Buoyant & Calm

… In any case, the meditative experience of awareness beyond the ordinary sense of self can produce a buoyancy and calm that spills over into the rest of your life. Something as humble as washing the dishes in a meditative state can bring the same buoyancy and calm. Rather than feeling yourself rushed, anxious to get the job over with, settle into the task of dish washing as if it were meditation. Check your posture. Relax your body. Let your belly expand with each breath. Do not hurry. Be aware and appreciate your every motion. Stay in the present moment. At the end of the task, you might be surprised to find that, by not hurrying, you finished considerably sooner than would otherwise have been the case.

The Way of Aikido,

Meditation in Action:

George Leonard

~

      When meditation is extended into the rest of my activities, I am able to conduct myself in a manner that is centered. Issues of morality are not considered but all of my actions become balanced and compassionate simply because I am paying attention what I do and am aware of the transfer of energy. Aikido is a martial art and I am hesitant to refer to meditation as a martial art but, in a very real sense, it is because the opponent is the ego and is to be respected as an equal on the mat. 

     Before I start I have to take command of my senses and focus my attention to the center of my body. This is important because the greatest mechanism of the ego rests between my ears and behind my eyes. While my brain is an important reasoning tool, my center is in the gut.  This, the gut, is where we put the usual functions of the brain into a place where it becomes a tool of The Mind.
 
     I’m not sure why, but I sometimes suffer the affects of what is often referred to as A.D.D. Confusion, crowds, and distractions, agitate me and sometimes I experience panic. However, if I stop… balanced and in charge of my body, responsible for my actions, aware of my own energy and the energy of the ego, I can enter into any room confident and at peace… open and helpful… no matter what kind of chaos is going on around me. This means that, although it is wonderful, I don’t need to sit in a quiet place with all the candles and bells in order to meditate. I can be in a meditative state of mind at a bus stop, in the line at the grocery store or anywhere else I go. Most importantly, I can be open to others, kind and compassionate.... free of fear.

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