Queen Lolo
May 18, 2005
Buddhist practice doesn’t end on the cushion or in front of a mandala. It may begin there, or be revitalized and remembered there. But the point of any formalized, routine spiritual activity – whether it be meditation, chanting, mindful walking, tantric sex, conscious breathing or whatever -- is to positively impact the entirely of one’s life. Not just the 20 minutes or so we spend in front of the altar or in prayer.
How does your Buddhist practice enhance your whole life?
That’s what I want to know.
I don’t care which tradition you embrace, how you practice, whether you chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo or Om Mani Padme Om or Oobla Dee Oobla Dah. I don’t care if you try to empty your mind and “just sit,” or focus on a dynamic inner visualization.
What I care about is how it all moves forward with you out into your life.
Does it make you a happier person? Does it calm you down? Make you more courageous? Does it keep you sober? Does it make you less angry? Keep you sane when the in-laws come to town? Does it help you be a better parent or partner or dental patient? Does it clear up your skin or lower your blood pressure? Does it ease your fear of wrinkles or cancer or death?
Bottomline. What does it do for you and why do you keep at it?
That’s what I want to know.
My practice enables me to live the best possible life. It keeps me centered in the present moment, with the past and the future (and that fear of death) where they belong. It slows me down, chills me out, and makes me a better listener. It reminds me that not only am I fully responsible for my own life, but also for the well-being of entire world. And that everything matters. But that everything also changes. So do your best and care deeply, but don’t take it all too seriously. It makes me happier, which in turn makes me more silly (much to my kids' chagrin).
A friend who used to follow the Maharishi of TM-fame told me about a mom who came to the guru and said, “I am troubled because I don’t have much time to practice because of my young children.” He replied, “For now, your children are your practice.”
Yes, indeed. My children and my husband and my dog and my work and my garden and my love and my anger and my chronic neck pain – they are all my practice. As much as meditation and chanting and reading the Dhammapada or the Lotus Sutra or any other Buddhist writings.
I try to use it all to wake up, to appreciate my life, to be here now. However it happens – that’s my practice for that moment.
Whatever yours is… however you practice Buddhism… what does it do for you?
That’s what I want to know.