These words are written with care, in response to a question. A friend asked: What is the basis for your
viewpoints regarding happiness? This is my response to her, modified slightly.
4 years ago I stumbled upon
meditation, mindfulness, and self-compassion in the framework of Zen Buddhism.
In Buddhism, it’s not enough to think about happiness. That won't do. One has
to practice happiness, day after day, year after year. 4 years ago I began
practicing happiness - meditating each morning and evening, applying
mindfulness to my normal everyday activities, and in general, earnestly
striving to be a more open, compassionate, generous, and loving person.
At first I wasn’t sure about
meditation – how to do it or even if it worked. I was also intimated because growing
up I learned to be skeptical of religion and meditation, with its Buddhist connotations,
seemed improperly religious. Nonetheless, after reading ‘An Idiots Guide to
Meditation’, I started meditating. Even if the mumbo-jumbo associated with
meditation was bullshit (like ‘knowing oneself’ or ‘enlightenment’), breathing
meditation likely had practical benefits such as relaxation and concentration.
Following the breath, watching it go
in, watching it go out, listening to it, feeling it – there was no religion, no
prayer, and no faith – just observation. Each morning and evening I sat on some
pillows and practiced breathing meditation for 15 minutes. After a month or two,
changes in my emotional stability became apparent, especially in wrestling, where
I no longer suffered from anxiety bouts before matches. By this point I knew meditation
was legitimate and wanted to learn more. The Idiots Guide to Meditation
mentioned another book for further reading- The Three Pillars of Zen.
I sometimes wonder if I was meant to
read Three Pillars of Zen, for I actually tried to buy a different book at the
store but was unable to because of a barcode error. A barcode error! Is this
providence or luck? Either way, I instead bought Three Pillars of Zen and learned
about a type of spirituality grounded in personal experience and by no means
absolute.
Zen Mind Beginners Mind, Tao Te
Ching, 8 Mindful Steps to Happiness, Osho’s Buddha, Buddhism Explained, and
other books about meditation followed. These writings were full of practical
wisdom I tried applying to my life. Over time, as numerous benefits manifested
and the quality of life improved, meditation came to mean more and more. By the
time I entered college, meditation practice was an integral part of my life.
College summers were spent at
Tassajara (a Zen monastery in California), a silent 10 day Vipassana retreat,
and 2 weeks at a Forest Monastery in Thailand. I created a weekly
meditation group for college students as well. These experiences helped me
determine the pursuit of meditation and mindfulness, as well as the teaching of
it to others, is my life path.
Therefore, the basis for my
viewpoints regarding happiness lies in the fruits of my own efforts. I speak
from my own experience, confident I am happier than I once was. I have worked
hard to establish grounded awareness, eliminate harmful thinking patterns, create
positive habits, bounce back from failure, and to continue. The most important
part of a spiritual practice, other than beginning, is continuing.
Ultimately, I am more able to be myself and trust my heart-instinct. Awhile ago I realized I like writing, helping others, and being creative. This blog is just me writing, simply out of creative joy. There is underlying theme of mindfulness and spirituality that I hope you will be able to pick up on, learn from, and apply to your own life - but at the end of the day, I’m just writing and having a good time doing so.
P.S. This doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to hear from you! I'd love to hear from you. If you have any questions, comments, random musings – comment at the end of an article or email me at jrd_levenson@yahoo.com.
Best,
Jared
Levenson
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