Thinking Week 2

“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.”

— Bruce Lee

This week we learn to discern how we think. We know we experience too many negative thoughts. But what about the space between thoughts? In Japanese the word ma is loosely translated as the pause. The pause between breaths, the pause between sentences, the pause between thoughts.

Try this exercise to discover the ma between your thoughts. Find a seat and close your eyes or gaze at the floor. Just let your thoughts flow, not something we usually encourage in meditation. The thoughts are constant, a stream of mind activity. The idea is to not get caught up in the stream, just let the thoughts pass by, not judging them or lingering over them.  Now start to pay attention to the space between the thoughts. The ma may be seen as a white space, an open space, a space of peace. This may be difficult at first, but it is an excellent technique for learning to calm the mind and constant thinking. Even just a minute or two can be beneficial in retraining your mind to notice space. Practicing this a few times a day can be worthwhile in understanding your mode of thinking.  As you go through your day notice the pauses, the times you are not filling your day with constant doing. Pauses in nature, pauses in music, pauses when you stop driving, pauses when you stop talking. Start honoring the ma.