The gift of learning to meditate is the greatest gift you can give yourself in this lifetime. (Sogyal Rinpoche)
I have often thought of Franz Kafka’s words about times in our lives when we may just long to sit alone and quietly somewhere – and to deeply reflect.
Kafka (the influential 20th century German-language writer of novels and short stories who was born and lived in Prague) wrote: “You need not leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. You need not even listen, simply wait. You need not even wait, just learn to become quiet, and still, and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked. It has no choice; it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.”
Recently, as a warm Queensland summer day drew to an end and dusk began to descend, I sat alone in the quietness of our living room. Sitting in the stillness of the evening, with the clock ticking on the wall, gradually I became aware of my breathing – the natural inflow of the cooler twilight air into my nostrils, and the natural outflow of air. Some thoughts and reflections of the day now past came floating into my mind – as clouds moving across the sunset sky. I let them pass. I was relishing my quietness and stillness. So often our minds operate like monkeys going from one branch to another – so, too, our thoughts jump from one idea to another. It was as though being in tune with my natural breathing, my mind became more peaceful and calmer. Such calm abiding was delightful. Was this the ecstasy that Kafka had written about? Partially yes.
Thirty minutes quietly elapsed. The calming of the mind, the silence of the room, made me contemplate life a little more deeply for a moment. Unexpectedly and without realizing it, I knew I had gained some precious glimpses of truth about life. The rising and falling of the breath led to the insight that our lives rise and fall in the same way – generations are born, live and flourish, then decay and die. Nothing is permanent in life – everything changes. May we therefore learn to accept the arising and passing of all things with a sense of equanimity. Author Jack Kornfield put it beautifully this way: “Acknowledge that all created things arise and pass away – pleasant and painful events, people, buildings, animals, nations, even whole civilizations. Let yourself rest in stillness, a calm and steady witness to this great dance of life.” (A Lamp in the Darkness)
I think that Kafka was right – “the world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked”. As I was sitting in the serenity of the quiet summer evening, the insights I gained had for me unexpectedly unmasked the reality of life in that instant.
We all live in a world of incredible (and often delightful) distractions – with unparalleled opportunities for enjoying our senses of sight, sound, and taste. The media, the entertainment, the personal handheld devices, the foods, the books and magazines, the travel to exotic places. Yet amidst this cornucopia, Kafka’s words touch a need at the very heart of our spirits – “to become quiet, and still, and solitary”. To come away from our frantic, frenzied, and chaotic environment, and to quietly “remain sitting” for as long as you need to might just bring to your mind all that you were yearning for all along.
I have practised Kafka’s words, and so have many, many others – and the verdict always remains the same: All of a sudden, your inner world “will roll in ecstasy at your feet”.
© 2014 Alexander Peck
Postscript: Some Christian visitors to this website may be interested in a website that Alexander Peck created a decade ago. The link is: https://prayer-of-the-heart.org/
This website deals with prayer of the heart or meditation. It is covered from a mainly Christian perspective – and yet, since meditation is a universal spiritual practice, the website may be of interest to all.
In sum, the website is about a journey into the realm of the heart – the abode of the Divine within. Three aspects of this journey are silence, stillness, and simplicity. When pondered, may the reflections on this website lead the visitor to the silence and stillness of their own heart – and in so doing, encounter the Life, Light, and Love within.
(While the content is still relevant, many website links need to be updated — in fact, the website needs to be brought into the WordPress platform. It was created using a website builder that is now no longer available.)
Alternatively, visitors may wish to download the book, on which the website is based, entitled Journey to the Divine Within by Alexander & Eva Peck.
I was interested to read a recent American Psychologist article that defined meditation as an awareness practice that focuses the mind and trains the attention, leading to feelings of calm and well-being. It went on to say that meditation is a worldwide practice found in every major religion. …
The article noted that “several hundred studies over four decades” confirm that meditation can help with conditions such as high blood pressure and lead to “feelings of improved self-control and self-esteem.” …
Modern science, which has numerous ways to objectively measure stress, confirms that meditation really works—without drugs or other outside intervention.
Lewis Richmond, Aging as a Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide to Growing Older and Wiser, 2012.
(Article: Roger Walsh and Shauna L. Shapiro, “The Meeting of Meditative Disciplines and Western Psychology: A Mutually Enriching Dialogue”, American Psychologist 61 (2006), 227–239.)
