In the modern world it appears that worrying has been the norm. With the financial crisis that the world has confronted and many people out of jobs, people will naturally begin to be worried about their future. This will result in stress and anxiety. Thoughts about the worry tend to lead to more ideas about something that may or may not happen.
Mental distractions tend to take away from what is happening at the moment. The great majority of people in the Western world have minds that wonder elsewhere rather than being in the present. I doubt they even live in the present. One’s physical being may be there, but their heads are not.
The practice of Zen Meditation as done by the monks in Buddhism has shown to be effective in managing a distracted mind. Even recent studies, like the one done by Ulrick Kirk and his colleagues at Baylor Medical College in Houston, have shown to improve rational thinking. Rational thinking and living in the present moment, go hand-in-hand.
Zen meditation allows one to be able to focus their thoughts. Distractions diffuse them. When you’re ready to focus your mind becomes concentrated, much like a magnifying glass that concentrates sunlight into a tiny beam that could burn through a sheet of paper. Master practitioners of Zen meditation have that type of concentration.
It is also an awakening. Once you see that living and being aware of every moment, you will truly be awake. My buddy Jerry McGowan explained his endeavor and discovery to Zen Meditation this manner. Instead of concentrating on something, you become it. He used an orange in this manner. He became the orange. That is like what Buddha discovered.
Zen meditation is a way to enlightenment. Zen is not about the intellect; instead, it focuses on the simplicity of lifestyle. It is more about the experiences we’ve rather than the knowledge we have. It’s not about judgment, just staying in the present moment.
Here are some pointers in Zen Meditation which Can Help You wipe away worries when put into action:
· Become the thing that you are concentrating on. It’ll help you to stay focused. Bring all your awareness to it. Jerry McGowan stated he became a seed inside the orange. And he imagined what it would be like to be inside the orange.
· Deep breathing is fundamental to all meditation. When you use your diaphragm with your abdominal muscles. If you don’t already breathe deeply, then it will take some focus at the beginning. You will when you breathe and your stomach will rise instead of your shoulders. Most people breathe shallowly. That is due to stress and anxiety. It is only when we begin experiencing anxiety and distress, including stressing, do we stop breathing properly. Eventually it’ll become our standard. Eventually it will become natural to you.
· Learn How to let go of the past and the future. Only focus on what exists and that is the present. As each moment passes, it becomes part of the past and doesn’t exist anymore. The future is undetermined. We can create it through planning and goals and that is it. Still, we will know what will truly happen.
· You begin with the interior and eventually will go to the outside. That is the way to enlightenment in Zen.
These are a few ways that should help. Find a Zen master to assist you further in your quest to a worry-free life. Though, it should never be a quest. Instead, just living in the now.
Living an optimal life requires a life that’s healthy and fit. Knowing what you need to do in order for it to happen is important. And taking action towards becoming fit and healthy is the main key. People who are successful are always action-oriented. They will simply put in the action the right knowledge for them. That includes getting fit and healthy.