Knowledge is what you have read, heard or watched. That maybe made a lot of sense, but that, for some reason, you didn't put it into practice.
Wisdom is what you have experienced.
The positive phrases that pop up on social media are inspiring, but most of the time we admire them, without necessarily putting them into practice. Knowing, investigating and experimenting is very important if you are here, reading this article, looking to get to know yourself better.
In the Buddhist scriptures, we find three terms for this transition:
– Suta maya panna – Wisdom from another person, passed on to you.
It serves as inspiration to reach the next level of science, called:
– Cinta maya panna – Intellectual wisdom.
It serves to investigate and decide if what has been learned makes sense. It is the bridge to the next stage, called:
– Bhavana maya panna – Wisdom experienced by you.
The reality of others is not your reality. When you have access to knowledge, investigate it intellectually and decide to consciously practice the teachings, you are on the right path to be the true sage.
Most people are in the Suta maya panna stage. It is very good to hear or read correct, philosophical and benevolent words, but not experiencing them, putting this wisdom into practice, is like going to a restaurant and being satisfied when reading the menu.
In the same way, many people propagate the amazing effects of mindfulness meditation, while they are still secretly, inside, trying to achieve results. Sitting silently for 10 minutes is still a big challenge.
Often this can happen because we have the feeling that meditating is tedious.
Outside of meditation, we want to meditate. But when we try, the mind screams that it's a waste of time, that there are really important tasks to do that can't wait. Your cell phone vibrates, people call on social media, guilt comes in the form of obligations you didn't fulfill.
If you find yourself in Suta or Cinta maya panna and want to get rid of the feeling of monotony to reach the next stage:
Accept the boredom!
Conditioned as we are to instantly respond to all the distractions in our lives, we easily get bored when we are deprived of these stimuli.
When the feeling of boredom arises, the mind wanders in search of action. When it happens that the mind slips into boredom and starts to get distracted by thoughts, investigate and acknowledge the feeling. Accept it without judging the feeling.
Be aware of thoughts related to monotony, which can be:
“What is the point in doing this?”
“When will it end?”
“The sensations irritate me (sound, pain, or numbness).”
"This is a waste of time."
Create interest in this sensation:
Investigate where the boredom came from, where it is going, and at what point it lost its intensity.
Where sensations are felt in the body and what is the desire (to fall asleep, to move, to take a medicine, to get up).
Be observant of yourself:
You know when you're at a party and you notice a stranger not having fun? You may even develop compassion for that person, but it doesn't necessarily stop having fun. There is a difference between being annoyed and observing annoyance. Use this third-person perspective and observe the boredom inside you as if it were someone else's boredom.
Boredom drives us to restlessness, but this restless state will be more successful in interrupting your meditation when your brain frequencies are in Beta (14-40HZ). Beta brain waves are associated with the waking state, where the mind operates with logic and reasoning is critical.
Relaxation leads us to lower our brain frequency to Alpha (7.5-14HZ), the gateway to the subconscious and intuition, which becomes clearer and deeper the more you lower your brainwaves. And the boredom stops bothering.
Keep persevering, disciplined and patient, but don't set expectations about the goal. Do not get attached to the results or benefits of meditation. The journey is the reward and the work is experiencing. As you meditate, you turn knowledge into practice. And when he realizes, he became a meditator.
Good habits! _/|_
