Meditation ~ Part Two . . .
Continued on from my exploration into the topic of meditation (part 1 – Meditation ~ When you don’t know how … ), I went on to visit the Rigpa Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Centre located on 330 Caledonian Rd, London, for their free meditation session running from 7-9pm every Wednesday evening.
Upon my arrival to what appeared a complete closed shop, I rung the doorbell to then be greeted my ‘Ann’, who immediately sought to establish if my arrival had been there for ‘practice’ and not ‘instruction’. The buddhist centre does offer instruction or ‘lessons’ regarding the practice of meditation, however, on alternate weeks. The week I had chosen, was for practice only. Despite the distinction, Ann was kind enough to offer some basic instruction, which although brief, was very informative for me as a beginner.
In order to simplify the information to what I found useful, I’ll mention three new learning points picked up from this visit.
- Presence. Being present, aware and not asleep is a key part of practice in developing awareness on passing thought. Meditation with eyes open, is a new technique I had not previously tried. A suggested low 45 degree angle view of unfocused sight, adds another layer into the practice of not focusing.
- Calm Abiding. Abide,to accept calmly, passing thought whilst noticing, but not controlling, thoughts, or breath.
- Daily Practice, is what trains the brain. I discover that their meditation sessions are spaced 20 minutes apart – a great indication of how long we could meditate for on a daily basis.
Noticing conscious thought on initial thoughts is complex stuff, that is invigorating to learn. Worth a try!
In relation to how these techniques make me feel is not something I can quantify or measure scientifically without practice, so I will surely update later. After physical exercise, there is normally a rush or a sure physical ‘good feeling’ that can be felt, however, from mental exercising such as this, the feeling is closer to that of ‘un-cluttering’ of the mind. Complex mind and thought begin to feel clearer and less knotted together.
Meditation is indeed an interesting process that fascinates my mind. I would love anyone reading this to share their experience with me at carline@mylondoncry.com and if posts are interesting, I may repost on the website.
– written by HoiYan C – Blogger at MyLondonCry
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