It’s a pretty common phrase, I hear it all the time. In fact you’ve probably said it in the last 7 days in response to some mundane problem like, losing your specs, forgetting your shopping list, feeling frustrated with a big task.

SO then I had to ask… if my mind is lost… should I look for it? Where would I start? What would I use to look for it?

Dum dum duuuuuuum (dramatic music) *enter Buddhist Monk who practices Insight Meditation…

“The mind is not something you can look for or try to see, it would be a funny thing to do anyway, because what are you using to look? You’re using your mind”… ** jaw drops…

So the mind is seeing the mind… errr… yeah.. okay I’m getting. So if the mind exists regardless of whether or not I look for it, then what am I seeing when I look? I’m seeing my mind, when I look at my breath, I see my mind, when I look at my body I see my mind, I daydream, I see my mind. ***pennies falling all around…

So this is why we use objects of meditation in insight meditation, the learning takes place when we observe and examine the reactions of the mind to reality. Sometimes the mind is bored, happy, frustrated… observing this and taking steps to improve reaction and cultivate right action is the key. In my practice, the method is simple, knowing reality and remaining with in it (being as present as possible) by simple noticing/reminding yourself of the experiences that assault your 6 senses…

But the mind is in the body right? Well yeah, Buddha said “the beginning and end of the universe is in this 6 foot figure”… So our reality is our humanness, the human form and its 6 senses. The mind dwelling in a cave somewhere within that body. Taking that a step further, the experiences of reality, sounds, voices, actions, seeing are simply just experiences… UNTIL the mind gets involved… then and only then do they become “problems”. So if my mind is purer, clearer, less reactive.. then my experience with reality improves.. **** Me likey…

What’s this got to do with focus, staying the course? Well, its the cleaning up and untangling of the mind that can lead to both delusion and clarity… It’s wild and with little in the way of rational explanation for “how we are”?

So if you catch yourself with a lack of focus, daydreaming and creating defilements in your own mind… don’t worry you’re just human… but you can do something to improve your perception of reality and enjoy, find peace and contentment in your world.

If you want a deeper more intellectual explanation with a few awesome analogies, check out this video or you could just download the How to Meditate PDF and make a start.

Peace and Love x