It is, what it is

Please note: I´m not a teacher. I´m just sharing my own views and thoughts about my meditation practice.

A month ago, I was on a five day (mindfulness based) retreat and I thought I´d like to share a few things that really resonated to me during and after the retreat.
No, I didn´t get enlightened, and no, there was nothing mystical or magical, but there was a few small “insights”, at least to me, if you´d like to call them that.

First thing that really resonated to me was a phrase that the teacher used in one of her Dharma talks, and that was: “it is what it is.” I fell in love with the phrase, and it made me realize that using too much energy or effort, I´m just overdoing my practice.

What I´m trying to say (with my broken English) is that there isn´t much more there, right? You don´t HAVE to have something. It is what it is. Don´t push it too hard.
Of course there´s got to be effort. But the question is how to use it. If there isn´t much going on, it is what it is. You can always go back to the breath, or touching points (knees touching the ground, hands on your knees (or mudra), or buttocks on the cushion). It ´s a different story to sit with six senses in alert than try to find something that is not there, but you wish it was. Otherwise you end up using all your energy in 10 minutes and you´ll lose focus.

Of course there could be all kinds of sensations; like craving, hatred, or whatever, just to name a few. You recognize it, accept it; that it is what is. Then you investigate it and then you let it go, or let it be, ´cause sometimes it doesn´t go away, it´s still there, but it still changes, so it´s not permanent.   
The other beautiful thing that I noticed was the fact how the mind gets quiet. It took me a day and a half to ease my mind. Before that it was constant planning, good songs, bad song from a 14 –year old kid about skating (and of course my mind decided to play the chorus on a loop) which has gotten too much radio play in my home country, what I should´ve done before the retreat, and so on. But after that it was all about the practice and I LOVED that.

When I got back from the retreat the greatest thing was the feeling. To stand in the same spot at work as I did a week before, made me realize how stressed out and uptight I was before the retreat, but this time I was all smile.
Of course that didn´t last more than few days, but I loved the feeling. Such warmth within, calm mind…I felt so good and I was happy.

Needless to say that I´m really looking forward to my next retreat experience which starts  in Holland June 1^st.

Daylong Retreat

Welcome to Nirodha's silent meditation day on Saturday 5th of May from 10:00 to 18:00. Attending half of the day is possible by arriving or leaving at 13:45. The program consists of sitting and walking meditations and a dharma talk. The morning session ends with a lunch break, please bring your own meal.

Everybody is warmly welcome to practice with us!

Nirodha is a Theravada Buddhist organization based in Helsinki, Finland, and it´s currently functioning in six different cities in Finland.