Dear Khaj #03: Meditation - "Brushing Your Mind"

Dear Khaj,

I'll just pick up from my last post where I was telling you that one of the first things I learned in those early mornings at the boarding school was "how to fix my bed" (that is, accomplishing something little at the beginning of the day). That prepped me to have a good and productive day. 

What I did at 5:15 am at the Study Hall

After that, it was down to the study hall by 5:15 am for a 45 minute study period before spiritual exercises in the chapel at 6 am. I don't know what made me resolve to do this but I decided that I would spend the first 15~20 minutes of the day doing--what we used to call--"mental prayer" at that time. That is now popularly known as meditation. It is also called by other names: mindfulness practice, prayer, centering exercise, contemplation, etc.

Meditation -the key to improve ourselves

Meditation has become a popular practice nowadays, especially the kind that is detached from a spiritual goal, and for many good reasons For instance, a growing body of scientific research shows that meditation has massive benefits, both for the mind as well as the body. Of course, a long time before it became a secular trend, the great spiritual-wisdom traditions (the world religions) were already constantly teaching that meditation is necessary to acquire authentic wisdom and a deeper spirituality. 

I can personally attest to the truth of all that. I have practiced meditation since those days as a 13-year-old and I don't exaggerate when I say that this practice has kept me sane, grounded, happy, and peaceful all through my life!

I heard a meditation teacher relate that when he is asked by people how to improve their lives, he straightaway recommends that they begin a regular practice of meditation. Some would kind of make fun of that suggestion and react by saying, "C'mon, we don't have time for that. Give us something real, man!" And he would answer, "If you don't have time for 20 minutes of meditation a day, you probably need two hours!"

The point here is that a regular meditation practice is actually the key to "improving" yourself, not to mention helping you attain true health, peace, and happiness. Let me use language that is more understandable to younger people nowadays. Everyone knows that there is a sort of epidemic of mental health issues in our world today. Many people experience depression, loneliness, low self-esteem, despair, a pervasive negativity about life, lack of enthusiasm, even suicidal thoughts, and so on and so forth. 

"Brushing our Minds"

It is clear that a major cause of that is because it's so easy, especially in this present era characterized by an information explosion, to have our minds filled with all sorts of negativity or, in other words, (apart from the many benefits of our information age) we also get a lot of (pardon the language) cr*p from being connected 24/7 to the world wide web. Many of us never do any proper processing of what effect being always "connected" does to our minds and hearts.

 It is all the more urgent then today to be able to do something that is akin to "brushing our minds" (that from self-improvement teacher Brian Johnson) in order to maintain good mental health. Don't you think that image is so insightful? Just imagine: If you never brushed your teeth although you use them to chew food several times a day, they would be rotten in no time at all! Isn't it scary to realize that we actually do that to our minds?! Our minds are constantly bombarded by so much information today. If you don't "brush your mind" regularly, your mind will become rotten in no time at all (aka, be clogged by "mental health issues"). You just can't be this exposed to too much information without good maintenance of your mind. And that maintenance can be done mainly through meditation (or whatever you want to call this exercise). 

The Main Point

There are many ways to do or to begin meditation. I'll write about that next time. But just remember for now: Doing some form of meditation (or quiet prayer or mindfulness exercise, etc.) is something like "brushing your mind" --- you just do it regularly ... everyday, twice a day!

Related to that, the French philosopher Blaise Pascal said: "All of humanity’s problems come from one thing: not knowing how to sit quietly in a room" ... (and I would add) to do some "mental brushing" (or meditation).

(j’ai dit souvent que tout le malheur des hommes vient d’une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos dans une chambre. -Pensées #139)

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Dear Khaj #02-- How I Learned Spirit-Nourishing: Making My Bed

Dear Khaj,

My "Hogwarts" School!

I wrote about the importance of spirit-nourishing last time. Let me share (in a series of posts) when and how I learned this in my life. I went to a boys-only boarding school just shy of my 13th birthday way back in the mid-1970s. I still recall my years there whenever I see or read our beloved Harry Potter stories: After all, Hogwarts is also a boarding school, although one that trained young wizards and witches in magic.

Ours was also a special school because it was for boys who were thinking of becoming members of a religious order in the future. A "religious order" is a group of people who form a community for a common mission. Interpreted positively after all these years, I'd say that it was a kind of school that trained us to be "spiritual warriors" in the future (not of the Warrior Nun type though lol!).  Perhaps because of that, we were subjected to a strictly regimented high school life: discipline, fixed timetables to cover all our waking hours, regular spiritual exercises, manual labour, music, sports ... the works! You may cringe even at the idea of such a high school life but I found out that when you got the hang of it, there were lots of positives as well. One of these was: I learned the value of self-discipline early on. And that has served me really well all throughout my life.

Some of the most valuable things I learned in life happened at the start of our daily routine. First off, we, teenagers, got woken up at 5 am (!) to a loud cry from the dormitory assistant saying: "Benedicamus Domino!" (Latin, Let us bless the Lord!). To that we also had to shout our response: "Deo Gratias!" (Thanks be to God!) . Lesson one: Start each day  on a positive note of gratefulness: I'm alive! It's a brand new day to live and contribute to the world. Thanks be to God!

We were then only given 15 minutes to make our bed, wash ourselves, get dressed and go down to the study hall by 5:15 am. Needless to say, latecomers were penalized in some way. 

I eventually became a pro at that morning routine. In time, I would  finish everything in just about 7~8 minutes  so that I could go down to the study hall early. There I would start the day with something that I have practiced all my life since then -- it is a kind of spirit-nourishing that is nowadays known as meditation. 

Let me share my reflections on two valuable things I learned doing that regimented morning routine all those years ago at the boarding school: (1) the importance of "making your bed" and (2) meditation. I'll tackle the first thing now and deal with the second thing in another note.

Make Your Bed!

Admiral William McRaven, who is a former US Navy Seal, said that you should always start the day with a task completed (yes, like making your bed!) because that will give you a sense of accomplishment and lead to other small and big accomplishments and victories throughout the day.

I learned that lesson well at boarding school: The first order of the day (at 5 am!) was making my bed. Moreover, before we left our desks at study hall later during the day, our desks had to be cleared of everything on its surface so that the study hall when not used would look clean and orderly. 

Zen Buddhism: It Starts with Proper "Form"

Later on when studying Zen Buddhism, I would come upon the fundamental Zen idea: 禅は形から（入る）Zen wa katachi kara hairu. Translated: "Zen starts with 'form'." That means, the first step in learning the spirit of true Zen Buddhism is to start by making your external form the proper one (for example, sitting properly). 

[TMP] The Main Point 

The Little Things that Count

So, you see, the body and the spirit or your outside and your inside are so intimately connected that order/disorder on the outside usually reflects order/disorder within! Translated to life, that Zen principle teaches us that the little things in life (such as making your bed, keeping your surroundings clean, doing household chores, maintaining proper hygiene, exercising, eating properly, etc.) all count in a crucial way to making you feel good and changing yourself and changing your life for the better. And when that happens, you'll be able to change the world as well!

Never forget these little things --- they make all the difference in life!

Dear Khaj #01: "Spirit-Nourishing"

 

Dear Khaj,

I'm starting this series of notes to you because I thought I should put down in writing the most valuable and helpful lessons of life that I'd like to pass on to the people dearest to my heart, the top two of whom are you and DDR. Hopefully, these lessons will also help many others. I will keep each note brief, no more than an easy 3~4 minute read. I hope that you will take time to more slowly ponder over and cherish the lessons though.

A Testament

Sometime ago I had an epiphany while observing MO., our dog. I read that the average lifespan of a dog is around 12 years. And then I thought about my present age and was thunderstruck at this: The time when I will continue to be most productive actually coincides with MO's lifespan. That's not too long, I felt keenly. This motivated me to start this project. Please read it as something like a testament from me to you so that when I'm no longer around, you can still continue to hear my voice. I hope to continue it regularly: I'll aim for at least one short note every week.

So, let me start!

Spirit-Nourishing

Some of the most treasured memories of my entire 50-some years of life (I would rate this category of experiences up there in the top three even!) are the moments when you and I spent doing together what we came to call "Spirit-Nourishing." We did that often in your younger days either by going to church or by doing some exercises here at home in order to--what we called--"nourish our spirits."

"Spirit"

First of all, I came to refer to our exercises as "spirit-nourishing." "Spirit" has many meanings but what I mean when I say "spirit nourishing" is: to nourish/to take care of the most important and deepest part of yourself--the part where you find life and energy; the part that gives you the drive to fulfill your purpose; the part that also holds love, joy, meaning, and peace. This most important part of yourself is also known as your core. It's what Thich Nhat Hanh-sensei (and the Buddha) refer to as "your true self/your true home." It's called by other names such as: mind, soul, centre, spirituality, etc.

Why You Need to Nourish Your Spirit

You have to take care of your "spirit" (your mind, your "true self", your core, your soul or whatever you want to call it) because it is the absolutely crucial key to living a life full of purpose and genuine happiness. If you neglect your spirit, you will slide into meaninglessness, depression, or what is often referred to nowadays as "mental-health issues."  Only when your spirit is healthy, flourishing, and vibrant can you make the world a better place. Instead, if your spirit is in a bad shape, you will make the world a worse place, not because you're bad (No one is!), but because your spirit is hurting. 

The Main Point [TMP]

Spirit-Nourishing is Like Water: We Need It to Live!

As I mentioned, "spirit" is deeply linked with "mind." A few days ago, I came upon words that struck me deeply. A meditation teacher said: "Our mind is the part of us that we use the most, but the one that we take the least care of!" That is just so true. The reason why so many of us have mental-health issues is because we think that taking care of our minds (what you and I call "spirit-nourishing") is not so important, just an "optional" activity. Well, it's not! It's like water: Just as we (the physical part of us) cannot survive without water, our spirit/mind (the part that is most used and most valuable) won't survive without spirit-nourishing.

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Let's all resolve to take good care of our spirits (our minds) today and every single day! (More concrete things to come in later notes!)

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