Meditation Definitions 4 – Meditation is Being rather than Doing

This is another extremely useful definition of meditation, and one that is very appropriate for today's super busy ''post-modern'' lifestyles. One of the basic challenges that we face today is that there is always so much that we seem to need to do. Not only that, even when there is nothing in particular to do, because we have been programmed to just ''do things'' all the time, we just invent stuff to keep ourselves busy, as the process of simply sitting down and enjoying the present moment has become an alien and uncomfortable experience for us!
It is also a great definition in the sense that it helps us to see that meditation can include a very broad range of activities, as it is the state of mind that makes an activity meditation, not the particular activity itself. For example if you are sitting in formal meditation on your meditation seat, but your mind is wondering about all that you have to do after you get up, that is not meditation. However, if you fold clothes you do so with an awareness of what you are doing, and with an appreciation of who you are as a human being, then that is a form of meditation. As has been pointed out by someone wise, we are human BEINGS not human doings, and whenever we sense an appreciation of that beingness within us, and the beingness of the Planet and other living things around us, then we are naturally moving into a meditative state of mind.
Another way of putting this is that a state of beingness focuses on the QUALITY of our subjective experience, whereas doingness focuses on the QUANTITATIVE, objectively measurable nature of what we are doing. So, what meditation can give us is in terms of our daily life is a refocusing on the depth of quality of our experiences. Meditation offers a sense of appreciation that will give us back our life in the sense of helping us to find a sense of connectedness and depth that we have lost touch with due to an over emphasis on quantitative achievement in our life.
The now classic book ''Zen and the Art of Motorcyle Maintenance'' by Robert M Pirsig is in large part an exploration of how modern culture has gradually lost its sense of appreciation of the qualitative experience of life through its obsession with quantity, efficiency, getting things done and generally ticking boxes of all descriptions. To become a meditator is to decide that ticking boxes is no longer good enough for you, and you want to reclaim the quality of life that is rightfully yours, and can be found simply by deciding to appreciate what you have right now, and cultivate your beingness. Your beingness is the natural human spirit within you that, when you are in touch with it, nothing else is necessary to feel happy, fulfilled and complete in the here and now.


Meditation on becoming a Man or Woman of no rank.

From the above we can see that, in a sense no specific technique is needed to move into a state of being. It is simply a matter of choosing to slow things down a bit for a while, and really try to appreciate the experiences you are having at any given time in your day or life. However, certain meditation forms lend themselves particularly well to the development of a deep sense of beingness, and the meditation on the man or woman of no rank is one of these.

To become a man or woman of no rank simply means to consciously chose to put down all the labels that you normally attach to your sense of self, and just become a human being. You can do it in formal meditation, or you can just practice it as you are sitting in you office chair, walking in the park or wherever. If you are a company manager, married, father, physically strong, put down all these labels that you normally put on yourself and let them go. Feel yourself to be no better or worse than anyone else, their equal. Temporarily allow yourself to be free from all the concepts of yourself that normally surround you, let yourself be in the present moment here and now, and just appreciate whatever is there.
Try it now if you like, just for a minute or two!

To read the first in this series of articles on meditation definitions click HERE.
To read the next (5th) article click HERE.

© Toby Ouvry 2009 please do not reproduce without permission.