Distractions

 

 

This morning, when I should have been meditating, I was thinking about how to explain this concept, and it's like my mind when I first sit down to meditate is a complete mess, everything all jumbled up.

This is I think a universal experience for anyone starting to meditate: as soon as you start to realise what's going on in your mind, it seems like an impossible task, the clutter  in there is unbearable, you realise you're never going to be able to sort it all out.

But that's an illusion. It's only because you've just begun to look at it, you've just noticed it, that it seems that way. If you hadn't bothered to look, it would have carried on being cluttered but you probably wouldn't have thought twice about it.

When you go into the shed to find a screw or a nut, and you see something like the picture above (it's a picture I just took, of the very useful box of random screws and nuts and miscellaneous bits and pieces in our cupboard,) you don't think that; you just look through them all until you find the one you want.

When I see all the nuts and bolts etc. it does look a mess, but when I just think about, or conceptualise, or remember that box of useful bits, I get a nice feeling; there's always one of whatever I want in there whenever I do take a look. It's like a magic box.

Maybe there is something about focus here? A skilful focus is what keeps you content in any situation. Comments welcome.