...I remember what it was like to suffer from the compulsion of incessant thought, and when the mind is that frenetic, it is almost impossible to contemplate existential issues. It’s like having attention deficit disorder on steroids. More than twenty-five years ago I began meditating solely in hopes of attaining a tiny bit of freedom from the nonstop internal dialogue that was driving me crazy. I had no idea that meditation would lead to numerous insights, several huge realizations, and a complete change in the focus of my life within five months. I did not know that meditation, for some people, can be like hitting the "clear" button on a calculator. Each person is unique, and I would not expect Freddy to have the same kinds of experiences or realizations that I had, but when I read Freddy’s posts, it reminds me of what it is like when this mind is wildly spinning. If nothing else, and aside from the issue of non-duality, meditation, yoga, tai chi, aerobic exercise, etc. are healthful activities, and people who pursue them tend to be happier, more relaxed, and live longer lives than people who don’t pursue such activities. (More about this later)
FWIW, I enjoy interesting stories, but I realize that any story can be interpreted in an infinite number of ways (more about this later, too), so here’s another story that seems applicable within this context:
One day a Zen Master in Japan was preparing to leave his monastery to go on a trip. As he came out of the main temple carrying some stuff to a waiting automobile, a young man with wild eyes suddenly ran up to him and told him that he desperately needed to study Zen, that it was a matter of life or death. The young man was clearly disturbed and perhaps psychologically unbalanced. The ZM put his hand on the young man's shoulder and calmly said, "I understand, so first I want you to go pick up the luggage over there on the verandah and bring it to the car for me." The young man did as he was told. The ZM then said, "Thanks so much for your help; now I want you to listen very carefully to what the head monk (who was standing nearby) is going to tell you. It takes a great deal of work to maintain a facility like this, and work is part of the Zen training process. Please help the head monk, follow his directions, and when I return from my trip, we'll have a long talk about Zen and your needs and aspirations." The ZM then gave a knowing look at his head monk, got into the car, and left.
The young man may have been so emotionally disturbed or mentally deranged that what he needed most was some good meds prescribed by a physician, but the ZM and the head monk could see that the only practical thing for them to do at that moment was try to calm the young man's mind through physical activity. The head monk probably put him to work scrubbing floors, raking leaves, cleaning windows, or some other repetitive physical activity. He was beyond the state of mind that Zen calls "monkey mind," and it would have been pointless at that time to invite him to a Zen interview, talk to him about meditation, discuss non-duality with him, or tell him that “it’s all in your head.” For someone calmer and more rational a different approach would have been used.
Probably most people fall into the category of “monkey mind” in which thoughts jump around like a monkey jumping from treelimb to treelimb. Most of us live in a mental world (that Charles Tart calls “a consensus trancestate”) dominated by self-referential thinking. We believe in things like “things,” and we believe that time, space, causality, etc. are real. We believe in “getting ahead,” acquiring stuff, and “becoming somebody” (ha ha). We psychologically live in the past or future and rarely take time to be here now or smell the roses. In short, for most of us, the world is a mad mad place with too little time and a lot of stress. Some people get into the habit of thinking incessantly (even thinking about thinking), and this adds enormously to the stress.
I have a feeling that may people like this could benefit from physical activities (such as yoga, tai chi, etc) that are known to promote mental calmness.
FWIW, I enjoy interesting stories, but I realize that any story can be interpreted in an infinite number of ways (more about this later, too), so here’s another story that seems applicable within this context:
One day a Zen Master in Japan was preparing to leave his monastery to go on a trip. As he came out of the main temple carrying some stuff to a waiting automobile, a young man with wild eyes suddenly ran up to him and told him that he desperately needed to study Zen, that it was a matter of life or death. The young man was clearly disturbed and perhaps psychologically unbalanced. The ZM put his hand on the young man's shoulder and calmly said, "I understand, so first I want you to go pick up the luggage over there on the verandah and bring it to the car for me." The young man did as he was told. The ZM then said, "Thanks so much for your help; now I want you to listen very carefully to what the head monk (who was standing nearby) is going to tell you. It takes a great deal of work to maintain a facility like this, and work is part of the Zen training process. Please help the head monk, follow his directions, and when I return from my trip, we'll have a long talk about Zen and your needs and aspirations." The ZM then gave a knowing look at his head monk, got into the car, and left.
The young man may have been so emotionally disturbed or mentally deranged that what he needed most was some good meds prescribed by a physician, but the ZM and the head monk could see that the only practical thing for them to do at that moment was try to calm the young man's mind through physical activity. The head monk probably put him to work scrubbing floors, raking leaves, cleaning windows, or some other repetitive physical activity. He was beyond the state of mind that Zen calls "monkey mind," and it would have been pointless at that time to invite him to a Zen interview, talk to him about meditation, discuss non-duality with him, or tell him that “it’s all in your head.” For someone calmer and more rational a different approach would have been used.
Probably most people fall into the category of “monkey mind” in which thoughts jump around like a monkey jumping from treelimb to treelimb. Most of us live in a mental world (that Charles Tart calls “a consensus trancestate”) dominated by self-referential thinking. We believe in things like “things,” and we believe that time, space, causality, etc. are real. We believe in “getting ahead,” acquiring stuff, and “becoming somebody” (ha ha). We psychologically live in the past or future and rarely take time to be here now or smell the roses. In short, for most of us, the world is a mad mad place with too little time and a lot of stress. Some people get into the habit of thinking incessantly (even thinking about thinking), and this adds enormously to the stress.
I have a feeling that may people like this could benefit from physical activities (such as yoga, tai chi, etc) that are known to promote mental calmness.
