To Calm
Your Thoughts, Give Them Space
by Bodhipaksa
The ancient Romans had was a special punishment for
those guilty of parricide, which involved sewing the guilty party into
a leather sack and tossing him into a river or the ocean. This,
according to Cicero, symbolized how the heinousness of the offender’s
crime sundered him from the realm of natural law.
This punishment evolved over time, with the
addition to the sack of animals such as a viper and a dog. Eventually
four animals were used, and this became the classical form of this
punishment, which was known as the pœna cullei.
It’s hard to imagine how horrible this would have
been. Suffocating would be awful enough, but throughout the ordeal
you’d have two terrified animals working themselves into a panicked
rage as they clawed and bit each other, as well as you.
This image came to mind last week when I was at a
meditation class and people were talking about trying to manage the
restless thoughts that intruded into the meditation practice. People
mentioned various ways that they try to calm their thoughts, such
setting an intention to stay focused on the breathing. But it struck me
that this is a bit like trying to calm down a dog and snake that are
tied in a sack with you.
It’s difficult to calm your thoughts when you feel
trapped with them in what feels like a confined space.
What I find works best for calming thoughts is to
develop a sense of spaciousness. This is akin to opening the sack and
setting the dog, the snake, and yourself free in a large meadow. You’re
all still together. But there’s less pressure, less fear, and therefore
more calmness and ease.
What does this mean, to develop a sense of
spaciousness?
Although beginners to meditation often think about
noises as being distractions, these sounds are simply sensations that
we can be mindful of. In other words, rather than being distractions
from meditation, sounds are opportunities to practice meditation.
So, right now, try being aware of the sounds around
you. (You might want to close your eyes.)
As you pay attention mindfully to these sounds,
notice how they are inherently spacious. The sounds you hear may come
from several yards away, or even from miles away. This is a much larger
space than the tiny “leather sack” of your head, where you may often
feel you are suffocating with your thoughts.
As you’re mindfully paying attention to the sound
and space surrounding you, notice what’s been happening with your thoughts.
They will probably still be there, but it’s likely that they’re no
longer bothering you. The snake and dog of your thoughts are off doing
their respective things, and aren’t causing a disturbance.
Now, let your attention narrow again until it’s inside
your skull, and you’re focusing on your thoughts. How does this feel?
Does it feel constricted, tight, and unpleasant?
Broaden your awareness to the sound and space
around you once again, and notice how that feels. Perhaps it’s more
relaxed, calm, and easeful?
Try alternating in this way a few more times, to
reinforce the fact that whether you let your awareness be expansive or
contacted is a choice. Also, you can reinforce that an expansive and
calm awareness, even if it’s unfamiliar to you, is someplace you can
feel at home.
Trying to negotiate with our thoughts can sometimes
work, but often it’s as futile as trying to calm trapped and panicky
animals. It’s better broaden your attention—to open up the leather
sack—and to let your thoughts exist in a spacious field of awareness,
where they will naturally and spontaneously find peace and calm.
With love,
Bodhipaksa
|
