Flowing water meditation
Tuesday, February 5th, 2008 by TheWhisk 
I used to stare out into the vast expanse of dull colors and lifeless sounds that stretched before me each day with every ounce of hope drained from my being. I sat in the middle of a desert - an evil being that took sadistic pleasure in hiding the truth and teasing me with false hope. A desert is much like a labyrinth, I suppose, except that there is even less reason to try and escape.
As I sat in this desert of boredom, sand trickling from my hand back into the reservoir of amazingly uninteresting particles, a kind man struck me in the head with his shoe. Grateful as I was, the man continued walking, presumably to bludgeon other people with his ratty footwear. Anyways, the point is that I stopped thinking. It was just for a few seconds, but all thoughts completely abandoned me. In those few moments, the nectar of the gods replenished my hope; I tasted a sweetness that I could never forget.
The dangers of comfort
What changed inside me? When I stopped thinking, I saw the true world. Not all of it, mind you, but I experienced a small part of reality as it actually existed, instead of through a distorted lens. When I stepped out of my comfort zone and experienced something new, the true richness of life revealed itself.
You see, our comfort zones offer only the illusion of safety; just because we’ve seen a landscape a thousand times doesn’t guarantee that we can’t get hurt while cloistering ourselves in its hills and valleys. The only true, lasting sense of security comes from within ourselves.
Flowing water never stagnates
The Tai’Chi philosophy that flowing never stagnates is a universal principle. Just as it applies to your Chi and movement, it likewise applies to your mind and life. If you seek new experience and let its reality pour into you, it is easy to discover abundance and to strengthen your mind as you never thought possible.
Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup; You put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle; You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.
-Bruce Lee
To flow like water, you must let things pass in and out of your awareness as the ebb and flow of the tide. Since you no longer grasp onto fleeting thoughts your mind will clear. At first, an empty mind, hearing your heartbeat, and the sudden rush of consciousness will be disconcerting, but take solace: this is your first step towards escape from the desert and tapping into the amazing ocean of power within your mind.
Now try it! (for beginners, note that this is more easily done in a calm, relaxing place. Eventually, however, you will be able to cultivate this powerful state anywhere!)
- Sit or stand comfortably with good posture
- Halfway close your eyes
- Inhale deeply, letting your abdomen expand
- Push the air out, letting your abdomen cave in
- Here’s the easy part: Be water.
- If thoughts come, let them float past
This exercise can be carried out for as long as you wish, and I suggest letting it accompany you while you perform mundane tasks and, as you improve, even more demanding procedures (I’ll explain why in Challenge yourself to live Richly). Also note that at the beginning, you may only be able to empty your mind for a few seconds. This is normal, but trust me: once you taste the raw power, peace and serenity of an empty mind, you will continue to develop this skill until you can maintain this state for minutes and hours.
Want to apply this wonderful technique? Check out part 2, Challenge yourself to live Richly
February 5th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
[…] note that this is article is part 2 of Flowing Water Meditation. It will make much more sense if you read part 1 […]