Sailing Past the Sirens

Ulysses and the Sirens, by H. J. Draper

Come this way, honored Odysseus, great glory of the Achaians, and stay your ship, so that you can listen here to our singing; for no one else has ever sailed past this place in his black ship until he has listened to the honey-sweet voice that issues from our lips. --The Odyssey, Book XII

Meditation can be categorized in many different ways. In my practice, I do what some would call mindfulness meditation, an umbrella term that includes focus meditation, transcendental meditation, vipassana, and open meditation. In mindfulness meditation, the meditator can focus on something, for example, a mantra, the breath, a candle flame, or a mandala. Or, the meditator can just open to the present experience. During mindfulness meditation, perceptions arise, either external, such as sounds, or internal, such as thoughts. The meditator opens to the perception and releases it. If the meditator is using a focus of meditation, the meditator returns the attention to the object of focus. Mindfulness meditation has no goal; the meditator simply experiences each moment.

When Odysseus sailed past the Sirens, he had his crew plug their ears with wax, but he had himself bound to the mast with unstopped ears, so that he could hear their singing. In mindfulness meditation, my commitment to my practice binds me to my seat, and I listen to the singing of my thoughts and emotions. The allegory breaks down when I am swept up by the inner song. But unlike Odysseus and his crew, I can swim back to my ship and try again, over and over. This continual return is the practice. There is no purpose other than to experience whatever happens.

There is nothing wrong with using other kinds of meditation for other ends. Guided meditation steers you through some scenario to achieve some purpose. Augmented meditation uses special sounds, such as binaural beats, to help you achieve some particular state of consciousness. But these other types of meditation are not a replacement for mindfulness meditation. Since mindfulness meditation is all about remaining present with whatever comes up, it develops and strengthens the ability to remain present in everyday life, when you’re not meditating.

Much has been written about meditation. Heck, I’ve even written about it—Meditation 101, Meditation and Compassion, Whole Lotta Nothing, and Greeting My Experience. In general, simpler is better. I like the way Peter Russell teaches meditation; he emphasizes simplicity and ease. Peter's writing and videos would be a good way for anyone to learn meditation.

The Practice of Compassionate Presence

This post begins a series about spiritual practice. I’ve been meditating for nearly 50 years. I’ve attended several different types of retreats and programs and have incorporated bits and pieces from many of them into my practice. I’m also a husband, father, retired IT professional, and former editor. I can speak about practice from the context of everyday life, not from the point of view of some kind of enlightened master. I don’t claim that anything I say will be new or unique, but my perspective may be different from that of a spiritual teacher.

For me, spiritual practice has two aspects: the cultivation of presence or mindfulness, and the nurturing of compassion or open-heartedness. Compassionate presence, open-hearted mindfulness—this is the essence of spiritual practice. Both aspects support each other. Presence gives clarity and awareness. Without mindfulness, I’m at the mercy of my reactive patterns and mindless habits. But presence without compassion is brutality. Without compassion, I stand naked before my inner judge, with no hope of mercy.

Open-heartedness allows me to accept the pieces of myself that I have rejected, those parts of me that embarrass or disgust me and that I project outward onto others. The good news is that these bits of me also contain lost gifts. They are the doorway to my native wisdom. Without compassion, I risk falling into tyrannical cynicism. But compassion without mindfulness is ungrounded and potentially delusional.

Meditation is essential to the cultivation of mindfulness. Meditation nurtures the ability to be present with whatever arises without being overwhelmed. Shadow work is the wellspring of compassion. The shadow is the part of myself that I cannot recognize or accept. By working to become aware of and befriend my shadow, I develop compassion for myself and others.

Open-hearted mindfulness, compassionate presence--this is the focus of my practice. I'm a work in progress, not a finished product. I don't live each moment in complete mindfulness and total open-heartedness. But that's the direction I'm headed, I hope.