“Am I doing this meditation correctly?”
“Does this meditation have any effect?”
“Cleansing the mind. How to do this well?”
How can I meditate properly? How do I get the maximum benefit from it? How can I throw away the mind easily?
These are many of the common questions people usually have as they first start Ma-Eum Su-Ryun meditation. Actually, since the mind is not something that can be seen with the eyes, at first, it may seem more difficult to do.
Recently, there was a book that caught my eye at the bookstore. “Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism” (Fumio Sasaki). It is one of the number one best sellers in the self-help category. It is a book about throwing away the objects/things that cluttered his entire room and finding his own confidence and happiness by doing so. As I read the book, I started to think that throwing away the objects and throwing away the mind are not that different.
So today, just like the book’s rules for those who are throwing away things, similarly, let me tell you 10 tips on how to make throwing away the mind for the first time easier. Just review these tips today and then try meditating. You will notice greater than double the effectiveness of your meditation session.
1. Throw away the thought that I cannot throw away
My room, my office, on top of my desk… how many things do you think are on there? Lots of books, clothes, electronics, miscellaneous objects… probably only 20% of those are actually useful. The other 80% have barely ever been used and is only taking up space. But then when you go to throw them away, you cannot seem to throw them away or you fall into a “I cannot throw it away” helpless state. It is exactly that “I cannot throw it away” thought that must be thrown away first before any objects can begin to be thrown away.
Throwing away the mind is just the same. When you first start the meditation and look back on your mind, you will see all those countless, useless minds stacked up. Then you start to wonder, “will I be able to throw these away?” It is unimaginable. But throwing away that unimaginable thought itself is most important. If I stacked it up, then I can throw it away as well. Anybody can throw away their mind.
2. Throwing away is also a skill
Throwing away objects also takes skill. On the first day, start with throwing away the things that catch your eye. Next, minimize the books and CDs. Then throw away the electronics. After that, get rid of the large furniture… Just like the objects, there are necessary steps to follow in the meditation method in order to throw away the mind.
In the first level of Ma-Eum Su-Ryun meditation, one repeatedly recalls one’s lived life consecutively. It is very important to do this step precisely. It is also important to repeat this method. That way, one can look in detail at the minds one has piled up. After that, follow the method step by step to throw away the mind.
If you feel like it isn’t working well, ask yourself, “am I doing this right?” Look back on it yourself. If you are unsure, go to a meditation center and ask the helper (instructor) there for help. Even if at first it is awkward, if you keep confirming and trying to follow the method, the subtraction method will naturally become a part of you. And not just at the meditation center, but in daily life, when all sorts of issues arise, you can naturally use the subtraction method.
3. You are not losing, but rather you are gaining
What if I need it again? Is it really all right for me to throw it away? Because of these fears, in most cases, it makes you hesitate before throwing away objects. But those who have already thrown away objects before say that if you boldly throw away, you gain much more. More relaxing space, easy clean up, saving time to make decisions, the freedom from no longer being attached to items… Throwing away the mind is the same way.
Freedom, peaceful mind, clear head, the strength to stay focused at that moment, having the open heart to be considerate first, being able to see things from a new perspective… Emptying the mind provides so many endless benefits for me that I cannot name them all. But what I like best about this meditation – rather than the difficulties from my expectations of others or comparing myself with others – is the ability to focus on the inner me and become self-confident.
4. Find out the exact reason why you cannot throw it away.
You have this dilemma: no matter how many clothes you have in your closet, you still never have clothes to wear. Even the clothes you haven’t been wearing for the past several years, you cannot throw away easily. You definitely don’t wear it, and you know you won’t be wearing it, then why can’t you throw it away?
Because you paid too much for it? Because someone gave it to you as a gift? Because you might wear it someday? Because you feel like you are throwing away your memories with it? Because of your vanity? Because you are lazy? It is the same with other objects as well. If you stop and ask yourself and look at that mind as to why you cannot throw it away, you will receive the strength to remove the useless items and throw it away.
“I started Ma-Eum Su-Ryun meditation to throw away my mind, but why can’t I throw it away?” You need to ask yourself what the reason behind it is. If you throw away this mind, do you think you will lose something? There is one thing for certain. Only the false mind is thrown away and no matter how many times you try to throw away the true mind, only the true mind remains. That is truth.
5. It is not something that cannot be thrown away, rather it is something you do not want to throw away.
“When a person says they cannot do it, in reality, he has made up his mind that he does not want to do it.” – Spinoza
There may be several reasons as to why you cannot throw away your things, but when you look deep inside, the biggest reason is because you do not want to throw it away. “It has already become a part of my habit, so do I really need to change it?” That thought is kept deep inside.
If you look deep inside your mind, there are minds deep inside that do not want to throw away this “I”, this self, that was developed over time, even though that mind has made your life difficult. And if you throw it away, the anxious feeling that you are losing something also makes your subconscious refuse to throw it away.
“I cannot throw this mind away” means “I do not want to throw this mind away”. Do you really want to throw it away? Sincerely, honestly, ask yourself this question. If you want to throw it away, you can throw it away.
6. Throw it away right now, this instant
I will do what is more urgent and throw it away later when I get time. I will throw away when things settle down. I should throw it away at some point. These are common thoughts that we have while looking at all the clutter piling up. But unless I make up my mind this instant, that “later at some point” will never come. People who have thrown things away know that life doesn’t settle down for you to throw things away, but rather things must be thrown away for life to settle down. It is not when you have time to throw away that you can throw it away, but rather if you throw it away, you have more time. This is because throwing away is the start of everything.
The mind is the same thing. If I have things to do, less stress, then I will throw it away. If I have some time available, then I will throw it away. If you have these minds, you will never be able to throw away. Right now, take the will power to throw away and you will have space to breath in your life, you will have time in your life, you will start by having a taste of freedom and happiness in your life.
7. There are no regrets throwing away the mind
“Compared to before, I have about 5% less objects. If I had 1000 objects, then 950 have been thrown away. After throwing those away, I have not a single regret in throwing away those things.” – Fumio Sasaki from <Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism>
Even for me, while I meditated, although it is difficult to count with numbers, I think I have thrown away over 1000 minds. If somebody were to ask me “By throwing away the minds, do you have any regrets?” I can confidently state “no”. If anything, it is regretful to have not thrown it away, since once it has been thrown away, it is so peaceful.
8. Do not be attached to your past
If you stay stuck to your past, then they say new things cannot happen. If you do not clearly cut off the ties to the objects from the past, then you continue to ignore the most important present.
People who first start this meditation have the most difficulty with throwing away the happy moments in their past. The happy memories, the joyful moments with people… afraid that if they throw it away, it will disappear. But don’t worry. You are only throwing away the remembered thoughts in your mind, not the memory itself.
If you hold onto the good moments in your mind, then you will always be comparing and judging the present to that moment. “I was so happy then. It was so nice then. Now it is not like then.” “It was so great back then…”
Even the remembered thoughts of happy moments with other people, if you hold onto it in your mind, it will interfere with your current relationships. “In the past, that person was so good to me. How come that person is not like that anymore?” “My previous colleagues were not like that, how come my current colleagues are weird?” Always living in the past. If you throw away the minds about the past, then you accept the situation as it is currently, and can meet people and see them for who they are in the present. New relationships, new opportunities will come to you.
9. If you hesitated at least 5 times, then throw it away.
Okay! Let’s throw it away! Maybe not as determined, but at least “should I throw it away?” thoughts have passed through your mind regarding some objects you have. If you have had those thoughts about 5 times so far, then you can throw that object away. Because without realizing it, those thoughts will come 100 times, even 1000 times after that.
Even in life, there are many times when “ah, I should throw this mind away…” thoughts have come up. Actually, five times isn’t that much. For me, there have been more than 1000 times when those thoughts have come up. If those minds come up even once, let’s boldly throw it away. The moment you take courageous steps towards throwing away the minds, you will start to be free of those minds.
10. Ask yourself is it something I really need?
“If this object were stolen from you, would you want to buy it again?” Is it something you really need? Is it a special object? Ask yourself these questions to verify. If you ask yourself this question, then you will know if it is something you really need.
Ask yourself that question but with regards to your mind.
“This mind that I wanted to throw away, if it disappears, will I want that mind again?”
I think I will shake my head no.
“After you throw it all away, then you will see what is most precious”
In the book <Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism>, as he minimalizes his objects, he finds what is most precious to him in life. To the point where he loses himself, getting away from all the objects piled up in his home, finding open empty space in his room helped him find his value in life.
Actually, throwing away objects and throwing away the mind have the same principle because throwing away objects isn’t simply throwing away the object. Throwing away objects takes steps towards throwing away the memories attached to that object.
Right now, emptying “the minds that are overwhelming enough to make me forget myself”, the pleasure in finding out what is most precious to me… as much as those minds have been emptied, it is filled with happiness. I hope you will feel it too!!
Bonus Tip: Has my mind really been thrown away? For those who are curious ..
I will try to give you the best tip for those who are first starting this meditation and are most curious about this question: “The mind that I have thrown away, has it really been emptied?”
Yes. As long as you followed the method to throw it away, then yes. It has been thrown away.
But the reason this question arises is because even though you have thrown it away, again, the same mind comes up again. However, in actuality, that is not the same mind. It is yet another mind that has piled up over and over again.
Let’s look at an example. Let’s say there is a box of tissues. It is a tissue box filled with all the minds I need to throw away. No matter how many tissues I pull out and throw away, again, another tissue comes out. Just because a tissue comes out doesn’t mean it is the exact same tissue. For certain, the tissue I just pulled out and threw away is gone, but what remains are the minds that have not yet been thrown out. Some minds you have stacked up so much of it that there is such a large quantity of tissues, it can seem overwhelming.
For example, I was introverted with a lot of inferiority. I had piled up so many moments of inferiority that to throw away inferiority completely, I knew it would take a long time.
But after continuing to throw away again and again, at some point, there were empty open spaces. Then there were moments I started to open up and talk to people. To be completely parted from that mind, how unrestricted and free it was! As much as I have stacked up the minds, that much more patience and will power is needed to throw it away. If you keep in mind and follow the above 10 tips, then as you steadily throw away, your results will be worth it.
Source: www.meditationlife.org
