1.21.11 part 16 section 2- Posture and Attitude - Transcript of meditation Session
Before one starts any session of mindfulness or applying it to meditation one must have the proper mind set, which can be summarized as having a perpetual beginners mind.
This mind set needs to consist of the three things 1. an appropriate and wholesome direction, or motivation or goal, you need a target and to aim at the center. An appropriate and wholesome direction would be to feel better and know more about things, actually by knowing more seeing reality as it is with mindfulness, and experiencing it with mindfulness, will result in this goal or direction. This goal needs to present without it becoming an object of striving where it is out come driven , this will turn in into a obsession of sorts, and act as a road block and resistance. This is a subtle but crucial point to understand and practice.
The second element is the proper intention, such as to help yourself and others without harming anything or anyone. To be generous to self and other, to give rather than take, to feel suffering and meet it with compassion, to feel happiness and meet it with sympathetic joy, all with an equal minded mind set, accepting and allowing, the good, the bad and the neutral all equally.
The third element is the right amount and proper effort, just enough applied to everything, your body, mind, its thoughts and feelings, not too much , not to little, just enough
Maintain a beginners mind with the right attitude of wanting to feel better and know more, while intending to help yourself and others, while using the right effort, just enough not too much , not too little, with no concerns about the out come, good, bad or neutral.
The posture may be standing, walking, or moving, or doing something, or lying , though sitting is the best, insuring optimal alertness and relaxation. The eyes may be open or closed again what ever, helps and maintains, alertness and relaxation. The goal is to be alert and calm.
What ever your posture pull yourself into the present , feel your body, and notice and tension and let it go. This is the starting rule regardless of what the posture is, or what you are doing,
The next step is with your posture is to get centered, balance and stabilized, by centering on the present moment, balancing on the object of meditation, like the body breathing, and keep this as your exclusive focus, and stabilize yourself by returning back over and over again to the object of focus, and when distracted , noting the distraction and returning back again and again to the primary object for example, the body breathing.