Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday – Zazen

Tags

Being Present, Contemplation, Focus, Meditation, Mindfulness, Prayer, Shunryu Suzuki, Sitting, Zazen

“When you bow, you should just bow; when you sit, you should just sit; when you eat, you should just eat.” – Shunryu Suzuki

This quote relates to being present. Being present means you think about what you do and focus on that and that only. Before I began to attempt this, I had no idea how many details I was missing. Our minds have a way of doing this to us all of the time. It automates, because that is the most efficient way for the brain to operate. This automaticity, however, is also the brain’s weakness.

Being present means we do one thing, focusing all of our attention on that one thing. It is hard to explain the beauty of living this way. Recently, I began tracking my activities for the day. I start a timer and focus on one task. This focus allows you to realize a ton of things you may have missed if you fail to focus like this.

Here I am working on a blog posting. I focus on the words. I focus on the pressure my fingers feel each time they depress a button on my laptop’s keyboard. I say the words to myself as I type. My mind will wander at times, but I bring it right back to the task at hand. Truly focusing on one thing at a time is not easy. The mind is so scattered. One thing I have discovered over time while I practice this new way of thinking, is how much more focused I have become by practicing every day.

This is the crux of Zen Buddhism. It is not a religion. It is a meditation practice. The Zen Buddhists call this zazen or sitting. When a Zen Buddhist meditates, he sits. He does nothing but sit and focus on the breath. Over time, the mind will settle down. You transcend the mind and its thoughts. The mind, when it is ignored long enough, will fade away, just like your body will fade. The focus that arises from sitting is so pinpointed, everything beyond what is focused on disappears.

Think about the beauty of this. If the mind and body fades away, what is left? You got it–the real you! That is what is left. This level of focus is far above what you and I would consider focus. This focus, derived from sitting (zazen), will transfer to other aspects of your life. It transfers to your work, your writing, your eating, and your bathing. The focus becomes easier to attain as well.

The focus is the primary benefit. This focus, particularly when you are concentrating on a singular task, allows one to enjoy this state throughout the day. Imagine a day like this. A day without worry about the future, dread about the past, stressing over a mistake, or worrying about how long you have been doing something. This is a state called flow. You become so focused and engrossed with a task, time falls away, everything falls away but you and the task you are working on.

Imagine how wonderful eating would be if you could enjoy the texture, the smell, the feel, the sight, and taste of what you are eating. Imagine being so focused on your meal that everything outside that meal faded away.

Meditation, contemplation, or prayer all require focus. Focus comes with practice. Here is a simple meditation you can try. Sit in a comfortable chair with your back straight. Close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths. Then let the breath return to its normal pace and depth. Concentrate on the breath coming in and going out. Initially, you’ll want to count the breath as it comes in and goes out. One–breathe in. Two–breathe out. Three–breathe in. Four–breathe out. Do this to 10 and start over. If you lose track of your counting when you daydream or get engaged with a rising thought, start over again. You’ll find that the mind will be restless and continue to give you things to think about. Don’t fret over this. Simply return to your breath and begin counting again.

This is Zazen or sitting. It has been practiced for thousands of years. Zazen can be practiced when sitting, working on a single task, eating, or even gardening. You remain focused on the moment, by experiencing everything as it occurs. Try this out. You’ll be amazed how pleasant mundane tasks become. You’ll also begin to appreciate the calm, wonder, and flow that arises when you improve your focus.

I hope you have a terrific Saturday! My sister is coming over today to celebrate her birthday and hang out with us. We are looking forward to it.

Until next time…

Dave

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Daily Ramblings – Series Sunday – Character Traits

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Benjamin Franklin, Character, Contentment, Mindfulness, satisfaction, Sunday Series, Traits

January 2018’s character trait will be contentment. I am striving to be more mindful, concentrating my thoughts and efforts on the present, rather than brooding over the past or worrying about the future.

As mentioned before, I am still working on discrimination, tolerance, and forgiveness. Each month I add a desirable character trait to work on, much like Benjamin Franklin did in his day.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday

Tags

Exercise, Gratitude, Learning, Mindfulness, minimalism, Reading, solitude

“Be who you are, not who the world wants you to be.”
– Unknown

Hello, Readers!

This week’s edition of Wisdom Wednesday addresses a few items related to the most important person in your life—YOU. I’m a bit of a hermit, spending a lot of time in my study reading, writing, and interacting on social media.

I enjoy interacting with people in public, like the gym where I workout or the coffee shops I frequent from time-to-time. I like people, but my focus is on my writing, reading, exercise, learning, and spiritual pursuits. I have learned over the last few years, since my retirement, that so many people are controlled by the society that surrounds us. In the U.S. we work harder and longer than most in other countries, we spend more money on stress-reducing drugs than any other country, and our population is less happy than other countries. This is a bleak outlook, right?

We Americans are the largest consumers on the planet. We chase after the glowing bobbles in the malls, we strive for bigger homes, newer cars, boats, new clothes, plastic surgery and all the rest. Why do we do this? Well, part of it is related to the advertising and marketing practices present every day in our lives. Wherever Americans go, we are bombarded with an advertisement. Advertisement on the web, social media, the radio, television, even our mobile phones. We buy things we don’t need, eat the wrong foods, use alcohol, tobacco, and drugs (prescribed and unprescribed). We take vacations and do so much that we return home more exhausted than before we left. All this purchasing causes us to borrow money in the form of credit cards, signature loans, shopping cards, and the like. This, in turn, drives us to work harder and continue to work to pay off all of these “nice” things, and before we know it we become slaves to the very things we thought we wanted. In the end, we’re still unhappy, we’re exhausted, we’re addicted to things we don’t want to be and we are overweight.

How do we turn this around?

Disconnect

It’s awesome to be connected to the world. It’s fun to have access to our books, music, friends, movies, and the rest on our phones. It’s terrific to be able to watch movies on our computers and interact with our friends on social media.

I’m not proposing that we shut all this down forever but taking some time away from our devices and our technology can be a much-needed relief and put us in a position to just relax and enjoy the moment.

Minimize

If you haven’t looked at Minimalism, you might want to take a look. Minimalists propose only owning what they need and owning only the bare minimum required for survival. The claim is that the less you own, the less you have to take care of, the less money you’ll spend for just more “stuff”.

You can start with your closet. Really look. If you own clothes that you haven’t worn in the last year, donate them. The same applies to the other things you possess. I’ve done this myself and it is quite liberating.

Meditate and Practice Mindfulness

Taking the time to live in the moment is a relaxing and joyous act. Mindfulness is nothing more than paying attention. Enjoying your meals, enjoying the quiet, enjoying the experiences you have, enjoying the people you are with, are just some aspects. Really savor everything. You’ll be amazed how relaxing, centering, and fulfilling the act of mindfulness is.

If you have trouble with this mindset, you should try meditation. Meditation in its simplest form is nothing more than paying attention to your breath. Focus on breathing in and breathing out. This one act performed for just 10 minutes a day will garner some amazing benefits, along with training your mind to be more focused on the task at hand.

Gratitude

Realizing that what you have is all you need is liberating and calming. It also provides a sense of contentment that you may have not felt in a long time. Purposely express your gratitude each morning for a few minutes. You can say what you are grateful for or write these things down in a journal. By putting your attention on being grateful for the blessings in your life, you’ll be less likely to continue chasing after that next “thing”.

Exercise

There are numerous benefits to exercise. Whether you lift weights, do Yoga, run, swim, or just take a walk, the benefits of exercise are huge. You can start by doing something as simple as stretching out in the morning and knocking out a few push-ups or taking a walk in the morning or evening.

Eating Right

Nutrition is the cornerstone of health. Take some time to learn about nutrition. Try focusing on eating whole foods (not in boxes or packaging) and cooking your own meals. You’ll find that you’ll spend less, the food tastes better, and your body will thank you for it.

Sleep

Go to bed on time and avoid the electronics too close to bedtime. They will disrupt your sleep. Come up with a ritual composed of hygiene (hot shower), a little reading, meditation, or a nice cup of herbal tea. Your sleep is critical to your performance and health.

Reading and Learning

Too many of us read too little and stop learning after leaving school. Reading opens us up to new horizons, new ways of thinking, and it allows us to explore the thoughts of authors in different times and nationalities.

Learning should be life-long. There is always something we can learn to improve our lives, our performance at work, and even pick up new skills that will contribute to our well-being far into the future.

Become Your Best Friend

So many of us depend on others for our happiness. So many people need someone else in their lives to be happy. Don’t get me wrong, we are social beings. We need contact with other people. It is wired into the human psyche to interact with our fellow beings. The real question, however, is this: Are you happy with you? Can you be happy without that guy or gal in your life? I would argue that the answer to this question is yes. You can be happy with you and enjoy the solitude that being alone delivers. I’m not proposing that you dump all your friends. I am proposing that you take some time to get to know yourself. Enjoy you.

Final thoughts…

All these tools are easy to implement but are not a panacea. Only you can determine what you need, what will work in your personal situation, and what acts you can take (even others not mentioned) that will improve your outlook and happiness.

If you are happy with your current situation, leave it alone. If not, take some time to look around a bit to find some suggestions offered online, in books, or even ideas you could get from one of your friends or confidants. You’ll be glad you did.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote – Mindfullness

Tags

Circle of Concern, Circle of Influence, Elizabeth Barret Browning, Execution, Initiative, Mindfulness, Planning, Stephen Covey

“Amazing how we can light tomorrow with today.” – Elizabeth Barret Browning

For those of you who are pursuing a “mindful” life, know how important it is to truly live in the moment. We cannot correct the past; we can only fret the future. Worrying about the past paralyzes us with the fear of failure and sets up expectations of future issues based on what “happened before”. Worrying about the future only brings anxiety. How do we really control all of the infinite amounts of variables that truly predict what we will end up doing?

Every year I read Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. One of the major epiphanies for me is Covey’s focus on what he calls the Circle of Influence and the Circle of Concern. The Circle of Influence (COI) is you, focusing on the present moment, laying your plans and executing your priorities. The Circle of Concern (COC) is the past, the future, and all of those things, people, and events you have no control over. People that reside in the COI pay attention to what they can affect and that one thing only. They make plans, execute their plans, and adjust accordingly in the moment.

Those that live in the COC, are so worried about past mistakes they never endeavor to do anything, other than the mundane things that are not risky. They are more worried about what someone else is doing than they are, and they are consistently looking for something “out there” to alleviate their pain.

It is obvious which circle is more beneficial. Another interesting facet of this is the way these circles evolve. The COC people’s circle of concern, if not checked, will continue to expand and their lives will appear to be more and more out of their control. The CIC people, however, will experience greater freedom and control because their circle of influence will expand.

Folks, concentrate on you and stop worrying about the things you cannot control. Focus on the present moment. Dream about what you want, create a plan, and execute it, with the faith that there is enough for everyone. You will feel 100% better, more relaxed, and will feel more control over your life than you ever have before.

That’s it for today folks.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Bonus Material!!

Tags

Brad Stulberg, Faith, Fear, Interval Training, Mindfulness, Rachel Stafford, Thank you, Tom Hanks

Readers!

As a way of saying thanks for the 1000 likes I received today, I wanted to share some articles I was emailed today. I get these sent weekly by Intelligent Change, the company that publishes the 5-minute Journal and the Productivity Journal (I use both). Enjoy and thanks for all of the visits to my fledgling blog. I can’t tell you how appreciative I am for your patronage.

Have a terrific rest of your Tuesday!!

The Day I Stopped Saying ‘Hurry Up’ by Rachel Stafford http://bit.ly/2qUqSDS

This article brought tears to my eyes—really nice article that will make you smile.

Cultivate your Faith, Not your Fear by Tom Hanks http://bit.ly/2qU40o6

Commencement Speech at Yale University with a funny ending.

To Get Better at Managing Your Time, Borrow a Training Strategy from Elite Athletes by Brad Stulberg http://sciof.us/2qU4nPz

Great insights on improving your productivity and efficiency.

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote

Tags

Focus, Meditation, Mindfulness, Practice

“Mindfulness – it isn’t a trick or a gimmick. It’s being present in the moment. When I’m with you, I’m with you. Right now. That’s all. No more and no less.” – Will Schwalbe

Being Present

Being present is a byproduct of meditation as long as you maintain your practice. It’s interesting when you begin your meditation practice how quickly your mind wants to wander. When you start paying attention to this during your practice you realize that your mind can slip away from the breath multiple times in a 30-minute session. Imagine how often you slip away when a loved one is trying to share their day with you? Imagine how much you miss when you are reading a story and you slip away to something else?

Meditation Mobile Applications

If anything, mindfulness meditation practices can help you salvage a lot of missed enjoyment in your life. By being present, your conversations will be richer, your reading will be more interesting, your meals will be tastier, and your time in nature more restful. If you are interested in establishing your own practice, there are two mobile apps you may want to try. The first is Calm (www.calm.com) and the second is headspace (www.headspace.com).

I want to stress that this is not a religious thing at all. You can be of any faith and practice Mindfulness. Mindfulness meditation is all about learning to focus and remain focused over longer periods of time. Will you control your mind? No; that’s impossible. The key is to simply notice and gently bring the mind back to your breath or whatever else you are focusing on. You don’t need a lot of time for this either—10-15 minutes is it. I try to sit for around 30 minutes, but I’ve been doing this for over 45 years. It’ll take you some time to do this, but it’s well worth it. You’ll find every aspect of your life will improve, particularly your stress levels!

If you are interested, simply click on either link to check these apps out for yourself. Personally, I enjoy the Calm app better than headspace, but this is my opinion only. Many folks prefer headspace to Calm as well. Happy Sitting!!

Please be sure to visit my blog tomorrow. I will be posting a heartfelt message for Memorial Day.

Until tomorrow…