Clear Mind, Empty Head?:
A Leak in “Mind Like Water”
by Maya Frost
There's
a lot of talk in meditation circles about emptying the
mind.
This is a roadblock for many people.
Why? Because it's counterintuitive. After all, we
spend most of our waking hours filling up our minds.
We go to school, we get trained, we read, we learn,
we absorb information from all around us. Then someone
comes along and tells us that the best thing we can
do is EMPTY our mind? Why would we want to do that?
Empty isn't a good thing in most
cases. Empty wallet? Empty gas tank? Empty bank account?
Empty restaurant? These aren't conditions we find
satisfying.
Mention your feelings of "emptiness"
to your doctor and you may end up with a prescription
for Prozac. Would you take it as a compliment if someone
referred to you as "empty-headed"? Not likely.
We seek fullness in our
bellies, our hearts and our lives. Going for empty
goes against the grain.
We've already got plenty of reasons
to avoid meditation. It seems difficult, uncomfortable,
or just plain boring to a lot of newcomers. We don't
need any semantic obstacles. Hearing that little voice
saying, "Your mind is not empty—you’re
lousy at this!" only adds to the clutter that
muddies our spirit, fogs our intention, and paralyzes
our progress.
We must relinquish this expectation
that we are supposed to attain this state of emptiness—complete
non-thinking—in order to have a “good” meditation session. Staying attached to this ideal
is likely to provide just one more nudge in the never-mind
direction.
David Allen is
a productivity trainer and consultant who is the author
of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free
Productivity. He offers valuable tips for
dealing with the clutter that crowds our minds so
that we can free up space for greater creativity.
Like Jim Ballard
in his book called Mind Like Water: Keeping
Your Balance In A Chaotic World, Allen uses
the martial arts term to describe the process of preparing
our mind for appropriate responses to demands. Having
a "mind like water" refers to one's ability
to react and reflect in a balanced way. If you drop
a stone in a still pond, the ripples will appear in
a direct, appropriate response to the force and mass
of that stone.
Nothing more, nothing less. As the
ripples dissipate, the pond returns to stillness.
That's a great way to look at how
our minds respond when we feel relaxed and stress-free.
We don't snap at our kids or get cranky with our co-workers.
We get our tasks completed in a way that is efficient
and without unnecessary action, emotion, or distraction.
We have a point to which we return continually as
we go through our day. There is no overreaction or
failure to respond.
Still. Ripple. Still.
The only leak in this "mind
like water" discussion is that Allen sticks with
the tried-and-true "empty mind" terminology.
That's too bad. It would have been a perfect opportunity
to switch to clear!
When the "empty mind"
concept becomes a barrier, slip into "clear mind"
instead. After all, a pond is not empty.
It is clear. Plenty of water. Rocks and mud at the
bottom. Fish swimming here and there. If the water
is clear, you can see it all and the finest details
become magnified as they pop into view.
The important aspect is our ability
to see clearly what we need to see. What happens when
you toss a stone into an empty pond? Not much. It
makes a thud on the muddy bottom. Sure, you can see
it. But what's the point?
Your mind will continue to have
thoughts. Don't expect to avoid them. Drop the idea
that you can remain "thoughtless" and embrace
the value of seeing those thoughts clearly.
You've spent years filling your
head. Mindfulness gives you the clarity to
see what's going on in there without having to dump
the contents first. By releasing the notion
of emptiness, you can step into the power of clarity.
Empty mind? Clear mind? Choose the
image that works for you.
I'll cast my vote for clear.
