No Right Way

[lavina]

... " It is no different in meditation.
There is really and truly no one "right way" to practice,
although there are pitfalls along this path too and they have to be looked out for.

It is best to encounter each moment with freshness,
its rich potential held in awareness.

We look deeply into it,
and then we let go into the next moment,
not holding to the last one.

Each moment then can be fresh,
each breath a new beginning,
a new letting go,
a new letting be.

Just as with our stepping over rocky terrain,
there is no "supposed to" here.

True,
there is much to be seen and understood along this path;
but it can't be forced,
any more than you can force someone
to appreciate the golden light of the low sun shining over fields of wheat
or the moonrise in the mountains.

Best not to speak at all in moments such as these.

All you can do is be
with the enormity of it yourself
and hope that others see it in the silence of the moment.

Sunsets and moon-rises speak for themselves,
in their own languages, on their own canvases.
Silence at times leaves space for the untamed to speak.

In the same way,
in the meditation practice,
it is best to hold to and honor one's own direct experience,
and not worry too much about whether this is what you are
supposed to feel or see or think about.

Why not trust your experience in this moment
just as you would trust your foot to find a way
to keep you balanced as you move over rocks...

Our feet and our breath
both teach us to watch our step,
to proceed mindfully,
to truly be at home in every moment,
wherever our feet carry us,
to appreciate where we are.

What greater gift could be bestowed upon us ?"


from "No Right Way" in Wherever You Go There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn