Tips 28-30: Cacophony and Natural Freedom

MEDITATION PRACTICE FOR MOMS AND DADS, Tip #28: A great time to really "hear" all the thoughts in your mind and work with them is in the deep quiet of the very early morning, free of the hum of all the family and household noises, and ideally when meditating. But sometimes, when you have extenuating circumstances, like you have to sneak out at 6am for work and try really, really hard not to wake up the rest of the family, who seem to know when you are trying not to wake them up and you know they are surely going to wake up any minute now and then what will you do--and even microwaving your cup of organic green tea becomes a worrisome task--listen to the cacophony of your thoughts then. If the sheer volume, variety, and intensity of your thoughts concern or upset you, then you are still in one of the crazy layers of your mind. If you find the whole thing to be hilarious, or, as Mickey Singer endearingly says, "cute and adorable," then you are in your soul's Seat and can start having fun with it all.

MEDITATION PRACTICE FOR MOMS AND DADS, Tip #29: In meditation, the teachings as expressed through dharma talks and readings, as well as koan studies, are often described as " beacons" or "pointers" toward enlightenment. Another metaphor would be that they are lifeboats to help take you home. On the path, they can frustrate the practitioner, because the rational mind can't quite wrap around the words. And yet, if we can keep from thinking too hard or getting frustrated, we are somehow naturally driven to keep going after them, and are gifted breakthroughs along the way, in which we respectfully part ways with each beacon after it has done its job. Believe it or not, your child's natural evolution is a good model for this idea. Take potty training (really) and reading, as examples. In the former case, we try and try for our toddler to become free of diapers by buying them a Prince Elmo potty trainer that plays "You Are My Sunshine" with lights that twinkle when Elmo's voice says: "You did it!". And yet, your child continues to use his diaper, despite his apparent delight and curiosity at Prince Elmo's pomp and bling. Day after day, devotedly, you practice with him. And then, one day, he is no longer in diapers. In the latter case, your child sees letters and words and pictures and it all looks like a bunch of gobbledygook for years, and yet she is driven to keep processing them somehow, and then she reads. There is not much difference between these examples and koan practice or the deciphering of mystical sayings, save for one big difference: with our practice, our big fat mind likes to get in the way. Look to your child, beautiful and surrendered to his/ her natural, innate abilities and perseverance to become free, without self- imposed obstacles.