Practice Through the
Day
“I have realized
that the past and the future are real illusions, that they exist only
in the present, which is what there is and all that there is.”
Alan Watts
“Pray without
ceasing.”
St. Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:17
Time gives the
impression that it is linear. It seems to run from past to present to
future. We remember the past and we can envision the future, so they
seem to have existence separate from the present. The past, however no
longer exists and the future is always a mirage. We live in the present
moment. Now is when we experience life. To be more in the Now is a key
to living well.
Still, the past has formed the present moment and the present moment
forms the next moment. What we do now creates the conditions of our
future. Our nervous systems have momentum. If we get angry, frightened
or otherwise energized late in the evening, we probably won’t go right
to sleep, because our body/mind needs time to calm down. For many of
us, awakening in the morning is a gradual experience. The state of
sleep lingers, perhaps for hours after rising. What we do in the early
hours affects how we will experience the day. What we do in the evening
affects our experience at night.
This being the case, it would be wise to create habits or ritual
practices that create the state of mind we would prefer as an ongoing
process through the day. The Muslim practice of praying five times a
day addressed this. So does the ancient Christian practice of praying
the divine office, sometimes referred to as praying the hours. Prayer
at fixed hours of the day was an ancient Jewish practice that was
continued by early Christians. It has persisted in Christian monastic
traditions, and recently has been resumed by many lay Christians.
Buddhist monastic life too, has been designed to repetitively,
persistently remind the practitioner to return to mindfulness.
Ceremony, chanting, and prayers for each activity of the day remind the
monk that every moment is important and dedicated to the practice.
Practice:
Consider how you
move through your day. Is your mood and state of mind determined
randomly by events as they unfold? Do you often say, “I’m having a bad
day, because…”? Do you set yourself up to feel bad by persisting in
negative, angry, resentful or anxious thoughts? Do you get caught up in
the events of the day and find yourself distracted, ungrounded, or
swept away by thoughts and emotions? If so, you could help yourself by
establishing a pattern of daily rituals to remind you of what you are
about.
To design your own daily practice consider these factors:
What form will your practice take? It can be a combination of
activities including:
- Prayer
- Chanting
- Repeating a mantra
- Song
- Meditation
- Postural movement,
such as bowing, kneeling or prostration
- Repetition of
affirmations
- Time for silence
- Conscious breathing
- Reading scripture or
other inspirational material
- Remembering to be
mindful
How often do you intend to practice? Options include:
- On rising and on
going to bed or an hour before bed
- At specific hours
- Every three hours of
waking
- Sunrise, noon,
sunset, midnight
- At each meal
- Before specific
activities, such as brushing teeth, shaving, bathing, using the toilet,
dressing, and doing household chores.
Whatever form your daily
rituals take, they will become your second nature by repetition. Like
any habit, you may need to repeat the practice for a significant period
of time for it to seem natural and part of you. You may want to write
down what you intend your practice to be and refer to it now and then
to keep on track. Practicing with other people can also deepen the
meaning and help keep you on track.
If you plan to say specific prayers for specific activities, write them
down and place them where you will see them at the appropriate time.
[ HOME
][ THOUGHT
][ ARCHIVE
][ PRAYERS
]
[ POETRY
][
LINKS
][ BOOKSHOP
]
© 2002-2011 Tom Barrett