourselves, our true nature, to understand the nature of all things, to appreciate our inevitable role in making peace in the world. Otherwise, we are throwing our lives away -- we are treating a wonderful opportunity way too casually. And then we get upset when we have problems and are sad! Think about it today: how many hours, okay, how many minutes a day do you invest to making happiness? Do you think you can gain returns to something you have invested nothing in?
The urgency of my teacher's words come all the more strongly to me now with all the political turmoil gripping Nepal these days. Greed, hatred, ignorance will never cease to create unhappiness for people in the world until we root out the causes of greed, hatred, ignorance in our own hearts. You want to change the world? Then, like Mahatma Gandhi said: "You must be the change you want to see in the world."
Lumbini is very far away. And what is happening in Nepal is distressing. But I realised that the best way to honour my teacher, to make things in the world better, is to continue to practice and teach. . . become the change I want to see in the world. . . and treating this as a very serious business.
May our loving-kindness, our prayers, our practice, and the merits we generate from our practice be shared with all in Nepal.
May all beings be well and happy, may all beings be free.
Venerable Vivekananda (extreme right) with the staff at Panditarama Lumbini International Vipassana Meditation Center.
. . .
You can learn how to meditate with us on Saturdays at 10am at mOmentOm yOga. Meditation instructions are also incorporated into our yoga classes as part of the essential teachings of yoga.