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Message |
| Posted By: |
Reality Dreamer |
| Date: |
24-Jun-2002-20:50:01 |
| Subject: |
meditating in public |
I'm curious about meditating around people / in public.
Okay, you shouldn't do it when you're driving. But what
about on trains or airplanes, in parks and museums, at the
beach, etc.? There are a lot of neat places that one can't
always enjoy alone. And perhaps sometimes the urge to
meditate simply strikes one when getting solitude isn't
possible.
What, if any, are the do's and don'ts of meditating around
other people?
Have you ever meditated in public and had "stuff" happen?
My story: I went to the beach this past weekend to hang out
at a small athletic event run by an acquaintance. For me it
was mostly an excuse to visit this beautiful beach: a
couple of miles of sand curving along the bay, fronted by
mud cliffs. For the others it was mostly an excuse to have
a party with friends. It's early in the evening and the
day's competition is over. Some of us are gazing out at the
ocean, waiting for the sunset which is still at least two
hours away. A couple of people are drumming, but not much
else is happening. I am struck by the sudden urge to
meditate. I am surprised, but the moment seems perfect so I
go with it.
I find a spot a few yards from the drummers near the high
tide mark and sit down. With the drumming on one side and
the roar of the incoming tide in front, it's better than
Tangerine Dream. At first I'm worried someone will disturb
me, but that concern fades and soon I'm having an
unexpectedly deep meditation. At the end I bow and open my
eyes. I lean back and relax, gazing at the ocean.
Then things start to get interesting. People have reported
scattered dolphin sightings all day, and soon we spot some
directly in front of us. They're less than a hundred yards
out, very near a couple of surfers. It's hard to tell just
how many there are, as they keep crossing back and forth.
Then we spot a sea otter barely fifty feet from the water's
edge. It floats on its back, and it's so close one can
clearly see it eating something. Periodically it dives out
of sight, only to return with another morsel. It's probably
feeding on the abundant crabs. Occasionally as a wave
sweeps by, the otter rises up near its peak, and we can see
it perfectly outlined, like an insect in amber. Very cool.
But wait -- there's more. After twenty minutes, the otter
drifts away, but we're distracted by even more dolphins.
Then a small flock of pelicans arrive, and they start a
series of dramatic dives into the water. Clearly there's a
school of tasty fish out there, and it's dinner time. Then
some sea lions arrive, and we see them breaking the surface
and cavorting offshore near the birds. In one brief
spectacular display, a series of dolphins leap fully out of
the water, hanging for a moment like they were standing on
their tails. Are they showing off for themselves, or us?
T. brings down a jug of beer from the campground keg, and we
enjoy the product of a local brewery as the spectacle
continues. Cruising dolphins, diving pelicans, sea lions --
all a couple of hundred feet in front of us. The display
goes on for well over an hour, until after sunset. Someone
who's lived nearby for many years remarks they've never seen
such a show.
All of this didn't occur until after I meditated.
Admittedly, causality can be a tricky concept. And I'm not
that eager or egocentric to claim responsibility. Is it
possible that I had anything to do with this parade of
wildlife? Or, perhaps more likely, was there a moment of
power which I detected and took advantage of, which the sea
creatures also detected and took advantage of as a moment of
fish?
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