In meditation, as in all arts, there has to be a delicate balance between relaxation and alertness.
Once a monk called Shrona was studying meditation with one of Buddha’s closest disciples. He had difficulty finding the right frame of mind. He tried very hard to concentrate, and gave himself a headache. Then he relaxed his mind, but so much that he fell asleep. Finally he appealed to Buddha for help.
Knowing that Shrona had been a famous musician before he became a monk, Buddha asked him: “Weren’t you a vina player when you were a layperson?”
Shrona nodded.
“How did you get the best sound out of your vina? Was it when the strings were very tight or when they were very loose?”
“Neither. When they had just the right tension, neither too taut nor too slack.”
“Well, it’s exactly the same with your mind.”
***
Love that parable.
Invoked its’ teaching while hammering uphill on dirt on my road bike, Vajrapani, during my solo 50-mile ride…especially when riding on dirt, a balance must be struck between hammering hard and softening into the intensity. We’ll soon see this world-class version soon in the Tour de’ France which started today ( with a REMARKABLY KARMIC FINISH by a Great Britain rider in front of Royalty!) when the race reaches the “Hell of the North” stage which will feature over 9 sections of the infamous ‘cobbles’…ancient roads still paved by horrid-to-ride-over cobbles…i’ve ridden a few sections of cobbles and lemme tell you true, Noble Ones, if you are riding STIFF and TENSE over cobbles? you’ll get bucked off your bike and likely break a collarbone…so, today, riding hard up County Road 125 toward Mayday (elevation, 8,300’) which was my turn around point, i really focused on the balance between softness and hard effort…and actually caught and passed a fellow cyclist whose body language told me he most likely did not practice the softer disciplines of meditation and yoga and that’s probably why he looked at me with surprise as i pedaled past…
i love WF…there is no other Fitness Path that continues to prod us toward Wholeness like the one we are so fortunate to tread…
May This Teaching inspire you to also cultivate the precious dance between softness and hardness in your training…
see you on the cobbles of life,
wholeness man
pic by Sandra Lee during a trek to a hidden waterfall on the Navajo Reservation, handmade bow made and gifted to me by Gilbert, part of my Navajo family…if you want one, let me know.
These teachings are the "Rasas" or "sap" of Wholistic Fitness. You’ll find insights to ponder, student chi to keep your own chi topped off, and plenty of proven training techniques to test on your own body, mind, and spirit! Also, you’ll find my very popular Race Reports, and news of our Sangha’s (community’s) latest transpersonal fitness adventures!