Stop, Breath, Relax, Do

     “Buddhist meditation has two aspects- shamatha and vipashyana. We tend to stress the importance of vipashyana (looking deeply) because it can bring us insight and liberate us from suffering and afflictions. But the practice of shamatha (stopping) is fundamental. If we cannot stop, we cannot have insight (Nhat Hanh 24).” A useful analogy for life is that life is like riding a horse. There is a man on the horse and the horse is traveling fast, you might stop and ask him where he is going. His answer might be I don’t know where the horse is taking me. In our analogy life, with all its problems is the horse itself. Life is moving so fast that we can’t find the time to stop and realize and think about what is actually happening.  Just like life, the horse will not stop or slow down.      

             

     The first two functions of shamatha meditation are stopping and calming. We have to stop and be rational about a situation. “We have to learn the art of breathing in and out, stopping our activities, and calming our emotions (Nhat Hanh 25).” An example of this in everyday life is when people drive. If someone cuts you off, your automatic response might be to lay on the horn and maybe give them the bird. But let us think before we react. Buddha taught many techniques to help us calm our body and mind and look deeply at them. The first step is recognition - okay I know I am mad for someone cutting me off. The second step is acceptance - I realize that I am angry and I will accept that. The third step is embracing - let us hold on to this feeling for a minute. The fourth step is looking deeply - when we are calm enough, we can take the time to analyze ourselves so as to understand why this act has made me angry. The fifth step is insight- maybe the person who cut us off is having a bad day and not really paying attention. “We have to learn to become solid and stable like an oak tree, and not be blown from side to side by the storm (Nhat Hanh 25).”

     Another example of stress in my life was when I was younger and my parents did not let me go out until I cleaned my room. Now that I am aware of these steps to calm myself I could use them. First I must recognize that I am clearly upset that I am not allowed to go out yet. Then I must accept it and realize that I should not be feeling like this. Embracing the feeling is important, realizing that I am mad and hold on to how upset this has made me, hopefully making me become aware that I do not like this angry feeling. Looking deeply would mean in this situation, determining why this situation makes me so upset. Was there something else that bothered me before this? Insight goes along with looking deeply, is there more involved here causing me to getting angry then just from my parents telling me to clean my room first. 

     The Buddha once said “My Dharma is the practice of non-practice (Nhat Hanh 27).” “Stopping, and calming are preconditions for healing. If we cannot stop, the course of our destruction will just continue. The world needs healing (Nhat Hanh 27).” People are allowed to get angry and upset about things, but the real problem is when we act out on these feeling in a harsh manner. The world needs healing.