And if I can't make the monkey meditate?

Dhr. Seven, Ananda M. (Dharma Meditation Initiative), Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly

Cleanse and purify the mind.

So if I can't MAKE it (my Monkey Mind) meditate, then what?

Then don't. Just sit. Just watch it. "Don't just do something," as the saying goes, "sit there." Be mindful. But what does it mean to be "mindful"?

Mindfulness does not mean awareness. Consciousness is awareness. That is not to say that mindfulness is unaware.

Mindfulness is fully aware. It is mono-tasking. It is bare-awareness stripped of hindrances.
 

Moreover -- and this is the key that so often gets left out of the explanation -- it is awareness without embellishments. It is "pure" or "purified" (of kleshas) awareness because it is awareness that:

1. does not grasp or cling,
2. does not reject or push away,
3. does not get confused or bored.

Ah, finally, the brilliant, luminous mind!

These three bad habits are manifestations of the Three Poisons of the mind/heart, generally called greed, hatred, and delusion. A mind free of those three actions and fully aware is a mindful mind.

That is the choice, Monkey Mind versus Mindful Mind. The Mindful Mind will always win so long as it does not get sucked into the game, so long as it does not get tricked into playing a fool's game that by its nature always favors the house (as in Las Vegas or "Lost Wages" as the Vegans call it).

The Monkey Mind will win whenever it tricks us into playing. Just watch. You can lead a monkey to the mat, but you can't make it meditate.

How? Where?

PasaDharma - MARC (UCLA) - Disclosure Project - Dharma Punx

• Where can I learn to practice this in Los Angeles? Free