Empty Bowl

“Life is both dreadful and wonderful. To practice meditation is to be in touch with both aspects.” -Thich Nhat Hanh

I can really identify with these words from my esteemed teacher and venerable Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh. So much of what we see in the world, and for many in our personal lives as well, is truly dreadful. Sometimes we don’t know how we can bear it. And much of the time life is truly wonderful too. So much joy, so much potential!

The wisdom of the Vedic and Buddhist teachers is that it is better not to attach to either view, neither wallowing in the pain nor seeking more of the pleasure. Why? Because both actions result in suffering. It’s pretty clear why rehashing the pain creates suffering, but the suffering that comes from pleasure is not always as evident. We all know that good times never last and that too much of a good thing (chocolate!) is painful. So it’s not the pleasure itself that causes suffering, but the need to hold onto pleasure as if it is the only possible experience we could have.

“Life is dreadful and wonderful.” We are destined to have both types of experience. We can hold them both in our awareness by accepting all that life brings our way without exception. This may seem like an impossible task, but the spiritual traditions do give us a way to do it—meditation.

Here is a meditation practice I learned from my ayurvedic teacher Dr. Vasant Lad. It’s called the empty bowl. It combines visualization with simple breathing to bring us into a state of present moment awareness. Through this practice we become capable of accepting all that flows toward us in the course of our day. I hope you will give it a try.

Sit comfortably in a cross-legged position or in a chair with feet on the floor and back upright. Open your palms and place the backs of the hands on the legs. Gently curl the fingers as if your hands are empty bowls. Watch the movement of your breath for a minute or two while letting all thoughts pass by. Once your attention is established, begin to breathe in this way: As you inhale, draw the breath into the body and imagine it can reach a point in your body just behind your navel. As you exhale, release the breath into the space about 9 inches in front of you. Repeat this breathing practice for 5 minutes, gradually increasing to 20 minutes. The empty bowls remind us of the baggage we carry in the form of regrets of the past and fear/worry about the future. Release attachment to these sources of suffering and live confidently in the present moment.