Autumn Meditation

For me, the seasons represents 2 aspects. The path through my own life and the spiritual path. Firstly, the path through my life and how the seasons map this out. Autumn has particular significance for me.
Spring is birth (or re-birth!). Clearly, this is visible in the explosion of flowers and the greenery that erupts out from the trees and hedgerows. But in spring we catch elements of the previous winter, still left hanging. The ice. Maybe representing the Karma from my previous life? The odd, crisp frost still catches me in the spring. Ice and water from the winter have effects which pervade. As I tend the bonsai in my garden I find one of them with a broken terracotta pot, split by the ice. I will need to replace that in the summer when I re-pot. I notice the roof slate that has broken free and slipped down the roof. The winter has left its mark and things will have to be done to fix these affects. Untouched, the affects of the winter frosts will deepen their damage, so I must notice them and repair. Just like the Karma of a previous life, which I hopefully will notice in my mindful moments, then nurture and transform.
Spring is interesting, a beautiful time but a time when we are busy recovering from the winter and coping with the explosion of growth. It is comparable with our own spring of childhood where we are extremely busy learning and growing (and from a Buddhist perspective, possibly coping with the Karma bubbling up from a previous life, setting us in our place).
As the seasons progress we tend to start to forget about the previous winter and enjoy the moment or look forwards. But, just like Karma, the Winter still occasionally reminds us of its presence and its effects pervade right through the your (and the Karma, right through our life time). I still haven't replaced that Bonsai pot! So even though we may forget those effects, they are still there.
Summer comes, the summer of our youth. We now talk little of winter, of old age. However, even now, we get little reminders of what is to come. Even in Summer, the weather can deliver a sudden frost occasionally. And we do hear the stories of course. From our Grandparents and parents, about the 'dreadful winter of such and such...when the snows were 6 feet deep" These reminders come through, just like the reminders of old age and as a youth we begin to have the first glimmers of understanding around old age and death. Hot summers, just like the passion of our youth, raises energy, and can occasionally cause trouble. But unlike the frost and water from the previous winter, hopefully these problems will be short lived and quickly forgotten.
Autumn. I think I'm here in my life. Autumn is a beautiful time, full of grace and colour, cooler too. With time to dwell on the fun of the summer. But wisdom starts to set in. An understanding of what nature has in store for us as we catch the early frosts. Preparation too. The animals in the forest are eagerly burying food and the birds are eating to build up their fat reserves. They know the winter is coming and they are preparing. And maybe I am preparing too? My spiritual practise is certainly more intense and deeper than in my youth. Maybe I also see a winter coming and recognise the importance of preparation. So for me, this time in my life is very special. I have the wisdom of understanding of what is to come (to an extent) but also some of the energy left from my summer. I have the energy to practise. To prepare.
Winter comes, and a beautiful stillness. With the frosts come clear skies as we head on into the new year. Hopefully, when I reach this time, my Karma will be positive, ready to hand it over to the new year, a new life. Hopefully the frosts from the winter won't be quiet so disruptive for the next spring, the next life.
And what of the spiritual path? How does this compare with the seasons of the year? Each season, although giving us little tasters of the next, sit quietly with mainly their own particular nature and temperament. For weeks, that nature and temperament will largely be the same. Then, suddenly, change comes. The leaves fall and the frosts appear. Traveling home from retreat the other day, I noticed that in the space of a few days, autumn had well and truly rolled in. The trees had gone golden. This, for me, is the way the spiritual path travels. Many weeks of level, sustained practise. Battling against a particular barrier to meditation. Then sudden progress and a leap over the wall. On to the next season then.
Andy Spragg is an experienced Tai Chi instructor with 16 years of teachning experience. Andy is the owner of Re-Vitalise, a company specialising in weekend breaks and retreats in Tai Chi and meditation. These are full board retreats held in tranquil locations throughout the UK.
Andy is a Buddhist and focusses on the synergy between Tai Chi and Buddhist meditation in his teaching.
http://www.re-vitalise.co.uk
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andy_Spragg
For me, the seasons represents 2 aspects. The path through my own life and the spiritual path. Firstly, the path through my life and how the seasons map this out. Autumn has particular significance for me.
Spring is birth (or re-birth!). Clearly, this is visible in the explosion of flowers and the greenery that erupts out from the trees and hedgerows. But in spring we catch elements of the previous winter, still left hanging. The ice. Maybe representing the Karma from my previous life? The odd, crisp frost still catches me in the spring. Ice and water from the winter have effects which pervade. As I tend the bonsai in my garden I find one of them with a broken terracotta pot, split by the ice. I will need to replace that in the summer when I re-pot. I notice the roof slate that has broken free and slipped down the roof. The winter has left its mark and things will have to be done to fix these affects. Untouched, the affects of the winter frosts will deepen their damage, so I must notice them and repair. Just like the Karma of a previous life, which I hopefully will notice in my mindful moments, then nurture and transform.
Spring is interesting, a beautiful time but a time when we are busy recovering from the winter and coping with the explosion of growth. It is comparable with our own spring of childhood where we are extremely busy learning and growing (and from a Buddhist perspective, possibly coping with the Karma bubbling up from a previous life, setting us in our place).
As the seasons progress we tend to start to forget about the previous winter and enjoy the moment or look forwards. But, just like Karma, the Winter still occasionally reminds us of its presence and its effects pervade right through the your (and the Karma, right through our life time). I still haven't replaced that Bonsai pot! So even though we may forget those effects, they are still there.
Summer comes, the summer of our youth. We now talk little of winter, of old age. However, even now, we get little reminders of what is to come. Even in Summer, the weather can deliver a sudden frost occasionally. And we do hear the stories of course. From our Grandparents and parents, about the 'dreadful winter of such and such...when the snows were 6 feet deep" These reminders come through, just like the reminders of old age and as a youth we begin to have the first glimmers of understanding around old age and death. Hot summers, just like the passion of our youth, raises energy, and can occasionally cause trouble. But unlike the frost and water from the previous winter, hopefully these problems will be short lived and quickly forgotten.
Autumn. I think I'm here in my life. Autumn is a beautiful time, full of grace and colour, cooler too. With time to dwell on the fun of the summer. But wisdom starts to set in. An understanding of what nature has in store for us as we catch the early frosts. Preparation too. The animals in the forest are eagerly burying food and the birds are eating to build up their fat reserves. They know the winter is coming and they are preparing. And maybe I am preparing too? My spiritual practise is certainly more intense and deeper than in my youth. Maybe I also see a winter coming and recognise the importance of preparation. So for me, this time in my life is very special. I have the wisdom of understanding of what is to come (to an extent) but also some of the energy left from my summer. I have the energy to practise. To prepare.
Winter comes, and a beautiful stillness. With the frosts come clear skies as we head on into the new year. Hopefully, when I reach this time, my Karma will be positive, ready to hand it over to the new year, a new life. Hopefully the frosts from the winter won't be quiet so disruptive for the next spring, the next life.
And what of the spiritual path? How does this compare with the seasons of the year? Each season, although giving us little tasters of the next, sit quietly with mainly their own particular nature and temperament. For weeks, that nature and temperament will largely be the same. Then, suddenly, change comes. The leaves fall and the frosts appear. Traveling home from retreat the other day, I noticed that in the space of a few days, autumn had well and truly rolled in. The trees had gone golden. This, for me, is the way the spiritual path travels. Many weeks of level, sustained practise. Battling against a particular barrier to meditation. Then sudden progress and a leap over the wall. On to the next season then.
Andy Spragg is an experienced Tai Chi instructor with 16 years of teachning experience. Andy is the owner of Re-Vitalise, a company specialising in weekend breaks and retreats in Tai Chi and meditation. These are full board retreats held in tranquil locations throughout the UK.
Andy is a Buddhist and focusses on the synergy between Tai Chi and Buddhist meditation in his teaching.
http://www.re-vitalise.co.uk
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andy_Spragg