don't stick my head into garbage. 38 m + 18 m

as i am arranging the body into the easy-lotus meditation posture i go, whoops, here they are, those residual tendencies.

what are they about? what should i do about them?
here's the one thing about residual tendency that always works for me. i get this from an insightful and funny monk. he says, checking out the specifics in the mental activity during meditation is like sitting by the river, you see debris in the stream. broken twigs, rotting leaves, whatever. and you start scrutinizing them. before long, you are already in the river, trying to get them out of there.

what's the smart thing to do? just watch them flow by. let them pass through the river of consciousness.

in another word, don't stick my head into the garbage pile.

but, sometimes, there can be something nice in garbage too.

for instance, this morning, i'm keenly aware of the steady breath flow and the ocean sound in it as i watch those tendencies go by...and...bam, the top priority for next week appears. crystal clear. just like that. i have to admit, it's very tempting to roll into it. in fact, there were many times i turn a meditation into a robust brainstorm session.

no. i'm not going to do that anymore. so i take the notepad and pen next to my asana, write the keyword down, place it by the timer, and put in a little more effort to tie my attention to the sound and movement in the breath.

that's all i have to do. no more. no less. mmmm it feels so right. it feels so nice. it feels so light.