I recently read a novel by Anthony Doerr, Cloud Cuckoo Land, which referred to "the riddle of the owls guarding the gates" with this question: Was it "simple, but actually complicated, or was it complicated but actually simple?" As a teacher of mindfulness meditation and embodied awareness, it struck me how perfect this question is for beginning mindfulness practitioners. Is mindfulness simple, but actually complicated? Or is it complicated, but actually simple? My answer to the riddle is that it is simple, but also elusive and at times paradoxical. The more complicated we are inclined to be about, well, everything, the more complicated mindfulness can seem to be.
We want to change things for the better: more inner quiet, more calm, less anxiety, more patience, better sleep.
And yet we are not on a journey to anywhere. Our goal is to be right here, right now, with all that is.
How do we set intentions and hold aspirations without striving toward an end-point, grasping for what is desired or pushing away what is not wanted?
Sit comfortably and feel your body make contact with the earth. Be relaxed, yet alert, and feel your body breathe. Stay with the sensations in your body and listen to the sounds in your environment as they come and go. When your mind wanders, gently and kindly, bring it back without judgement.
Is this simple, but actually complicated? Or is this complicated, but actually simple?
Join me in mindfulness and find out for yourself.