Meditation Techniques for Achieving Stillness : หน้า 152/164

12. Now you just need to keep going! And this means keep going. Every day. Whenever you can: Standing up, sitting down, waiting in line, taking the commuter train into work, riding the bus, brushing your teeth. Wherever you are, when you have a moment, just lower your lids, breathe, and be still. [NOTE: Even though there are Ten Steps in this technique, they usually fall into a few groups: Relaxing is a serious step so you need to take your time with this and really get into a comfortable position. Closing your eyes, smiling, and breathing usually come all at once – pretty much at the same time. Dumping your garbage, or cleaning your mind, which can take a long time for some people, is essential and happens together with Centering. All of this leads you into deeper states of Stillness, which is the total objective that you want to achieve in your meditation. And the last, Keep Going, is the practice that helps you always be centered.] In the beginning, you might have trouble with what is called “monkey mind” and what the meditators say can be stopped by repeating a mantra, hence the importance of an easily remembered one. Mine happens to be Samma Araham, or Samma Arahang, which means to me that I am trying to walk on the path to righteousness. In reality, it means a whole lot more than that, but when I use it, it brings me back into my center. You might also have problems with visualizations, or seeing things, when you close your eyes. This is because you are used to focusing externally due to the construct of your physical anatomy (your eyes direct your attention to the outside world). So, it presents you with all kinds of pictures that you see when you close your eyes. What you need to do, of course, is to ignore the interruptions by simply being non-reactive. In Thai, this is called “cheuy” and is an essential part of reaching stillness. It just takes practice. Or, you can invent your own internal visualization, like a bubble or a ball or a star or a favorite object, and focus your attention on that. Use your visualization and mantra continually until they stop automatically, by themselves, and you are still. Both the mantra and the visualization will gradually fall away – simply disappear on their own accord – and you will be centered in stillness when this happens. It is a natural process and one that you do not need to worry about. Remember to merely observe what happens when you meditate, but try not to direct or create any action. Just let everything BE: Do NOT get involved.