Embrace the Chaos by Bob Miglani

Author:Bob Miglani
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Published: 2013-03-17T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 7

LEARNING TO MEDITATE AMID CHAOS

Daily rituals serve to remind us to start

participating in life.

Each day a billion Indians, from poor farmers to Bombay billionaires, rise in the morning and awaken to complicated, chaotic lives. Before they leave their homes, however, they undertake a ritual that has been practiced for generations before them and will likely be followed by those who come after. They fold their hands in prayer, yielding their lives to the universe. Doing so is a recognition that much of their lives is not determined by their own will but by a force greater than themselves.

For many Indians, the day’s travels will also take them to an Indian temple. Indians do not banish chaos at the doors of most holy places—actually, in a sense, they expect it. There is so much confusion at an Indian temple. So many gods. So many people doing different things. Take off your shoes. Wash your hands. Ring the bell. Spill this water over this particular statue. Put a flower on the feet of that statue. The divine fragrance of incense intoxicates the mind while the ears take in the sounds of a schoolgirl’s whispered prayers and the ringing bells indicating that another worshipper has entered in search of solace.

Bells, incense—it’s all so much, so confusing. There’s so much noise that you can’t meditate. You can’t think straight. All the random thoughts about tomorrow that you entered with are drowned out by the noise, the smells, and the visual assortment. So many senses are being evoked that there’s no room for contemplative prayer.

Even the pandits don’t give you time to think. Instead, they make you move.

Amid all the confusion and these complicated methods of reaching God, however, you are forced to stop thinking about the bills, the problems at work, or the uncertain future that is yet to materialize. Instead, you are encouraged to start participating. You move your hands, sing, say verses in ancient Sanskrit, which you don’t understand.

Move your feet. Ring a bell. Throw flowers. Pour milk. Fold your hands. Say “Om.”

You can’t think. You do.

And that’s the point. It’s moving meditation.

I’ve realized that Indian temples are not there to provide the teachings of God so that you have the answers to all the questions in your life. They serve a more practical purpose, as a reminder that, just as your heart is moving and brings life beat by beat, you are living by actively doing. Living in the present moment is the path to the divinity all around you. While you are pursuing, chasing, walking, running, breathing, working, and engaging, you have a life worth living, right here and right now.

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