Peace of  mind

Battaramulla
Siri Sudassanarama
sadaham senasuna
Ven. Dr. Mirisse Dhammika thero

See all problems as life challenges: apply mindfulness to confront the negative side of life. See them as opportunities to learn and to grow.

Finally, I have compiled the following pieces of advice concerning meditation using the guidelines provided by Gunaratana Theras, Rahula and Nyanaponika.

Just sit and observe what is going on with one’s thoughts and feelings. Take the whole thing as an experiment. Don’t get distracted by your expectations about the results and don’t be anxious for any result.

* One should not hurry through their meditation practice. When one gets used to meditating, his/her deep awareness seeks to see reality exactly as it is. For example, when a desire comes up, deep awareness sees its nature: that it is not permanent and that it may disappear in few moments.

* One should not store images, opinions, and interpretations that come up in the mind for the duration of the practice.

* One should not make any judgments, but let thoughts come and go, let things be, accepting things as they are. We should just let our experience be what it is and practice observing it from moment to moment.

* Patience is very important in meditation. No shortcuts help us gain instant results. Hurrying does not help one get the result. So take time. Settle oneself on a cushion or chair, and let one’s mind come to concentrate on one here and now.

* One should learn how not get upset over her flaws and failings, but so see all the phenomena in the mind as being natural and understandable. For example, past mistakes and failures are in the past. The only thing one can do is to be as fully aware as possible of one’s present thoughts, and let mindfulness guide one on the right way. And learn how to exercise equanimity-a disinterested acceptance with respect to everything.

* Everything should be subject to mindful, investigative meditation. One should not accept anything without investigating it just because it sounds wise and nice.

* See all problems as life challenges: apply mindfulness to confront the negative side of life. See them as opportunities to learn and to grow.

* One should not make egocentric comparisons. For example, when a girl compares herself to another girl who is prettier than she, she feels envy or jealousy. This type of comparison is a mental habit, and it leads to unwholesome feelings such as envy, pride, jealousy, and hatred.