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The forty-eight minute Jain samayika is a beautiful meditation which is not difficult to learn and is rich in sacred mantras. It is also open in the sense that during the samayika individuals have the choice either to read, pray, meditate or reflect on the day's events and transgressions. A daily pooja is also a rich and colourful meditation.
A senior executive of my acquaintance also works long hours, travels long distances and has myriad extra-curricula activities assisting in the administration of his church. The time that he and his family spend at Sunday services not only reaffirms his beliefs and the family values central to his faith, but offers the family as a whole the chance to share exclusive time together without external distractions. meh
⚫I have recently begun the practice of reading from a spiritual text on my way to work. The twelveminute train journey is just enough time for me to read and reflect before arriving at the office refreshed and spiritually geared for the day!
Even on the busiest days, if we can't actually hit the off-switch, a daily spiritual practice at least helps us to pull on the brake for a brief time. In fact, shifting down a gear (to extend the motoring metaphor) is a form of practice in itself and we might all want to think about how we can slow our lives down so that we engage with the process of living a little more.
I recently read an essay by a respected Quaker thinker who commented that acquiring knowledge via the internet was little more than data gathering. It is not an opportunity to learn on a deep level or to acquire wisdom in any real sense. It is an arguable point, of course, but the underlying tenet of the essay does indeed reflect our attitude to the high-speed way in which many of us live these days.
We run around, ticking off chores on our personal 'to-do' lists, working at top speed to try and get through the pile of paperwork on the desk and getting frustrated when we have to pick up a piece of paper more than once (contrary to the advice of 'minute managers' and the like). We need to slow down, examine how we actually utilise our time and discover the opportunities that exist for creating sacred space in our day. Here are some suggestions: ⚫ Simply set aside some time for a regular prayer or meditation practice each day. Try and schedule a regular 15 minutes (or more if you can) for the meditation or prayer disciplines of your particular tradition.
Engage in some form of physical discipline: either one of the meditative practices such as yoga or tai chi; or consider some other form of solo sport such as swimming, jogging, etc.
• Do you enjoy walking? Walking meditation is observed as a specific discipline in several eastern traditions. Adapt it if you like as a celebration of nature. Take a regular walk in the park and watch the seasons change from verdant summer to golden autumn.
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Enjoy the sense of peace as the natural world slumbers through the depths of winter, recharging itself to be born again in a glory of blossom when the spring sunshine warms the earth. Connect more deeply with your surroundings by learning about the plants and wildlife that live in your environment. Buy or borrow from the library a book on botany to help you identify the flowers and herbs that grow in your neighbourhood.
Are you creative? Do you write, paint, draw, do pottery? All of these can be transformed into opportunities for spiritual practice.
⚫ We all have to cook in some form or at least prepare food to eat. I have always found chopping vegetables a particularly meaningful and harmonious pastime (vegetable therapy, my husband calls it!). Cooking, particularly the preparation of vegetables or vegetarian meals can be an astonishingly mindful experience if the time is used to consider the miracles of nature which have brought those gifts to your table. • Do you value the opportunity to practise in community with others? Consider joining a local temple, church or synagogue where you can share in the spiritual energy of others and enjoy the fellowship of like minds.
"Almost any situation can be
transformed into an opportunity for mindfulness."
MINDFULNESS
What about the opportunity to contribute in a very practical way to
the well-being of your community? Regularly volunteering at your local school, charity shop or residential home for the elderly or disabled can also be deemed a form of practice when performed with a genuine commitment to the welfare of others.
To sum up: practice makes perfect. If you acknowledge that you are a spiritual being then try to set aside some time each day for you inner Self. I am sure you will begin to experience a significant difference in the quality of your life.
Gillian Dunne is a community health worker and a mother of two. She lives in North London.
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December 2002 February 2003 Jain Spirit
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