“To say ‘yes’ to one instant is to say ‘yes’ to all of existence.”
- Waking Life (a movie by Richard Linklater)
When I left San Fran for Italy, one of the motivating factors was coffee: I wanted to enjoy my coffee each morning. To sit with it, to be with it, to take in it’s flavor and essence. Coffee is one of my biggest loves in the realm of food and beverage, and in the typically rushed American lifestyle, I was ploughing through it, slurping it down from a travel mug as I trotted to work or whatever “important” thing I was anxious to get to.
Now, 2.5 years later, I’m sitting by the lakeside in Pokhara, Nepal, contemplating the essence of my coffee. I clap my hands and wiggle my bum in excitement when the man brings it to the table. The coffee here is organic, strong, and damn tasty. It’s the beginning of another day in which I’m attempting to find the balance between the holiday-like relaxation of just being and the focus and motivation of taking the steps towards my goal. (I wonder, is there anything more difficult in life than finding this balance?) In light of this, I put down my book, arrest my conversation with my friend, and take the time to dive, open-eyed – fully present – into my coffee. The bitterness hits my tongue and I simultaneously see and feel the chemicals shooting through my taste buds, registering in my brains, and lighting up my neurons. I realize this deep love for the bean is simply a neuronal pattern that’s been carved out: the association of this particular taste with the energizing effect of caffeine and years of coffee-moment memories.
The book I’m reading is called The Joy of Living by Yongey Mingur Rinpoche. It’s blowing my mind, expanding all I learned and experienced in the 10-day Introduction to Buddhism course I recently finished. Rinpoche describes meditation in a way that makes it so much more accessible and enjoyable than the way I’ve been accustomed to thinking of it. Meditation is, quite simply, being aware. It is not about stopping thoughts from arising, maintaining a blank mind, or some kind of blissed-out feeling. It is about being aware of the mental processes, whatever they are. The whole purpose of formal sitting meditation is to practice this awareness so that we can bring it into our daily activities. This means we can practice meditating in whatever we are doing, whether it’s writing an email, washing dishes, or…drinking coffee. Meditation then, becomes not a chore that we feel obligated to undertake, but a lifestyle in which we practice saying “yes” to every moment just as it is.
24, October, 2011 – Pokhara, Nepal
The Joy of Living arrived today and I am full of anticipation!