Distractions
Posted on April 5, 2007 By OneMysticalMonkey
Aaaarrrrrgh!!! Heaps of distractions from all kinds of directions! But what is a distraction from a goal if we don’t understand what the goal is? Is there more than one goal? How do we achieve our goal(s)? Achievement. Oh boy – now what is that supposed to mean? Achieve what? The goal? What goal? Why is there something to achieve in the first place? What is it? How do we get there?
If the goal is enlightenment (even if it’s the more local and personal kind), then how do we go about realizing it amid all the distractions? Most ancient texts on the subject tell us that we are all already Enlightened – that we are inseparable from the “perfect state of being” but we don’t realize our true nature. Enter the concept of Spiritual Duality; the perception of enlightenment and spirituality being something other than ourselves. Wow. What a concept!! So how do we realize our natural enlightenment amid all these worldly distractions? Or are the distractions part of the path? Are they the goal? And how, in this mental and emotional chaos, do we manage to keep our houses cleaned, the bills paid, our families fed, the dog walked, and the cushion sat upon? Aaaaah…. now there is the question!! — where in this mental and emotional chaos, indeed!!
The funny thing is, if we can manage to still our minds and bodies long enough to actually sit ourselves down on the meditation cushion for even a few minutes, suddenly all our worldly worries (and often much more), fall right into place. Suddenly our physical distractions are prioritized clearly, without the emotional twists they can often bring with them as they jostle for our attention. Things seem to get done much faster in the physical world when our minds are clear and our emotions are no longer making a mess of things for us. And while we sit, we may even catch a glimpse of our natural spiritual state while we’re at it. (Now That’s my idea of multitasking!!)
So how amid the emotional and mental chaos do we manage to realize our true nature, AND take care of the worldly things? We stop the chaos, and we do both at the same time. The distractions are more than just part of the path – they ARE the Path, as weird as that may sound. And boy do I wish I didn’t seem to keep needing that lesson!
… So the moral of this blog entry is: just sit and meditate. Leave the TV, the computer, the dishes, the laundry, all of it, behind for a few minutes and meditate. Even the blogging…
For meditation instruction by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, visit the Shambhala web site: [meditation instruction]
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You’re right! The trick is to find a time for meditating, and stick to it. Kind of like exercising. Think of it as “fitness for the peace of mind”