At times your meditation practice calls for patience. In this world of instant gratification, it can be hard to stick to doing one thing because you are not seeing the results of your practice quick enough.
Not seeing consistent daily results of being calmer and more peaceful can lead you astray – maybe to stop your practice or to try something different.
This is especially so with subtle practices like meditation because the results are not so tangible and are often perceived over time.
Results can also be very subtle because they belong to the mind which is a subtle instrument and reflects through your personality over time. For example, you may not notice that you are becoming less angry and irritated but perhaps your partner or children see it over time.
“Development of a meditation practice takes commitment, dedication, time and patience. Sometimes you expect inner peace as soon as you take a seat on your cushion, only to see the layers upon layers of chaos, created through your busy life.”
When you sit you begin to perceive the mind’s habits of constant thinking, imagining and getting caught in the past and future – not to mention the to do list. All of this can cause anxiety, frustration, worry, and loneliness.
This mental process can be defeating, and you may think to yourselves “I am not good at this”, “what’s the point”, “this isn’t for me”. As a result, you give up and sadly seek something that will get you faster and better results in search of peace.
“The very reason for giving up the practice is the very reason for why we practice. You practice in order to see the content of your mind, you practice to feel the state of your body and you practice to know the emotional undertones of your being.”
These aspects of you need to be seen, acknowledged and felt. This brings about acceptance and whole-heartedness. You need not be afraid of your heart and mind, just be curious and open to the experience of these states.
I know from my own practice with mediation and discovering the states of my heart and mind, I have received many insights and glimpses of wisdom.
When I am upset and uncomfortable the first reaction is to get rid of it. For some time I may feel like I have gotten rid of it by distraction or diversion or to find out later, “oh ya that discomfort is still following me like a plague.”
This is when I practice, and I know that this time I have to look at what I am avoiding. In doing so I feel fulfilled as it is my way of having compassion and kindness for myself.
I look at the inner turmoil and feel through the nuanced experience of it. The fruit of all this is space and the freedom to just be. My mind gets freed from gripping and there is a sense of peace and contentment.
I have found that the fruit of a continued practice is a sense of homecoming, resting within my own presence and feeling the warmth and comfort from that very presence that “I am”.