Coming and Going

Over time I had noticed some interesting trends. There was a core group, me included, who were regulars, and then there were a variety of visitors. Visitors seemed to fall in three camps. Past group members, who got a big greeting from the leader, a mixture of the curious who lasted one or two sessions and were never seen again, and yoga girls. The last group I found interesting. Young, eager, and wearing yoga outfits, they came because meditation was a part of their yoga routine and wanted to experience more of the meditation aspect. While they always said they were glad they came, they never lasted more than two sessions and then we never saw them again. Still, there was always a steady stream.

Movies

Over time I realized that certain movies captured my thoughts on meditation. In the beginning it reminded me of "The Matrix". The concept that what we thought was real, was an illusion. "Do you want to take the one pill to keep the illusion, or the other pill to see the reality."  Stilling the mind, you realize all the constructs you have in place, which initially you assume are requirements, but later discover are non-essential. Later my thoughts shifted to movies like” Altered States” or  “Somewhere in Time.”  While I didn’t believe the idea that we could visit past lives or alternate realms while in a deep meditation, most of the class discussion was beginning to center around these experiences from other Monks.