Zen Buddhism

[Thumpalumpacus]

Basically I think the best way of summing up meditation is being in the moment rather than lost in thought. So I think any activity where you're focused on the present moment can be classed as meditation, whether it be the traditional form of focusing on the breath, or just any other mindful activity where you're focused on the what's going on in the present moment... the immediate sensations rather than the past (memories) or the future (feelings of boredom etc - 'I could be doing something else'). For instance lately I've been trying to make my sandwiches mindfully, and that means not rushing to finish it because of a goal in mind (future thinking) but rather just focusing on the immediate sensations involved in the present moment, noticing as much as I can about every aspect of it... how the knife moves, how the butter looks etc... and just trying to let go of any non-present thoughts, labelling them as thinking. And you can do it for anything... walks, having a shower, playing music etc... just notice everything you can in the present moment and try to let go of any thoughts. And recently my therapist gave me another useful little mindfulness exercise which is quick and easy to do and just involves first noticing five things you can see, then five things you can hear, then five things you can feel, and finally trying to notice all of them at the same time.

This is great stuff, and perhaps helps to explain why I view music (when in the right frame of mind) as meditation -- because as a musician, my goal is to let go and not play the music, but rather, to let the music play me. I surrender to the moment.

I am not the guitarist; I am the instrument. Being alive to the sounds reaching my ears, alive to the feel of the strings under my fingers, how the guitar resonates against my chest, and being inside the flow -- and most importantly, getting my ego out of the way -- centers me.