Things are getting deep today folks!
This week the @ecoTrain have initiated the 'meditation-challenge'. We are sharing our experiences and I am sharing my personal experiences and journal in these posts. I hope it helps to inspire you as it has me to try meditation out, because it seems to be Very interesting so far!
Day 4: Honoring My Intentions
It's one thing to make a promise in the moment whilst you are feeling inspired, and quite another to follow through! I promised myself not to do anything before i meditated this morning, and I woke up Very early at 05:30. This is quite unusual for me, in fact it never normally happens! I was wide awake and got up since i couldn't get back to sleep. I went downstairs and the main thoughts were about the cryptocurrency markets, again. I was REALLY curious what had happened overnight, and made an on the spot compromise with myself that I could look but not touch, which meant no trading, and no laptop.
It took me about an hour to feel ready to chant and meditate, and once I started I was glad I had continued with this, although a little disappointed that I had caved in to my promise since I could feel my mind was again preoccupied and very attached to this whole cryptocurrency drama. Nevertheless I did meditate through an extremely busy mind, and made it to the end of 15 minutes. This 15 minutes feels quite short to me because I spend spent about 30 minutes chanting before-hand. This chanting is proving to be a really important part of my meditation as it helps to set the tone and really take me out of my normal thinking state. I will post more about chanting soon ...I think I can feel another challenge coming on!
Day 5: Learning About The Importance Of Detachment
This morning again I woke up at 05:30! I think I can count on one hand the number of times that has happened in my entire life! This could be the result of my unconscious mind supporting me on this en-devour, or on the other hand it could just be that my stress levels and attachment to money are literally waking me up! Either way, I was wide awake this morning and enjoyed a coffee and again let myself check the markets out. It seems clear to me that my monkey mind will mess with me no matter what the circumstances! If the markets are up, I worry that they will drop, and if they drop I worry that they will not recover.
Therefore i decided to trick my monkey mind into total submission with a cunning plan! What i did was to sell about 10% of my portfolio into Dollars yesterday, whilst things could still go either way. The reason for this is that now if the markets go down I can buy some back at a better price, and if they go up then I am happy anyways. Now I'm happy whatever happens and can let go of some of my stress, right? Probably not for long to be honest! The point here is that I am playing games with myself to try to overcome my own attachments. This is the key I have learned today and it is SO important. My attachments to money, and so many things are getting in the way of my ability to mediate and inner peace. I have allowed myself to distract myself before meditation for 4 days now, and today I declare that enough is enough! I have just realised that meditation gives us a way to detach from our desires, our problems and our fears. If i wake up and start meditating before I do anything else then I know i will be MUCH less preoccupied with thinking and my attachments to things. I get it now, and just realized one of the main goals of meditation and a happy life.
Detachment is something that I have learned a lot about whilst being in Ashram's and from life's experiences. It is connected to equanimity, which is a word we don't hear very often and yet can deliver real bliss. Equanimity is a state of being when we are not moved by our situation or experiences. We are able to stay centered and grounded without any fear or concern, or hope and desires because when we are here in the moment we have all that we really need. Having expectations, desires, hopes and dreams can keep us distracted and oblivious to the real jewels of life that are ready for picking right here and right now. We just have to learn to let go of our attachments, and meditation is a big part of that process.
SO, tomorrow I pledge to meditate before I do anything and see if that helps to quieten my monkey mind. I want to mention that I am not in conflict with my monkey mind right now. I don't feel like, oh shit i cant do it.. because as I said at the beginning that is not the goal or desire.
We are dedicating a small amount of time to witness where we are at, and give some space for whatever needs to happen to happen.
Balancing Our Hopes And Desires With Detachment Can Be A Hard Line To Find, And Is Only Really Possible With Surrender.
This final step of surrender is all we need to achieve detachment, equanimity and inner peace.. Surrender is also something that is not very well understood and I will be writing about that in my Path To Enlightenment series. Someone who is truly surrendered has great faith and conviction that:
Everything Is Perfectly Perfect Just As It Is
To be truly surrendered is a rare and holy state of being and is probably the fastest and easiest route to enlightenment. It means that we dedicate all our actions to God, and make ourselves an instrument for Divine Will to play-out through us. We are no longer responsible or attached to the details of our lives, and no longer judge the things that happen because we have dedicated our actions to God.
Someone Who Is Truly Surrendered Has Transcended Karma, And Has Found The Exit Door To The Game Of Life.
Karma is not what happens to you! This is a great misconception. How can you say that someone who was in prison for 10 years has bad Karma, if during that time they learned to meditate and found enlightenment?! The point is that Karma is not what happens to you, but how you choose to react to what happens to you. If you are surrendered and dedicate all actions to God, you are no longer a part of the game of right and wrong. This doesn't mean that people who are surrendered never get excited or joyful, but that the things they find joy in are quite different and not concerned with self.
If you would like to check this series out please see the links below. There are some great posts here that have not been spotted ;-)
The Path To Enlightenment Series
Initiation 1: What Is The Greatest Conspiracy Theory?
Initiation 2: The meaning of life and why are we really here! A Story of Enlightenment Trading Ethereum
Initiation 3: The Path To Enlightenment, Knowing Synchronicity
Initiation 4: The Path To Enlightenment, Who am I?
Initiation 5: The Path To Enlightenment, Put Apart The I
Initiation 6: The Path To Enlightenment, Why we need personal boundaries and how to create healthy ones
Will You Join Us For The Meditation Challenge?
Anyone who already meditates on a regular basis can testify to the powerful and wide range of effects and benefits that they get from it. These days meditation is starting to gain traction in mainstream media, and we are seeing meditation being taught in schools, even in Europe and USA. Many of us make important decisions every day whilst leading stressful lives. It is often when we are feeling fearful or under stress that we make bad decisions, and are unproductive and inefficient.
What better challenge could we have here on Steemit than a meditation challenge!? This challenge is for everyone, whether you have never meditated before, or you used to meditate but haven't in a while, or even if you do meditate regularly. I hope you will join us in this opportunity to make your day and the world even better!
Are you ready for the details! !?
Click the link below for more information and how to join us
https://steemit.com/meditation-challenge/@eco-alex/7-day-meditation-challenge-everyone-wants-to-meditate-but-no-one-actually-does-it-join-us-today
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