The state of nothingness is promoted by many spiritual practices. Buddhists call it Nirvana, Hindus/Yogis call it Samadhi. Some would call it Enlightenment. It is the absence of personality, stories, thoughts, and distractions.
It may not sound like an exciting goal for many, but once upon a time it was for me. I sought the end of suffering. Now I’m content to practice Samadhi moment by moment when I can, for that is the only option. There cannot be enlightenment. There can only be an enlightened moment. And that moment is only now.
Fine, one might say. What’s the point? What’s in it for me? I’m laughing as I write, because there is no point of nothingness. But the benefits are great.
Nothingness is the screen upon which the movie of our lives plays. All the stories, characters, struggles, and successes are reflected on this clear, clean, blank screen. We realize that the screen has always been there—unchanging, constant, and pure.
If we are fully committed to the story on the screen and the character we're playing, we function less consciously. We're distracted. We're worried, rushing, clinging, complaining, judging, resisting. We're reactive, which means our free will (freedom) is restricted.
By acknowledging and recognizing the screen, we can recognize the movie for what it is. The movie plays for a lifetime and then disappears as if it never happened. During that lifetime, we are attached to the importance of the events, the characters, the props, the costumes, the soundtrack, etc. It feels real, and it is just as real as any movie that ever was. But it’s nothing without the screen. Without awareness of the screen, the main character is stuck in a limited role.
By balancing our attention between the movie and the screen, the quality of life takes a healthier, more satisfying perspective. There is space and safety to examine the roles we're playing and see if we can animate them in a more meaningful, authentic, easy, kind, courageous, and liberated way. Balance allows us to play with our choices, take risks, practice autonomy, self-control, self-awareness. We can explore who and what we are and make adjustments that improve our experiences.
Cultivating nothingness is a delight, like cultivating a garden. Meditation brings mental and physical health benefits on its own, regardless of the realization of nothingness. The process is surprisingly simple, and why wouldn’t it be? It is the natural state, the underlying state. It is our human birthright.
Sit quietly. If sitting quietly is hard, the movie is consuming. Sitting quietly is the cure.
Focus concentration on something—a sound, a word, a visual cue, the breath. When you discover you’ve drifted off, return to focus. Repeat. And repeat over and over. Concentration improves with this practice. As we get better at concentrating, open nothing space volunteers itself. At first, we chase it away with our surprise in the discovery. Words and reactions chase it away. Wanting it chases it away.
With practice, we become more skilled, more focused, more comfortable, more aware. Awareness leads to nothingness, as nothingness is always with us. We learn how to nurture it so that it becomes part of our experience.
Nothingness brings on a sense of well being. We feel gentler, easier, less reactive, more kind, more satisfied with the beauty and the ugly of life. And we realize that if nothingness is the state of death, all is well.
The practice of Samadhi is the practice of life, moment by moment.
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