I’ve been listening to Shinzen Young’s meditation instructions this week. He says while noticing Or labeling thoughts or sounds “if you happen to notice that you’re thinking, label it. If not, enjoy the peace” at the end of one session he says “enjoy the sound of the bell” and then I’ll be back to give some final thoughts.
I recall a thich Nhat Hahn’s story about doing dishes. With mindfulness you turn a chore that you rush through into a pleasure: hands in warm water. Maybe the pleasant smell of soap.
It’s not like a magic trick. The pleasure - the little pleasure - was always there. But you just didn’t notice it because your mind was casting forward, looking to end the chore so that you could go watch TV.
Waitresses tell us to enjoy our meal when they serve us. Colleagues tell us to enjoy our weekends on Fridays.but I think usually that means a wish that the weekend is filled with good things. The instruction to enjoy the bell feels more microscopic and precise, more like be careful with that hot cup.
The command to enjoy feels strange now to me in those broad settings. It feels to me like the word should mean to take pleasure in. A meditation guide is right to ask us to take pleasure in some thing.
Many people tell us that we should be grateful for things. Keep a gratitude list. Others tell us to keep a list of things that we’re looking forward to today. But I wonder if there could be another list that keeps track of things that you actively take pleasure in each day.
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