On November 2nd, at the Capitole de Québec, Matthieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk, gave a benefit lecture, all of the profits of which went to the Karuna-Shechen association to help earthquake victims in Nepal.
First of all, what an extraordinary encounter, as I unexpectedly had the honor of shaking his hand in the Capitol lobby earlier in the evening. The kind of encounter that electrifies your vibrational field and makes you want to never wash your hand for the rest of your life, just to spread your beautiful energy to whoever wants it! But hey, my reality as a doctor caught up with me and I quickly went back to washing my hands!!! Don't worry... hahaha!
Meditation explained by a Buddhist monk .
In life, we have, so to speak, two options when it comes to our mind, this little hamster that produces constant activity within us (even at night!). There is the possibility of letting ourselves be led by the incessant flow of our thoughts or of freeing ourselves from them. The image of the "Radio-Mental FM" that Matthieu Ricard gave us at the beginning of the conference to explain what our thoughts are made us laugh! Freedom, according to him, can be translated as follows: "Open the sail of your ship and go in the chosen direction ." In this way, the image translates the notion of not going with the wind or following each thought and acting in its direction. From the moment we become aware of our thoughts and learn to control their flow, we are no longer their slave.
How to get there? First of all, you have to give yourself a moment of stopping, of pause . Choose a comfortable position, but not too comfortable so as not to fall asleep. Sitting on a chair suits many people. Hands placed on your thighs, gaze focused on an object or even eyes closed, awareness focused on your breathing. There you go, this is where the real "work" begins! At first, your mind seems like an untamed waterfall. I tell you, you want to turn off the water from the faucet! However, many have the false impression that your thoughts and your mind become more agitated during meditation when on the contrary, as Matthieu Ricard mentioned, you are only noting the extent of the disaster !!!
Little by little, as you practice, you let thoughts flow by without getting attached to them . A moment of distraction and presto! Come back to your presence and bring your concentration back to the here and now. " Thoughts melt under the gaze of full awareness ." You will thus be able to establish calm and peace.
Scientific research has shown that practicing meditation for 20 minutes a day for 30 days significantly changes the brain's gray matter ! It develops! The brain's neuroplasticity is phenomenal! Meditation is also an extraordinary cure for stress, the evil of the 21st century! Some studies even go so far as to show that there are positive impacts associated with meditation on markers of aging !
Meditation holds many keys to relief from discomfort, pain, mental health issues, and more: the emergence of peace and serenity. Who said that resting the mind was only for the dead?! It's accessible here and now. Makes you want to give it a try, right?
Cultivating kindness and altruistic love are attitudes to adopt to, among other things, contribute to flourishing mental health. Instead of sinking into discouragement, looking at positive role models, rejoicing from the bottom of our hearts in their actions and celebrating these qualities in ourselves will make you smile and make you instantly happy! In these attitudes lies the potential to flourish but also to contribute to others' flourishing. Relieving conflicts, difficulties, injustices, the causes of suffering... what if it were possible? I believe in it!
In short, meditation is about disidentification with thoughts . For example, when you feel angry, you are not the anger! When you have a fever, you tell your doctor that you have a fever. No one says, "Doctor, I am the fever!" The same is true for any challenge in life or emotion that is difficult to accept.
I end with a beautiful quote from Matthieu Ricard: "The language of the future is silence!"
Hahaha!
Cheers! Or rather... SHHH!
Dr. Andréanne Dussault
