Being in contrast to Doing

[Jitendra Hydonus]

Many people if not most have a hard time even conceiving of the idea of meditation. Probably the main reason is because most people have the mindset of doing. We live in a culture that constantly indoctrinates us and says to do to work, to move, to serve, to get things done, to clean up, to organize, to fix things, to travel, to have amusements, to exercise and the list is endless. So much so that when you talk about meditation most people will talk about golfing, taking a walk, fishing and so on. And in all these activities we are still ‘Doing’.

Being is Doing nothing. The mindset needs changing. How can we just be? First of all we settle the body. The body is always in a state of fluctuation and constant motion; a frenzy. We sit down and tell our bodies to settle down part by part. Then we must remind our mind to settle down. We talk to the mind; “Calm down mind”. We watch involuntary movements such as breath and heartbeat. Yogis are able to slow down both and some are even able to stop both. However, we are still learning and realizing that motion is a constant attribute of the creation we live in. There is a reality that transcends motion. We start experiencing it when we experience peace in meditation.