The Meditation Experience

  I have become increasingly interested in spirituality over the past years.  I have read many books and magazine articles concerning the subject and have been surprised to find some of my own developed beliefs in these collaborations.

  One item I find over and over is meditation.  I've tried a couple of times to practice this technique and have felt unsuccessful in what I think I should obtain.  I have tried using different sitting positions, and tried focusing on different mentally relaxing pictures to no avail.

  Out of the blue, a friend asked if I would be interested in attending a meditation, practice and discussion at a Lao Buddapathip Temple not far from where we live.  Saying yes immediately, I made plans to attend with her.  I was feeling excited at the thought of attending a real temple and maybe learning how to do this meditation thing the correct way.

  We arrived a few minutes early and decided to look around the grounds.  The first site we came to was a three-sided booth with a life-size yak in the process of being carved from wood that was about three-fourths completed.  We pondered there a moment and then moved on.  The next site we came to was a large, decorative Buddha sitting on a pedestal with a small bench in front that I assumed was for praying.  We pondered there a moment also, and then moved on.  Our next site was a dried-up garden that looked like it may have had vegetables growing there at one time.  We walked the entire grounds in about three minutes and ended back at the front of the area where a group of men were standing and chatting with a monk.

  We were standing near the entrance to the temple and I surveyed the surrounding homes.  This temple is a brick home that has been remodeled and is sitting in the middle of a Hispanic community.  Across the street were several Hispanics listening to Spanish music and dancing.  We pondered this a few minutes also.  Quite an extreme from where we were standing, I thought.  My friend and I stood by ourselves for a few minutes and finally walked over to the gentlemen and the monk and introduced ourselves.  Then I asked if they could give us a quick overview of what we were to do.  One of the gentlemen, who I later found out is a college professor at MTSU, was wearing what looked like a sheet wrapped around his waist and pulled through his legs to make it look like loose fitting pants with an oxford type shirt.  He proceeded to tell us that we would enter the building, leaving our shoes at the door and find a spot to sit.  Then the head monk would begin saying some mantras and we didn't have to participate since this was our first night and didn't know the mantra.  After fifteen minutes, we would have complete silence.  The professor instructed my friend and me to concentrate on our breathing.  If our mind wandered, fine, but bring it back to focusing on the breathing.  This would last about forty-five minutes, and we would conclude he meditation session.  Following would be a discussion and a serving of fruit and tea.  Well, I thought, this sounds easy enough.  I was ready to get started.

  There were about ten people who arrived at this meditation session and we all entered shoe-less and found a place to sit.  Everyone was offered pillows to sit on, which I felt would be a good idea to accept one.  The lights were turned out, but there was still some afternoon light coming through the windows.  As the monk began the mantra, I took the liberty to look around at all the colorful decorations in the room.  The area was quite large and there were several flamboyant pieces of gold and red furniture with decorative tassels and different size Buddahs around the walls.

  The mantras were over and the silence began.  I was thinking forty-five minutes wouldn't be long and I closed my eyes and tried focusing on my breath.  I thought some time had passed so I glanced at the clock and there were forty three minutes left to meditate.  As I was sitting in the silence, I remembered I had not taken some medicine that had been prescribed to me for irritable bowel syndrome.  I had eaten about thirty minutes before we arrived at the temple, and I now was beginning to feel a belch trying to form.  Oh great, I thought, it is completely silent in here.  I was going to try and contain it and felt that I had won this battle when it decided to take a turn downward.  Oh no, I thought, I would much rather belch than this.  Then I remembered that I had brought my purse and I didn't turn off my cell phone.  So as I sat in silence, trying not to make funny noises while everyone was meditating and hoping that no one would call me, I glanced at the clock again.  I now have thirty-five more minutes and daylight was decreasing, so now I was not going to be able to see the clock.  My mantra became holding in funny noises, and please don't call me.  Then, my foot started going to sleep.  So I changed positions carefully.  That position didn't last long either as my back started cramping.  I really wished I could see the clock.  I'm thinking that I am the only one with these feelings.  The other participants seem to have not moved at all.  Finally, the end was at hand.  I felt a huge relief but somewhat embarrassed as I proceeded to tell my friend what happened.  She informed me that she too had an interesting forty-five minutes.  Yes, her feet went to sleep also, and she forgot to turn off her cell phone and her mantra became focusing on the clock, straining in the dark to see it and wishing she had worn a different type of feminine product because this one was very uncomfortable.  I felt much at ease at this point.

  The professor we spoke with earlier came over and asked if we had any questions.  My friend asked what do you do when your feet go to sleep.  He advised that his did also and that you try to focus on the breathing and you will not notice it.  We didn't share with him our personal mantras.

  All in all, it was an experience to remember.  I keep thinking I will go back to the temple and try meditating again, but I just can't bring myself to do it. 

  I then considered Fung Shui...but found that I had the cat litter box in my Love Corner.