“Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out. In. Out.”
These words are my inner voice speaking as I begin my daily meditation practice. I learned these simple words from my teacher, the Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. They are a skillful way of bringing my attention to the reality of the present moment, the sensation of breathing in and out. As long as I am alive, the sensation of my breath is a touchstone to the reality of the present moment.
Inevitably as I sit and breathe, my mind strays. My thinking jumps to what I’m going to do after meditation, then it leaps backwards to the events of yesterday and what I’m going to do about them. During meditation, my mind attempts to plan, sort, and figure out all sorts of things. But skillful meditation is a sustained effort; it is about noticing my thoughts midstream and returning my attention to the reality of the present moment, my breath flowing in and out.
Sounds dull, you say? Hardly. Watching thoughts leap, buck, and struggle like a wild horse against a calm, settling hand is more entertaining that TV. Observing the show, I notice my thoughts are actually an endless parade of emotions and drama that have little to do with reality. My mind construes stories both true and false. Feelings burn through me in waves; but feelings felt and not believed dissolve quickly into nothingness. It is the practice of focusing repeatedly upon the present moment reality of breathing that breaks habitual thought patterns and stops my mind from believing everything I think and feel. It leaves me energy to look more deeply into the true nature of reality.
Eventually as I sit, my mind quiets and I can simply be, accept what arrives and let it go. In these moments, when I am attentive to what’s happening in the present, fresh insights blossom like gifts of wisdom from the universe.
I’ll never forget the first insight that rocked my world. It came to me that I am not my thoughts; I am larger than what I think and feel. Further, I’d be wise not to believe and react to my thoughts because reality is deeper and more layered than my limited perceptions. So, rather than living a life of reactivity, I could remain calm and curious, keep looking and learning.
Across the millennia, spiritual teachers advised students that nothing is more important than a daily meditation practice. Meditation alone gives us the clarity necessary to look beyond our small stories and see instead our relationship to the whole. With it we can dissolve the dualistic thinking of self and other. In today’s climate emergency, meditation has the power to help us look deeply into the planetary mess and reveal our inter-being with our planet body and the countless possibilities for transformation near at hand.
If you are new to meditation, be kind to yourself and begin slowly. Try sitting calmly and putting your attention on your breath for only three minutes. Say to yourself, “Breathing in I know I am breathing in; breathing out, I know I am breathing out. In, out.” During the first three minutes your mind will likely jump about. Catch yourself and gently return your attention to your breath, again. When you can sit for three minutes, try five. Eventually, work your way up to sitting in meditation for twenty minutes each day, being kind and patient with yourself at all times.
This simple act and the growing awareness that flowers from it will transform your life in unpredictable ways. This act also has the power to wake us up to humankind’s understanding of our place in the universe, giving us insight to transform planetary suffering. Yes, it’s that profound.
