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Mind Over Matter
Mind over Matter Mind over Matter Matt Pickering Religion 101 Brantley Gasaway Section BD Out of the myriad of religions that encompass the earth, one of the least understood is Buddhism. In the pursuit of a higher plane of existence, a Buddhist monk will renounce his worldly secular life, instead embracing a life of meditation and study. While attempting to achieve enlightenment, and therefore nirvana, a Buddhist must first come to eradicate his sense of self, effectively destroying his ego. By doing this, "durkha," (pain and suffering), end and one can be at peace and harmony with the world and all who reside in it. A practice that helps monks achieve this enlightened state is meditation. By clearing the mind of mundane clutter and distractions, a monk can become in tune with his inner being and body, which results in a greater understanding of the barriers that need to collapse before nirvana can be achieved. This practice of meditation was the Buddhist practice that I participated in, with the intent on a greater understanding of what being a Buddhist means. This exercise taught me the inherent difficulty in calming the mind, along with the negative effects outside influences like other people have on the practice. The first place I attempted to meditate was outside my dorm next to a tree. This proved to be a comfortable place, yet full of distractions. I have meditated before in my martial arts classes, yet it was difficult calming my mind. While concentrating on my breathing, I was easily distracted by outside occurrences such as leaves falling and people walking by. The more I attempted to shut out the outside world, the more my mind focused on the little things around me. I gained immediate appreciation of the Buddhist monk's ability to shirk the outside world and focus on his inner self. When I had meditated before in my dojo, it was as a group and in silence. This greatly helped the exercise and I can see why this is the modus operandi at most temples. The second place I attempted to meditate was in the basement of Reid Hall. I hoped that the familiar surroundings would calm the mind easier and allow me to concentrate on clearing my mind. While not an ideal setting, it was better than outside. As I concentrated on my breathing and felt myself unwind, I was able to tune into the sound of the dryers in the distance and this white noise helped me focus on my spirit and not anything happening around me. I imagined myself first as earth, then air, striving to feel these elements inside of me. However, friends from the hall soon entered the basement and inquired about what I was doing. This broke my concentration, snapping my mind back into the present. I was unable to achieve that sense of oneness again, as people came down to play Ping-Pong, making the exercise virtually worthless. I had come closer than the first time, yet had a long way to go. My third attempt at imitating a Buddhist monk while meditating took place in my room, while my roommates were gone. I sat cross-legged (the lotus position was impossible for me) on the floor and once again concentrated on the air flowing through my body. I found that just like the dryers in the basement, I was able to concentrate better with classical music on very softly. I guess, for me, the incessant noise of society makes white noise better for concentrating than absolute silence. This time, I quickly sunk into a sense of calm, all my thoughts of school fading away. I imagined myself a monk in the Chin Shan temple, striving for enlightenment. Just to add another level to the activity (by this time is was fairly boring) I attempted to decipher the Zen Buddhist koan "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" This... This is ONLY a preview of the article. If you would like to view the entire document, you must subscribe to Academic Library. Please register below now!
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