Dynamic Meditation

 Dynamic Meditation

 

No matter how good we get (or think we get) at meditation, and no matter how still we can bring our mind to be while sitting on our meditation cushion, if we do not ever learn to transition this quiet mind to the real world, it serves very little purpose.

There are several methods for bringing our meditation practice into our daily life. All of these fall into what can be termed "Dynamic Meditation". Walking meditation may be one of the more widely known and practiced methods of dynamic meditation amongst traditional meditators. Mindful eating is another. Yoga, and Tai Chi, if practiced mindfully, are also forms of Dynamic Meditation.

The method of practice is to displace our discursive thoughts by placing our attention and awareness onto each and every body movement we make, while simultaneously being aware of our five senses and any perceptions of those senses. With practice we learn to maintain this awareness from moment to moment to moment. When we maintain an intense level of focus on our senses and movements there is no time, space, or energy left over for discursive thoughts. Maintaining an intense focus and awareness in this manner deprives the discursive thinking mind of available mind real estate and energy resources, in turn weakening it. Conversely, when the discursive mind runs free, it robs our consciousness of its resources and energy and tends to grow stronger over time, so we are merely turning the tables.

When practiced properly, we become acutely aware, simultaneously or individually, of any or all of our movements, sensations, sights, sounds, physical feelings, and even smells or tastes if they are present. This type of awareness can be practiced with any activity at any time. This is what is meant by the term mindfulness. Being mindful of eating, for instance, will cause us to slow down our eating, becoming aware of subtle flavours and undertones in the foods we eat that we were most likely overlooking before.

We become more aware of the world around us, hearing things we ignore, seeing things we overlook, experiencing things we never knew existed. We become more alive to the world around us, and much more present in the world. With continuous practice we condition our mind to operate in this way rather than the discursive "monkey mind" that never stops jumping from one thought to another.

The practice of Dynamic Meditation is so effective that one very famous Buddhist Monk from Thailand, Luongpor Teann, advocated a method he called Mahasati Meditation as being so effective that is was capable of bringing one to enlightenment without the need for conventional meditation. His method consisted of a set of rhythmic motions of the hands that could be practiced sitting, standing or lying down, and even while walking. The key to its effectiveness is maintaining the level of intense awareness described above, and for those who practice it properly, it has proven to be highly effective. For more information on this technique, visit the website of one of his students at http://www.mahasati.org/ .

If you are serious about following a self awareness, or meditative path toward enlightenment, and are not practicing some form of dynamic meditation, you are missing out on an essential ingredient.

Michael L. Fournier