Your True and Mindful Home
By Dave Pratt
Cracking the Patterns
The birth of a child is an experience that can crack apart our conditioned patterns. Suddenly we know the miracle of this moment or feel the presence of God (or our “higher power”). Our off-balanced habit of leaning toward an imaginary yesterday or tomorrow subsides, and we are completely here and now. With this new arrival comes immeasurable joy on many levels, and a fundamental part of this joy – and a feeling of aliveness – arises from being fully present. In this we find a wholeness beyond distinctions of the parts we call the mind, feelings and body. We often easily miss that not only is the birth of that warm, wet infant a miracle, but every moment is a miracle.
To begin honoring the physical body as a temple is to see that it is a “home” we can come back to again and again. When we intend to practice only one activity while sitting in meditation, holding the downward dog pose in yoga or whirling like a dervish, we allow for the possibility of knowing the oneness of all things right now. “It could be said that the body is an expression of that oneness or unity,” says Dr. Ted Kempel, a clinical psychologist who leads contemplative retreats in central Ohio, “and it could also be said that the body is a way of experiencing that oneness.”
Single Tasking
We sometimes act in ways that actually hurt the body, but we certainly are not the only ones. History tells us that even Buddha practiced austerities (self-inflicted miseries for the body as a means of liberation from suffering). It was only after Buddha saw his mistake and abandoned this way of living that he attained true enlightenment. Twenty-five hundred years later, we are swimming in teachings that aim to bring the mind, body and feelings together in ways that honor each. Tai chi, yoga and countless forms of meditation offer approaches to help do this, and there is good reason.
If we take the time to look, most of us see that our minds are often anywhere but in the present moment. Like a buzzing fly, the mind may flit to the past and future, where it spends much of its time. Stress and its physical manifestations – which can include headaches, high blood pressure and worse – are rooted in this habit of mental wandering. It is as if the body is being led along throughout the day toward fulfillment that it never quite reaches.
With the continuing rise of stress-related illnesses, the scientific community has taken interest in practices that point out the physical benefits of what we might call “single tasking.” A 2002 study on the effects of mindfulness meditation conducted at the University of Wisconsin's Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience found that those who participated in an eight-week meditation course exhibited demonstrable positive effects in brain and immune system function, showing the benefits of bringing the mind back to the activity of the body.
Ancient Wisdom
In the records of Buddha's teaching is a text called The Foundations of Mindfulness, which Buddha offered "for the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, for the destruction of suffering and grief, for reaching the right path, for the attainment of Nibbana (nirvana)..." It describes methods that Bhikkus (disciples of Buddha) still practice today, such as, "Breathing in a long breath, he (the Bhikku) knows, 'I am breathing in a long breath.' Breathing out a long breath, he knows 'I am breathing out a long breath.'"
This appears utterly simplistic, and it is. Perhaps simpler yet is shikan taza or "just sitting" as it is known in the Japanese Soto Zen lineage where one simply “sits” with whatever is going on with the mind, body or feelings at the time. No emphasis is put specifically on relaxing or doing anything other than gently bringing the mind back from its wanderings.
Tim McCarthy, a Soto Zen teacher in the lineage of Kobun Chino Otagawa Roshi, says that most of us are constantly waiting for “it” or something better to happen. "This is caused by a false view of one's existence, which in turn causes desire for things that do not exist, at least in the way we imagine,” he says. “We constantly struggle unnecessarily with ourselves and our environment until we uproot the cause of this false desire: the insistence on the belief in an unchanging, immutable and potentially eternal 'self' or 'soul.'” McCarthy adds that this is achieved through meditation and morality, and it culminates in the experience of enlightenment or spiritual awakening. With this experience, a person sees things as they really exist – not fixed and static, but in a constant joyous flux in which all things are interdependent.
The mind usually loves complication so much that real clarity comes only when we direct it to focus on the simple. This simplicity and a serene quiet are cultivated by practices that encourage the associative mind to stop wandering and be in this moment. During moments of clarity it is easy to see how our suffering is self-inflicted and that in reality we are not separate from all of existence. There are many teachings and methods to help us experience these truths. The key is to find one that resonates with you and work with it, knowing that like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, you never really leave your true home.
David Pratt, LMT, BA, is a Certified Breema Instructor, licensed massage therapist and student of Soto Zen. He is the director of spa services at The Spa at Honey Run in Millersburg, Ohio, where he offers treatments and workshops. For more information, call (800) 713-2725, visit www.innathoneyrun.com or e-mail spa@innathoneyrun.com.
