In my classes I tell people to first sit to become still, be still to see, we then see ... ( dang I forget)
It is basically the same process that I was taught by Buddhist Monks and Nuns over the past 15 years.
Often when we begin the process of meditation we have a hard time because so many thoughts are there, we see them all arising at once and it seems there is no way to stop them.
Watching the brain train. (Would be good to get a few pictures of a train from up close and from far away, actions would be best for this example)
We spend time in meditation just watching the thoughts come and go like a fast train going by, car by car by car. You cannot even read the logos or words on the side of the train car as it goes. This is frustrating and one of the things that people do is try to stop the mind or stop the thoughts. That is impossible. The train goes, you can pick one car to focus on and that is about it. One thought you may notice, and it either excites you or disturbs you. Now if we step back from the train, we can see all the cars, they seem to go slowly and we can see each as it is, not in a blur. That is the importance of sitting to become still, we slowly distance ourselves from the thought train and begin to see the whole train, or in our case the whole mind.
CULTIVATION
In my discussions on cultivating the mind like I did the little grass patch in my backyard I mentioned that we need to see it pretty closely to see the weeds verses the actual blades of grass. This is about the same idea. We need to find a comfortable distance from the mind (or grass or train) in order to see it more clearly. That is a skill that comes with practice over time. It does not occur all by itself or as a flash like 'Satori' or and enlightenment does. It is a process that develops over hours, days weeks or years depending on the effort we put into it. We have to know a lot about the mind and how OUR mind works in order to do and understand this.
Once we understand the speed of the mind, we can learn to step back and see it from a different, non engaged place. We can
RAIN
Let it rain. A meditation on pain. (all sorts of mental and physical dilemas.)
The RAIN 'formula' acronym for a meditative process that has been used for over 2,000 years. The basis of meditation is attention, contemplatio and realization.
So in this RAIN acronym, I will place out, step by step the way to deal with disturbing thoughts.
The "R" in rain stands for 'recognize'.
Recognize first that you are sitting and thinking, meditation is an active process. Recognize as a feeling arises, what emotion is it? Although it may just BE there, it may also change. Notice what it does now that you acknowledge its existence and have a 'name' for it.
This is not the time to do any judgement of the feeling or emotion or to give it any power at all, just observe it. Noticing it from the background of your regular beingness is important for this step.
The "A" in rain stands for 'Accept'.
This is where we start to sense some emotion or charge to what we are feeling, what we have recognized and we accept it AS it is. That is all, just let it be in your conscious field. Still in the sense of observance, we accept it as A feeling or emotion, there is nothing else to do with it for right now.
The "I" in rain stands for 'Investigate'.
We investigate deeper, where is it at in our body? Where did it come from, where is it going? Does it change?
The "N" in rain stands for 'Non-identification'
Now take that emotion, feeling and sense and, in your mind, watch it from afar, it is not you, it is not who you are, there is no permanence in it. Like you, it changes constantly and only become more close and vivid if you give it that focus. Let the idea, emotion, feeling and thought dissolve like a cloud on a sunny day.
Now using the RAIN acronym may not be a full recognize, accept, investigate, and non-identify order or process. You may just choose to stay in acceptance or whatever for a while. There is time. Remember, meditation is not an end all, nor is it a fix, it is a process of learning and understanding of your own mind with the goal of becoming the controller and not the controlled. This is the development of wisdom, generosity and compassion for the self.
What are disturbing thoughts? Ones you dislike or really like fall into this category.
What is the reason we start a garden? It is the why... We do it for many reasons; some for food, some for relaxation, some to help the environment and some just as a hobby to pass time or just for something to do. It is the same really for meditation. Some practice meditation to nourish themselves, some for relaxation, some to be part of a community, some just to pass time and some just to have something to do. That is not to say that people don't have as many reasons as there are personalities. This is fir simplicity sake, so that we can see the similarities between meditation and gardening.
The why can be important. Just like in gardening, it may change the size of the garden, the types of plants, the amount we are willing to do to change the soil etc...
When we start the process of meditation we need to first evaluate what we already have and where we would like to go with it. It is the same in gardening, we have to look at the ground, how many rocks, where the sun shines, the types of soi
