Jain Spirit 1999 07 No 01

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 17

thinking a beautiful thought, you feel calm ness and the breath is very slow and deep.
this feeling come over your face. Visualise yourself sitting for meditation with a pleasant peaceful expression.
Experiencing this, we realise how important You may now see all of your needs arise. Ask yourself, "Why do the breath is to our mind and thinking, to our I have them? What are my desires? How do they manifest peace and calm. When we breathe properly, themselves?" From these questions you gain insight. Is there some we don't have fatigue or depression. The pain which is disturbing you in your subconscious? Unnoticed or body will receive the proper oxygen supply unnecessary nervous actions, like tapping your foot or biting a and flow of blood, and disease will not be fingernail or smoking a cigarette, reveal your discontent or pain. able to take root. To enjoy proper breathing, we must have a good posture.
Because of anger and hatred, frustration and resentment, we
become tense and ugly. Through meditation we are rebuilding Beginning Meditation: Calming ourselves. We bring the power of our mind to build new cells in our
face and our whole body. If you watch your face in meditation for down and observing yourself and
one year making it happy and smiling and presenting a good image your breathing
to yourself in your inner eye, then a change will come in you and
everyone will notice it. People will wonder what cosmetic you are Now you have selected a quiet spot, a using, but the real cosmetic is meditation. You will change yourself peaceful time and a relaxing posture for if you believe in yourself. your meditation. Next close your eyes and watch yourself. See yourself with your In life, what you conceive you receive. What you think, mental eye. You may think, "What should you become. Now our life is out of control because we feel sorry for do with myself? Then you may feel silly and ourselves and do not sincerely want to take steps to change. think " What am I doing here? Why am We only wish we could change. But a wish has no strength, no sitting here like this, doing nothing?" You backbone. A wish is wishy-washy. We must use our will instead. will think of all the projects and chores that Don't allow any doubt to counteract your will. Otherwise one you did not finish - the bank, the groceries, thought will simply cancel another and you will go nowhere. A the party, the job, the appointment - all will negative thought is a weed that can spoil the garden of your come to your mind now. It is natural heart and mind. because your mind is always engaged in some activity. If you have nothing else to do Next direct each part of your body to relax, working upward you turn on the radio and begin chewing slowly from your toes to your head. Make your jaw relaxed as you gum. People go to the seashore and into the sit. We release any tension because the tension that we store in mountains, to nature's most serene and our bodies makes us unattractive and drives away our friends. beautiful spots, carrying their radios and Friendly faces are beautiful because they are natural and sweet chewing their gum. You may know what to smiling. No one notices whether their features are well shaped or do with people and things, but you do not in proportion because love flows from them. Now in meditation know what to do with yourself.
you are creating a new face and a new feeling. After you relax
your jaw, relax your whole face, around the eyes and mouth First, just sit and let your own thoughts and in your cheeks, taking away all frowns, grimaces and scowls. come. What kinds of thoughts appear? How many kinds are there? What fancies and silly Now you become calm and concentrate on your breath. Breathe notions come to mind? See what tendencies only through your nose, not your mouth. Watch your breathing and, and instincts are hidden in you. The first step without controlling it, see how the breath comes and goes. is to sit and watch, to discover the habits and tendencies of your body. Watch as a Our breath comes and goes in three levels, as you can observe. neutral observer. Don't think of anything First it comes into the chest area; this is the shallowest part. Then as bad or good, as right or wrong; stay the ribs expand as we draw air deeper into our body. Finally judgement-free. Remember any adjective the diaphragm expands, causing the stomach to distend. Be that any person has used for you is not here aware of each of these three parts of your breathing as you sit now. If someone has said you are ugly down in meditation. Feel your body filling with fresh energy as leave it behind you. If someone has said he you inhale. Then allow the breath to go out of your body or she does not like you, let it go for now. and feel that you are removing any tension or fatigue or Begin to see that you are beautiful. Begin to negativity as you exhale. In this way you rejuvenate yourself feel a pleasant feeling within yourself. Let with every breath.
July - September 1999. Jain Spirit
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