Society - people
Craving was considered by the Buddha to be the root of suffering. 2,500 years later, craving, fueled by the influence of capitalism, has become more than an economic theory. It governs all behavior, setting its own measure of happiness. Consumerism tells us to own more, experience more, travel more, and then we will be happy. It seems we do not believe - or do not know - to find happiness within ourselves.
Meditation
One day, the pandemic suddenly knocked on the door. The situation forced us to stay at home more, and it seemed like this was also an opportunity for us to reconnect with ourselves. To face our deepest and most genuine emotions. There will be all kinds of emotions visiting us during this time, but perhaps sadness, loneliness and negativity are more. If we don't know how to face these emotions, we are at high risk of falling into depression, confusion and negativity. But instead of facing them, we often avoid and push them away when unpleasant emotions come. And we are anxious and afraid that joy will pass by in a moment. This is a manifestation of craving.
Meditation is a journey to eliminate craving, only we accept everything as it is. We observe sadness, happiness without chasing away, without clinging, that means we are not craving. At that time, meditation does not help us to stop sadness, but we will not suffer. Meditation also does not help us to keep happiness longer, but we will be at peace and enjoy it fully.
Experience meditation
At the end of 2018, I graduated from college and was very unclear about who I was.Who. This question led me to the Vipassana meditation course at a temple located in the Cat Tien National Park. However, the 10 days of meditation did not help me answer those questions. Meditating 10 hours a day, without communication (in any form), without phone, without internet forced me to face myself. I suddenly realized that I was noisy, very noisy. It seemed like there was a MyTV television station headquartered in my head, broadcasting 24/7, all content, all images. And that television station made me tired. The nun who guided me had an interesting story to illustrate meditation like this:
The thoughts in our mind are like weeds. We cannot and should not kill them completely. But every time we practice meditation, we are like planting a tree. The more trees, the less weeds.
Mistake
After the retreat, I incorporated meditation into my daily activities with the hope that meditation would help me become stronger and more focused to solve work and life problems. But when work pressure increased and crises occurred, meditation did not help me solve the problems, but seemed to make things worse. Because at that time, meditation seemed like a violent activity, both physically and mentally. I stopped meditating indefinitely when I realized that I was distorting and corrupting this activity. Because from the beginning, the purpose of my meditation practice was rooted in desire. I wanted meditation to help me live easier and live the way I wanted.
Realize
At this time, I have been at home for more than 3 months following the city's social distancing order. The nature of my job requires me to travel frequently and rarely stay at home, so these 3 months have been a rare opportunity for me to look back at myself since the 2018 meditation course. Many of my health and mental problems have arisen during this time. I think it is the result of a long time of living without mindfulness. If I want to be better, I have to change myself. Pay attention to my health, listen to the small signs inside my body. Enjoy the joy of everyday life. From small things like making a cup of coffee in the morning, watering the jasmine plants. Sadness will of course come, but instead of running away, I practice observing it, reconciling it with myself. And even though I have been lonely for more than 3 months, my heart is still at peace, I smile because I finally truly know how to meditate, even though I don't sit cross-legged or cross-legged like before.
To practice meditation naturally and happily without forcing or oppressing yourself, you should start with the smallest and easiest things.
Silence
First, keep your living space quiet and tidy. Turn off the music when you are not really listening to it. This opens up a space of peace and quiet energy, which will encourage you to seek mindfulness. If your living space has access to the outside, a balcony for example, cultivate a plant or a garden. If this is not possible, try to keep your house tidy. Every small activity has the great power to remind you to return to yourself.
Mindfulness Bell
Second, set a mindfulness bell. The 3 months of being at home have been a test of my ability to maintain my home. I have accidentally broken a lot of my crockery and glassware. The dry sound of breaking glass acts as a bell, reminding me that I am not present in the present moment. The bell wakes me up and quickly brings me back to my breathing. When I work, I set alarms on my phone. When I hear the bell, I stop what I am doing and return to my breathing, and in just a few breaths I reconnect with myself, knowing that I am alive and present in this moment.
Breath
Third, let's go back to the essence of meditation. Meditation does not make things easier, it does not make us happy, or make us stop being sad. Meditation calls us to live in the present moment, to eliminate greed. To do this is not difficult, we just need to know how to observe our breath - which is also observing ourselves. This helps us master ourselves, so that we do not cause harm and suffering to ourselves and others, from unconscious actions when we are affected by strong emotions. We can observe our breath anytime, anywhere. We do not wait until we finish work or have free time to sit cross-legged and listen to our breath. Even just one mindful breath is enough to bring our body and mind back together, we are present in this moment.
Practicing meditation helps me gradually change my attitude towards life in a more positive direction. And even in the context of the epidemic, the orderslockdownDespite the city's constant lockdown, I still find peace and enjoy life in the "new normal" way.
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