Mind Weeds

Time and again I talk to people who are frazzled by life, at wit’s end.  I recently read that the average American gets hit by over 2000 sales pitches daily.  I don’t know if that’s true, as it could have been another sales pitch, but, no doubt, we’re under a constant barrage.  As a culture, while we enjoy our freedoms, others are using the same freedoms to enter our space.  As if that weren’t enough, we must deal with our own inner turmoil.  Thoughts come from nowhere, popping up in the gardens of our minds like weeds, when what we really wanted was strawberries or roses.  Often the seeds that produce those thoughts are of unknown origin.  We become confused and conflicted by the sheer mass of what the brain’s processing.  One thing goes wrong, then another, and in this confused state, the mind flips a switch, dark thoughts ensue, depression, maybe meltdown…. 

Backup.  Rewind.  Take a vacation without taking a vacation.  By wiping the mind’s slate clean on a regular basis, we can learn to deal with life’s dramas.  Yep, meditation’s what I’m talking about…..

“Uh-oh, meditation”, says the small mind.  “Can’t do that.  My thoughts are running away like wild horses over the hills.  No way I could ever stop them?”

“Not necessary”, says Big Mind.  “You’ll never stop your thoughts anyway.  As humans, we were designed to think thoughts.  Tigers gotta hunt.  Birds gotta fly.  Monkeys gotta eat banannas.  Humans gotta think.  The best we can hope for is to slow those thoughts down.  You might think of it (but not too long) as your thoughts slowing down long enough for there to be a sort of micro-moment between them.  Let’s call it a gap of absolute nothingness.  But keep in mind, small mind, this gap could be as quick as lightening, though long enough to get those feelings of ‘ah-ha, that’s how it is’.  Let’s call it insight.”

“That’s a little hard for me to get a grip on”, says small mind, “but never mind, Big Mind, it sounds kinda interesting.  Let me ask you this, though.  I’m a Southwestern Orthodox Protagonist and my minister says that it’s against my religion.”

“Not so”, says Big Mind, “I’ve been around since the sun was as big as a baseball, and there was no moon.  And I’ve seen Catholic monks, Jewish rabbis, Native Americans, and Sufi Muslims, to name a few, all use meditation to their benefit.  Mix it with any religion or no religion, and it makes everything better.  Meditation’s what you might call an equal opportunity practice.  The longer I’m around, the more I see meditators wiping out the pigeonholes and divisions of religion.  They walk in several worlds and operate on many planes.  You might call ‘em spiritual multi-taskers.”

“OK, maybe I can get around that”, says small mind, “but I have a wife, and 13 kids, a low-paying job at the dental floss factory, a 19-cylinder, left-wheel drive, 123ZY Himalaya RV that I have to make payments on, my wife wants to buy some new 7092 thread-count primo polyester sheets, and I don’t think I can really feel complete ‘til I get that four-story desk with the matching Big Shot Chairman swivel chair.  I got responsibilities and desires, and no time.” 

“All the more reason to drop into that deep internal hush”, says Big Mind.  “After practicing awhile, you just might find that you CAN live without some of that stuff.  As far as the 13 kids, well, you just find better ways to deal with them.  It just seems to happen.  You start making better decisions.  You intuitively lose your attachments for things that aren’t good for you.  Understand?”

“Somewhat”, says small mind, “But do I have to give up my chili-pepper-licorice GumDogs.” 

“Not necessary to give up anything”, says Big Mind, “But I’m telling you that you will slowly start doing what’s best for you.  Imagine funding, producing, writing, directing, and starring in your own movie.  You begin to stand back and observe, even as you’re performing.  After awhile, you don’t get away with anything.  You walk the razor’s edge. One catch, though, small….you’ve gotta be ready for this stuff.  You can have the whole enchilada, but you’ve gotta have the courage to step up, reach out for those divine secrets, and take ‘em.  This is not for the faint of heart.”

“Hmm, very Zen.  But, what’ll my friends say?  They think it’s weird”, says small.

“Weird?  Is it weird to be a little more present in life, front and center, instead of wandering around in a fog?” asks Big.  “Weird to be liberated from some of those attachments and limited sense of little bitty self?  Weird to be happy?  Let’s see….life, liberty, happiness.  Sounds pretty damn American to me.”

“OK, OK, you don’t have to get snippy.” snips small mind.  “So, let’s just say I might wanna give this a try, how would I get started?”

“Decide that you’re going to set a little time aside each day, and just do it.  There’s lots of wisdom in those Nike commercials”, says Big.  “Remember, though.  This is not easy stuff.  If you’re having trouble with it, that’s perfect.  Don’t beat yourself up.  Handle yourself, small mind, like you’re house-training a puppy.  If you’re cruising with no bumps, that’s perfect, too.  The key is that your present circumstance is the perfect ground for meditation.  If you’re angry, sit on it.  If your dog dies, sit on it.  If you look out in your backyard and everything’s comin’ up roses, sit on that, too.  Every circumstance is an opportunity to pluck another weed from the garden of your mind.  And sometimes the roses are weeds, too, but I’ll leave that one for another time.”

“You talk in circles sometimes, Big, but tell me, do I have to go live in a cave for awhile?”, asks small.  “Or find a guru?”

“The cave that they always talk about, small….that’s in your mind.  So is the guru.”  says Big.  “Matter of fact, it’s all in your mind.  With our thoughts we make the world.  That’s pretty catchy….I should copyright that.”

Thanks to author Jerry Kuhlman co-founder of Highland Yoga in New Jersey. See http://www.highlandyoga.com .

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