Wednesday, November 5, 2008, 12:05 PM - General Topic
I took the challenge! When Wen first told me about this 3-month challenge, my mind quickly found every excuse in the book why I wouldn't be able to participate. The first excuse was -- "where am I going to find 2-hours in my life to do this", then quickly to support that argument, another negative thought came to mind -- "perhaps I am not physically able to handle this..." It didn't surprise me to have this type of reaction, as I am quite slow to embrace change and when I think of my day to day schedule with self employment challenges, raising a son, taking care of rental homes, taking Mandarin lessons and volunteering our weekends for meditation classes, it was no wonder, my mind was quick to say NO. But then something inside me said, "well, why not?" So that evening I tried my first (since my initial teaching in July 2005)a concentrated two-hour standing session. And what do you know -- I survived!
This really shouldn't be a surprise, as I have been pretty dedicated to practice at least 30-45 minutes a day standing and sitting for at least 30 minutes, so I have been working up to this momentous accomplishment. The real test - was and is -- can I keep it up?
It's Day 6 now, and yes, I am still keeping my 2-hour schedule for standing meditation, I have officially joined the challenge, entered my name along with 5 others from this side of the Ocean and thousands of others from Shifu's temple. It's so exciting to be part of this challenge, not just because I like a challenge, but to think that thousands of others are all working toward the same goal - to take control of our lives and not only fulfill a commitment but to share the peace and joy one feels participating in building merit and calmness in the world. Each day as part of my practice, I of course benefit from the action of doing it, but each time, I dedicate the merit that I obtained from this practice to all sentient beings out there in the world who are suffering, sometimes, those who are suffering from illness similar to mine (as I really feel it when practicing) or really anyone who is emotionally or physically suffering. If I can help by sharing this peace with them, it gives added meaning to why we do this. All of us in this world want to be happy and peaceful, it starts through ourselves and then sharing it.
The 2-hours of meditation does take stamina and constant mind convincing that this is beneficial. I find myself asking for lots of help to get through it. I realize this is just the early stages of training my mind, and it is becoming more and more apparent, how difficult the mind can be. But Master Haikong, has definitely come up with a "magical formula" of what I am starting to think is one stops daydreaming when one is at the point of exhaustion! I'm sure that isn't really it, but it feels like that.
Some key tips to share with others who are thinking of joining in.
1. Be flexible with your time, meaning, don't try to set only one time during the day to complete, as you may end up missing a day here and there because life get's in the way. What I do is, know what my day is going to be like, and then set a time to do my practice, then if the next day my schedule is something else, be flexible and set another time. Otherwise, if I said I would only do it, during 7-9 each evening, I'm sure within the 3 months, something will come up and I will miss it.
2. Even if you can't do 2-hours a day, if you can dedicate 45 minutes each day, that in itself is your own personal challenge! Do it!
3. Feel free to share your experiences with us. This is a journey with lots of emotions and physical experiences that my occur, if any questions arise, feel free to contact us to discuss or add your comments to this blog.
Looking forward to keeping you abreast of my ongoing experience in future entries.
Om mani beimei hum
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