You Are Already Here
One of the trickiest parts of meditation can be our tendency to see it as a means to an end and to want to quantify progress en route to that goal. We’d like to see a “% complete” bar as if we can download present moment awareness like a new app.
The conundrum for meditators is that as soon as we try to “achieve” something in our practice, whatever it is that we’re trying to achieve goes “poof!” and disappears. More challenging still is that when we sit with this attitude of "needing to achieve”, of “only worthwhile if I have demonstrated progress”, of “are we there yet?” we begin to see failure in our efforts. A thought? “Failure". No noticeable sensation in the area of the right calf? “Failure". No immediately available outpouring of unconditional love for a challenging person? “Failure”.
We miss the very mileposts that mark our progress along the path. Noticing what it feels like to breathe even just for a moment? Success. Noticing the presence of a thought? Success. Noticing our experience in the moment exactly as it is regardless of how we think it should be? Success.
It can be helpful to drop certain phrases into our meditation to help us stay on track, to keep us on the path. When a thought arises, we can drop in “Noticing” to remind ourselves that awareness of thought is essential to the practice. When we find ourselves searching for an outcome in our practice, we can drop in the phrase “No goal.” And when the practice isn’t conforming to how we think it “should” be, we can drop "Letting be” into the space of the mind. These words and phrases can be added quietly, gently, with encouragement, and devoid of any hints of admonition; not just offered but also received gently and with openness.
In doing so we can rest in appreciation of the elegance of experience, of the fact that it’s in the relinquishing of the goal that we actually achieve it.
We hope you can join us this week as we practice "No goal meditation", traveling the path in community.
May all beings without exception feel at home on the path,
Your CMP family
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In these challenging times, your support is more important than ever. As a nonprofit, we can’t cancel our needs to fundraise. We need your donations to continue offering meditation sessions.CMP is a licensed charity in the state of CT as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Checks can be mailed to Community Mindfulness Project, P.O. Box 1713, New Canaan, CT 06840. Credit cards are accepted at www.CommunityMindfulnessProject.org. Thank you!
