SKILL #2 – ENOUGH

I meditate, and often people ask me about meditation.  I have noticed that many in the general population see meditation as being highly formalized, the skill of monks and high-level martial artists.  There is the notion that meditation requires emptying of the mind or extended total concentration.  Typical Western anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better mentality.  Honestly, people treat meditation like it takes years of practice, like running a marathon.  It doesn’t take a lot of time, or skill for that matter.  If you have ADHD, you still have enough concentration to meditate, and if you can’t shut all thought from your mind, you’ll be fine.

This technique is a good one to start with.  This is a written meditation.  I want to share with my readers how to do it, though I suspect some of them (*wink*) already know how.

I’m not going to retreat far into my mind, but I will come out with as much positive energy as the most devout clergyman you know.

The goal of this technique is total spiritual therapy.  So first, I have to set up some theories for you.

1.  The mind exhibits extraordinary control over the body.  We know placebos often trick the mind into healing physical ailments.  People with positive attitudes tend to enjoy better health.  Those with something to live for, whether work or family or an unattained goal tend to live long enough to see their commitments through, whereas those losing a loved spouse in old age tend to follow suit quickly.  I’m sure there are plenty of studies and personal experiences to relate, but I think most people understand that most of what the body does and is has its roots in the mind.  Ultramarathoners may need to be physically fit, but if their minds are not tough, they will surely not see the journey through.  Even hikers cannot be measured by their looks.  Mental toughness will carry a 50-year-old up something a college kid couldn’t summit.  I’ve seen it.

2.  People have energies about them.  This may seem strange to some.  But when you get a bad gut feeling about someone, when a person’s presence gives you a “creepy” vibe, doesn’t your perception tend to ring true?  I will relate one story that makes my point here.  I have a friend who belongs to the Church of Christ.  He is a remarkably intelligent young man, and his deep commitment to Bible study led him to appreciate the works of an Apologetics Press writer.  The Press publishes articles defending creationism and attempting to debunk the Theory of Evolution from a scientific perspective, though its views are often challenged by mainstream scientists.  I’m not going to weigh in on Apologetics Press’s quality.  My friend followed Mr. Bert Thompson’s writings enthusiastically.  Then he went to see him speak in person.  After this, my friend said, he didn’t hold Thompson in such high esteem.  He told me he couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but for some reason he just got a feeling and steered away from Thompson.  Thompson, a long-time director of the Christian organization, was soon after fired amid claims he was molesting and molested children for years.  My friend got a vibe from Thompson’s energy, not through his web writings, but through personal space-sharing.  I know many a father who warns his daughters to listen to their gut feelings, trust their instincts, and not wave away that bad feeling they get about certain people.  Because usually the body and the mind sense the energies others give out.

This technique I’m going to share has had three major results for me since I started using it:

1.  I fill my mind and soul with positive energy, clearing out doubt, depression, fear, anger, resentment, selfishness, and the like.  Negative mental attitudes get replaced by joy, courage, serenity, and contentment.

2.  My body feels better, being as how the mind is the most powerful healer of the body.  The mind being full of positive energy, heals the body and invigorates it.  Lethargy gives way to waves of energy and multi-day bursts of unquenchable stamina.  (Results will vary until you get good at it.  Even a day of high energy is a good thing, right?  Some would do well to get a few hours of renewed energy, eh?  Just don’t expect a miracle your first time.)

3.  My aura of energy changes, and things outside of me, specifically other people, take notice.  That tends to set events in motion that make me even happier.  Think about it.  When you encounter a cheery person, don’t you tend to react better to them?  Even if they don’t cheer you up a notch, you’ll be nicer to them than you would a sulking complainer.

HOW TO DO IT

Write down a few notebook pages of things you have and are grateful for.  Big things and small things.  Things current and things past.  Consider your assets.  Do you have four functioning limbs?  Many don’t.  Do you have a job?  Do you have food and shelter?  Were you born into third world poverty or first world opportunity?  Do you have investments?  Wow.  You’re better off than me!

I think I’ll take this opportunity to write my own list right here on the good ole’ internet:

Gratitude List

My cat Jing Jing brings love and cuddliness to my home.

I have a job that pays my bills and provides a little extra pocket money for fun things.

I love my job because I get to meet and do my best to help all sorts of interesting people.  I learn new things and hear good stories every day.

I get to set my own hours somewhat.

I live close to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and can go hiking in amazing places.

Tennessee is warm.

I have a Bachelors of Science degree that I got with scholarships.

I am completely debt free.

I have a car to drive that my parents gave me.

I have this blog so I can look back at my adventures and share them with others.

I live in a great condo with two roommates I get along with very well.  The rent is manageable.

I live about 5 minutes from work, so I get to help the planet, save gas, and sleep in.

I am one of the most physically fit people I know.  I have loads of endurance.

I don’t struggle with my weight.  I’m thin and short and agile.

I can do a backflip off of a wall.

I have a long list of wonderful electronica songs in my Itunes account.

I have two living parents that I have a good relationship with and who love me and help me.

I have two living grandparents whose company I enjoy and who have always looked out for me.

I’m about to be an uncle.

I make enough money to eat healthy vegetarian food and drink organic milk.

I have a kitchen to cook in (I remember the old dormitory days).

I have a washer and dryer in my home.

I work at a gym and can use a sauna, steam room or hot tub whenever I wish, not to mention the pool.

Tea.  It exists.

My Yixing teapot, a treasured possession.

My hiking gear, SureFire flashlight, Brunton lamp, paktowels, rock climbing gear, hiking shoes, polarized sunglasses, cookset, MSR dromedary bag, expedition backpack, expedition stove, headlamp, etc.  I think about how much I wanted them before I got them and how it was before I had them.  I really do love these things and get a lot of use out of them.  Without spending a dime beyond the gas to get there, I can entertain myself in the world of nature with my outdoor gear.  No matter how poor I become, I will have what I need to explore nature comfortably, horizontally or vertically as the rock climbing goes.

My small library of interesting books:  the Harry Potter series, my hiking maps, textbook on climbing, survival books, inspirational books, Artemis Fowl, green living guides, etc.  Clean, green entertainment made cheap.

My HP entertainment laptop.

My Brunton solar panel and battery pack.

The Chinese medicines I have acquired and use.

My Sun Jar; it makes me happy.

I have a soft bed with cozy blankets.

My cell phone now has a GPS navigator on it.

My martial arts skills give me great confidence I can handle any situation.

I have gone skydiving twice.  I have fallen 12,000 feet through the emptiness of the sky and remember it well.

I have memories and experience from visiting 9 countries.  I have photos too, a treasure trove.

I can crash in Chattanooga at my parents’ place anytime I want.

I know how to stay the night in Atlanta in a bathhouse.

All my possessions, with the exception of a large TV I no longer use, my bicycle, and my bedding, will fit in my car.  I am working towards a spartan lifestyle.

Squirrels.  They’re cute.

I’ve ridden the world’s tallest escalator.  Actually, I used to use it for daily commuting.

I can dance all night at any nightclub with decent music and usually be on par with any dancer in whatever place I happen to be.

The joy of breakdancing, in a club or alone.

I have all my 5 senses working properly.

I have a great boss at work.

Rob Baldus, and all the adventures he’s made possible (especially the caves).  And he let me drive his Smart Car!

I have a beautiful and talented girlfriend who seems to really love me (what a novelty…).  She shares my hobbies and hopefully my future.

I am still young at 24, inside and outside.

My cameras allow me to get great photos and HD videos.  They weren’t cheap.  Both were gifts from my parents.

I have spent years studying religion and pondering how the world works and what spirituality is.  I have tremendous spiritual peace.

I have learned to meet my wrongs head-on, how to forgive, and I have no fear whatsoever of death.

I was born in America, with good intelligence.

I have written 4 full-length novels, even if they haven’t been published.

I got to work as a reporter and have front-page articles published.

I own the entire Miyazaki film collection.

I have a strand of 7 paper cranes given to me by a Japanese friend.

I have a pen pal in Australia.

If I’m ever in Korea again I can visit Patti (see the Lost Sea adventure for details).

I’ve eaten a lot more varieties of food than most of my American friends.

Nathan Dalton and his new family, consisting of his wife, Jessica, and cat, Max.

I have plenty of clothes, and I don’t have to wear stuffy office clothes to work.

I have no allergies that I am aware of.

I can afford contacts for my eyes.

My dragon yoga pants.

Chocolate.

Knoxville has some decent nightspots.  Some let me in for free!

SoHo Cafe.

Nick Reksten.

I get a massage regularly.

I can eat out once a week or so.

My clients, whom I dare not name for confidentiality purposes.

I just bought some MREs dirt cheap.

I know a little something about rock climbing, caving, hiking, camping, tea, writing, journalism, environmental impact assessment, computers, martial arts, sociology, green living, Cantonese, the Far East art, etc.  I have had exposure to many types of knowledge.  I got a good education by combination of public education and personal effort.

I have a small army of friends, too many in number to name, including more than one mentor.

I currently possess a $100 Aveda gift certificate.

I’m getting my hair cut tomorrow.

THE POINT

The problem is that I too often focus on the next step to improving my condition instead of appreciating my current circumstances and how good they are.  Basically I have shelter, sustenance, love, work, my health, entertainment, spiritual peace, transportation, financial peace, friends and the tools to make the next steps.  Wow!  What more do you need!?  When stop looking for what I need next (or want next) and focus on enjoying what I already have achieved and possess, it brings the sensation that I’m already on top of the world.  This worked even when I had much further to go.

It doesn’t mean I won’t press on to the next level, but it banishes the bad feelings.  It gives me a deep breath to enjoy life and appreciate what I have.  Then I can go on, not with a malcontent desire for more, but with a challenge — as in a game — to see what else I can do with my life.

This meditation does not mean sitting still with eyes closed.  It doesn’t require absence of thought or complete focus.  It means focusing, however distractedly, on positive things, until they fill you up and you feel renewed.  Be random.  It’s not a report.  It’s just for you.  I prefer to use notebook paper and soy-based non-VOC ink, but just write it down.

It’s kind of like the Patronus Charm in the Harry Potter series.  When something is sucking all the happiness out of you, bearing despair, you have to block it with the raw energy of all the happy things in your life, past and present.  The force of gratitude drives away our diseases of mind.

It will work, even if you don’t have much to put on it.  Certain things retain their value and others, simply cannot be taken away.

The point of this meditation is to look at the things I have to be grateful for and fill myself with all the positive things in and around me, and to know as I move on that no matter what my next goal is, what I have in this moment is, truly, enough.

SKILL #1 – THE RITUAL

Today I find myself in need of an old tactic, and I’m going to share it.  I’m a bit depressed, just a few notches below where I’d like to be.  A novelty for me.  I’ve had worse, but I fancy a lift.  Its not good to let emotional pain sit around, like used pots in the sink.

This morning, I went to the gym to work.  When I finished my morning clients and duties, I put on my knee pad, my wrist pad and my hat and went into the sunlit studio.  I turned on some dance music (Natalie Walker’s “Over and Under” mixed by Morgan Page, “Let’s Get Physical” by Sultan & Ned Sheperd, and Filo & Peri’s mix of “Satellite” by OceanLab, mainly).  Then I did one of the things I do best:  I hammered my body into agony with breakdancing and a fitness circuit.  (The circuit is 60 jumping jacks, 50 crunches, 30 burpees, 20 sweeps, 30 push-ups and 4 suicides.  My record is around 2:28.  So there.)

An overall tingling, coupled with breathless stupor is the therapeutic result.  I find myself at the end of an hour on my hands and knees, exhausted and oblivious to anything but my struggling body.  I listen to DJ Tiesto / Christian Burns’ inspiring hit “In the Dark,” which has been a message of strength for me on more than one occasion.  The sheer pain and exhaustion of the ritual turns the inner pain into something the mind can process easily:  physical pain and energy depletion.  And all feels right with the world, crumpled on the floor, receptive to the God’s/nature’s  mercy.

Already, just an hour or so later I’m calm, alert and productive — writing on the blog, of course.  I feel like I feel after tai chi.  My skin savors the coolness of the air, the soft cotton of my shirt, my palm sweating the hair from my brow.  My heartbeat massages my chest from the inside.  My footfall is steady and soft.  I breath slow and deep; I smile a meditative smile.  I taste life in each breath I take.

Hard exercise, especially with a few blows interpretted by the body as injury, starts the fountain of endorphins, running like a crystal stream through my brain.  I am now ready to sit at the computer and perform my tasks with a simple contentment, warm like a cup of tea.  I am back in balance.

The ritual of hard exercise as a cure to sadness is one I’ve used with success no matter how grave the emotional wound.  Sometimes its been pull-ups and dips and other calisthenics.  Sometimes it’s a hard run.  Sometimes it’s weight training.  Sometimes its going to the climbing gym and enjoying the pain of sore hands until the callouses rip and bleed (then you really should leave, for sanitation reasons).  Sometimes its boxing until the inner tape under your gloves is orange with a bit of blood.  It all sounds a bit gory, but you have to enjoy it, crave the bitterness of the unpleasant like your favorite dish.  Talk outloud.  Say to yourself as your muscles burn, “Oh yeah, that feels sooooo good!”

I’ve heard of recovering addicts turning to marathon running or daily exercise for relief.  I’ve also seen hard manual work, whether its raking leaves or planting/tending a garden serve as therapy for individuals.  Cutting yourself also works, but I don’t recommend that one; at least you know why people do it though.

Whatever your ritual, it will work if you begin.  That is the root trouble with this technique:  many of us know what will make us feel better when we’re down, but we don’t do it.  The volition to do what is needed, to take care of oneself, is something I have yet to teach with success to those who do not have it.  But its like being alone in the wilds.  You have to stop sometimes and go with the flow, and do what’s necessary to take care of yourself.  You may have to get warm quick with fire or shelter, dry your feet, change clothes, put moleskin on your foot, detour to find water or patch up a scratch.  You have to take time to address your needs instead of ignoring them.

When I was in Hong Kong, one of my mentors there told me, “The problem with you young people is that you don’t listen to your body.”  Now I do, Siu, now I do; I listen to my mind too.