Meditation simplified – Lesson 8 – The mind before, during and after sitting meditation
When we sit in meditation we may feel happy because through constant practice and perseverance we have managed to quiet our mind that contributes to this happiness. Yet within this joy in meditation, we do not cling to the notion that we are happy; the reason being it creates anxiety in wanting to have the same happiness in every future sits. This desire for happiness may eventually turn into anxiety and frustrations.
Conversely, when we hear that practitioners of meditation do attain dhyana bliss or bliss in stillness but when we don’t attain it, it turns into a source of afflictions and even causes us to retreat.
What should we do then? We should not put any expectations in our mind. Neither do we seek or expect to become wiser and healthier when we practice meditation. As such practitioners of meditation are cultivators without a mind. The mind does not dwell in a single thought of expectation before, during and after meditation. What happens after sitting meditation? After sitting meditation, we forget about the bliss or frustrations of sitting.
This is the principle of practicing equanimity so that our minds don’t become like a roller coaster. Also, this is the practice of prajna wisdom. The wisdom lies in the mind without attachment to expectation or the bliss of stillness.
This is the mind of not thinking of joy or frustrations; this is your true mind.
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