On the Bright Side

Meditation is hard work! Turning off the mental chatter could be an olympic event if it could be measured (and if meditation was not, in spirit, non-competitive!). Interestingly, I recently trained for a half-marathon and I can honestly say that in many ways, the physical exertion of the half-marathon was easier than sitting still. The key to both running and sitting is mastery of the mind. When running, I use thinking to distract myself from the physical exertion. Distraction helps one mile turn into the next while you temporarily forget what your body is doing. In meditation, the key is to let go of thinking; to let everything go and exist in a space where being is the only action. My thoughts have become more or less exercise equipment. I can pick them up and use them as a distraction, or I can put them on the shelf when they are not useful. Last weekend I ran ten miles with a list of premeditated subjects that I would focus on as needed to get through the distance. When...