The Joy Of Practice XII
PRACTICE IS BEING AND BECOMING AT THE SAME TIME
Do you know the dutch 17th century painter Vermeer? If you do it is easier to understand the following remarks. If you don´t maybe you´d like to take a look at his work. Anyway, I´ll explain why I mention him.
On most of the few paintings he left behind he masterfully captures every day scenes. Many dutch painters of his time did the same. But there is something special about his work. Maybe the reason is that in much of his work he describes people in complete immersion. Whatever they are doing gets their full attention. No task is to unimportant not to be completely absorbed by it.
You can see , for example, a woman reading a letter. Time seems to stand still while she is reading. It seems the whole world is happening in this letter in this particular moment.
Another woman is seen while she is making lace. You can literally breath her concentration. She is giving all her attention to her work. Nothing more important seems to exist.
These two examples may serve to describe one aspect of Vermeer wonderful paintings. He,too, must have known this inner state. This complete absorption, relentless focus, deep concentration, a state of mind and soul which is close to the stillness of meditation. But while you are actually sitting still during meditating, Vermeer’s work is describing some kind of action. The women reading or doing needlework are not meditating. He seems to know about the feeling of forgetting your environment completely.
Maybe this doesn´t come as big a surprise. Many artists know similar states of mind. The composer listening to his inner sounds and their interweaving or the musician enjoying the interpretation of those sounds, the sculptor hammering out something from raw stone, the writer imagining the evolving drama of his story, all of them know this feeling of immersion. Actually it is a feeling they don´t feel. Because in the state of total absorption there is no real feeling. It seems to be more like a continous flow, a permanent forward movement which drives artists into this soul dive. Something they are not aware of in the moment it happens.It is done with the wholebody, an integrated intuitive action by the soul, the body, the mind and God knows better what else.
Of course, anyone can experience this. You don´t have to be an artist for that. Yet the world of distraction pretends to be so much more attractive compared to the world of deep immersion. And people like to be distracted. Although it doesn´t really satisfy neither soul, nor body or mind. Distraction makes you re-act. You are passive. Time goes by without you really participating. Maybe you get overwhelmed sometimes by sensational entertainment, but most of the time distraction borders boredom
Immersion on the other hand is a state of awareness, something you create, something that is exciting even in the deepest state of peace. Exciting because it fulfills you. It literally fills you out and expands from you. Time is infinite. You are. You ARE while you are becoming somebody.
So how do you practice this state of being and becoming, say, while driving your car at rush hour? Become aware. Of everything you do. How does the steering wheel feel? Is it a good feeling? Are you sitting comfortably relaxed? What´s going on in your environment, do you get rushed by the rush hour? Do you react to the general hysteria? Or could you observe interesting details without getting distracted?
Could you sit at your computer and feeling relaxed while absorbed in your work? What kind of position would you have to take? Is your chair right for you? Does it have the right hight? Would you adjust it? Many people who meditate feel a sense of falling while they are sitting. The attraction of gravity can be your best friend if you don´t resist it. Do you? Are you aware of those stiff shoulders and that hard mouse grip? How about letting it go and relax while continuing your work?
Just BE.
Practice is Being because it takes everything from you. Your whole attention, your physical relaxation, your focus and your emotion have to be involved without holding back. If you can´t provide that take a break. And put all your attention, physical relaxation, focus and emotion into this break . . .
Practice is also Becoming. Since this flow of absorption while involved in any task is a process, it won´t leave you un-changed. The changes may be subtle and reveal themselves only over time, but nevertheless they happen. Looking back after a certain amount of time let´s you suddenly perceive how much your emotional or physical behavior changed, and you might have even dropped some self destructive mindsets.
Be becoming.
. . .and enjoy.
To watch some Vermeer click on the link below:
www.essentialvermeer.com/vermeer_painting_part_two.html
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