CONTENTMENT IS THE GREATEST WEALTH, the BUDDHA
In the meditation room I go beyond the veil of human illusion into a place that allows my mind to become unclouded. This may be known as bliss. Bliss as in complete happiness, paradise or heaven!
It is not my intent to say that I lived in this state of bliss today. Rather, I arrived at a state of complete contentment during my morning meditation. How did I get there? I must admit, I awakened much later than usual. I stumbled into my meditation room, prayed and seated myself in a half lotus position with my hands in gian mudra. At the beginning of my meditative journey I allowed my mind to go where it wanted. I followed through imagery toa place in my past. There was a constant flow, no monkey chatter, no jumping around - so I assumed that I was on a mission.
The place where I went was from my childhood. A little white country church I attended. Incorporating sense memory...sound, smell...physcial surroundings, I remembered and walked through the small four room church, seeing the parishioners, and I saw my Granny's eyes. I realized that during that period of my life I saw untruth, holes in the story if you will. I shed tears as I walked down the aisle of that little country church, but I had to stop because crying during meditation makes it sound like there's static in my head, kind of like a television being on the wrong station. In this place I was taught there was no grace. I did not hear about redemption or salvation. What I heard was hell, fire and brimstone. It frightened me. I did not live my life perfectly...I had mean thoughts and I feelings of jealousy and envy. I did not know that it was ok, to feel and think those things as long as I did the right thing anyway! Today, in that place, I felt compassion. Compassion for those who did not understand. Compassion because those people were making choices based on the God of their understanding. I felt peace when I left there. Interesting but my psyche fought me when I wanted to see my Grandfather...
I wanted to go onto the path with Lagan,my trusty spirit guide. I called for him to guide me. I asked for wisdom. But he said, "to ask for wisdom is to miss the point." It's funny how things don't affect me when I'm meditating. In daily life I would ask questions or argue with someone but in meditation I trust. If nothing else I trust the process. So I climbed the back steps that I learned about last week up to the top of the mountain.
Time is suspended in this place, I do not think about breathing, or pain, my mind pauses. I tried to look around because it felt like I was in the air. Weightless, like the incredible lightness of being. It was pure like between the clouds, between worlds. I was on another plane...in the meditation room.
