Daily Life Dharma
by the lazy Buddhist

Although I can be patient at times (I feel the need to convince those of you who know me that it is actually possible!), there are certain circumstances where I find it incredibly hard to keep my cool. Queues and what seems like time-wasting incompetence are two big bug bears for me. An article, by Daniel Goleman and Richard Davidson, about how meditation changes your brain,  got me thinking about the recent frustrated indignation I’d felt at having to queue TWICE to resolve one issue. Eish!

The article discusses the scientific assessment of Mingyur Rinpoche’s brain during meditation. There were some epic discoveries for science, but what had the most profound impact on me was something that happened before the experiment began.

The toughened skin on Mingyur Rinpoche’s shaven head made attaching the electrodes tricky. Basically, it took forever and instead of the typical, and expected, irritation that most people would experience, to quote the authors, ‘Mingyur [Rinpoche] was not in the least perturbed, which calmed the nervous lab technician—and all those looking on—with the feeling anything that happened would be okay with him.’

Anything that happened would be okay. Wow! How different would my life be with more of that attitude to see me through the day? After a few days of being mindful of the simple phrase, anything that happens is okay, it turns out it’s no simple phrase. It holds within it all the benefits that real meditation practice brings. No brain monitoring equipment necessary!

The ability to be okay with what is happening when it is happening is a gift that keeps on giving. It brings presence, peace, kindness, compassion, wisdom and the ease of being and relaxed readiness for whatever life might bring demonstrated by Mingyur Rinpoche. And there’s more! The bonus is that you being this way, calms and steadies the people around you. Now that has got to be something worth cultivating.

So for those of us who are not there yet and whose temper tantrums have, sadly, not brought Charlize Theron like fame, meditation may be just the ticket to freedom we need.

On that note, I’m off to meditate!

Till next time,
Tania Potter