People often don’t realize the ways they could maximize their efforts. Small habits of inefficiency bog down the spiritual search. There are ways to let your search seep into every aspect of your life. A line from the great photographer Ansel Adams’ autobiography comes to mind, “Whether I walk at Point Lobos, fly in an airplane, move in a new environment, or relax [my emphasis] in my home, I am always seeking to relate one shape or value to another, seeing an image in my mind’s eye. It is a glorious and rewarding exploration.” It takes time, but eventually you find that even while relaxing you can work on some aspect of your quest.
For example, I used to read a little from a spiritually themed book before I went to sleep. I believed that one’s last thoughts before sleep would influence their dreams. Why not fill those six or eight hours of sleep with dreams of significance rather than of chasing women or other frantic running? Some find that they can go to sleep with a problem on their mind and a solution appears during the night.
In the morning, forgo the news at breakfast and read a book, listen to inspiring music, or practice Vipassana’s mindful eating (see Goldstein’s The Experience of Insight). Your mind will be more alert and attentive. It will provide meaningful thoughts to fill those moments during the day that you normally mull over worries or petty conflicts.
While commuting, listen to lectures on tape or ride in silence rather than wasting time with talks shows, news, or pop music. Douglas Harding has a meditation for driving that gives insight into one’s true nature.
Curtail daydreaming with a mantra or prayer. I was so plagued by senseless daydreams that I took to heart Richard Rose’s advice to think of nothing rather than tolerate rambling thoughts. I would count from one to ten, over and over, until the daydreams receded.
Skip the lunchtime gossiping and find a quiet place to break the work or school state of mind. You fall in habitual patterns of thought at work and school that you only see if you step outside and get a breath of fresh air. You remind your self what is truly important.
When in the mood to talk, find a spiritual friend. Discuss your latest endeavors, rather than talk sports or what’s happening at work. Or take a different approach and ask your self why you feel the need to talk. Do you really have something you want to say, or are you burning off nervous energy that could be saved and channeled to your ultimate goal?
Let your exercise double as time for self-observation (notice when your body wants to stop exercising, how if you keep pushing the body goes along with your desire, and how that same pattern of action and resistance applies in other areas of your life), reviewing your reactions throughout the day, or a moving meditation. Simply watching the muscles move is amazing. Try to determine when you consciously move the muscles. Where did the thought to raise your arm originate? Who decided when your arm would stop moving? Watch closely.
If you are exhausted or feeling ill and choose to watch tv or a movie, pick something thought provoking rather than completely escapist. I was haunted by Rose’s line, “If you need entertainment, you are asleep.”
There are interesting and inventive experiments to conduct while doing mundane chores. Use your meals to test the effects of different foods upon your thinking or your energy level. Observe people while grocery shopping. Test your intuition about what people will do or say. At any time, practice awareness of your thoughts and look for their cause and origin. Make notes of patterns of thoughts – thoughts you have around certain people, places, or situations. Break up your routines by driving or walking a different route. Smile when you are sad, or frown when happy. Notice and remember the results of your experiments. Keep a notepad handy to record your observations and inspirations.
The cumulative motion of these moments of seeking build your self into a vector – they forge a direction for your life. Like learning to type, one day you realize you no longer need typing exercises. You simply type. What requires effort at one point eventually becomes relatively effortless. Especially since, as your wisdom increases, your sense of doing anything decreases. To paraphrase Richard Rose: you simply seek the truth because you are a seeker of truth; not because you want any particular result. You become a humble, ego-less vector.
Some will fear this approach as too Spartan and extol the virtues of simply being and relaxing. Don’t worry. You won’t ever have a problem wasting time. The world is filled with passionless people passing the time, their lives, away. That is why this essay won’t affect many people. Some understand the importance of self knowledge, a few intuit the immense depth of their self ignorance, and only a lucky few follow with determination their inner passion for an answer. “It is a glorious and rewarding exploration,” for those lucky few.