Meditation may not always be enough.
Sometimes we need to take action: right action.
To give an obvious example, if the roof is leaking, just sitting and meditating will not be enough! We need to take action, and get help.
If we are in an abusive relationship, meditation alone will not be enough to bring us peace. We need to take action and figure out a way to get out of that situation.
If we just sit and try to meditate in these and similar situations, a voice inside will be constantly reminding us that the situation needs attention. If we try to ignore that voice, it will talk louder. This is like our roommate calling from the other room to pick up the phone. If we do not let him know that we heard, he will yell louder.
Meditation was not the Buddha’s only prescription for finding a way out of suffering and finding happiness. That prescription, the Eightfold Path, included action as well. If his message about action is not coming through as clearly as his message about meditation, it might be because action depends on the circumstances. There are no formulas to teach—only wisdom to grow.
Buddha himself lived a life of action. He gave worldly advice about right action to kings and commoners, managed a community of 1250 monastics, and traveled all over India to spread his message.
Meditation clears the mind, inspires, and makes possible a kind of action that is not emotional or ultimately destructive. It clears the way for “appropriate action.” This action may in effect be non-action: we may decide to let others (children?) to make their own choices without interfering, for example. However, such non-action, taken in the light of mindfulness, is a choice. It is not the case that we are afraid to act because of fear of conflict, or because we lack confidence.
There are two stages in Mindfulness Meditation:
• First, we calm the mind by paying attention to the breath. The usual state of our mind may be like downtown traffic: many thoughts coming and going every which way.
• Once the traffic has calmed down, and a sense of direction is apparent, we watch and listen. If there is a concern just below the surface of the mind, we listen to that. If there is discomfort about something we have done, we note that.
Taking action is a step closely allied to meditation. We take action or resolve to take action to address the concerns we felt during the sitting period. Meditation is not only about sitting. Either we make changes inspired by our meditation, or we are forever stuck at the same place, forever experiencing the same regrets or worries, forever being kept awake at night.
Looking at meditation in this way may give you a different perspective on it. It may help you to see it as a proactive, instead of a passive practice.
It is true that in meditation we generally take a detached attitude towards our thoughts. Most of the time, the mind serves us a garden variety of thoughts, going over some past experience, a bit of daydreaming, etc. This is a bit like reeds and bubbles floating to the surface of a lake, or a bit of wind stirring up waves. In meditation, we focus on our breathing, and learn to let such thoughts go (a bit like a radio in the background), and we learn to calm the mind.
But sometimes our mind may be telling us something important, like maybe we treated someone badly yesterday, in a way that does not accord with our values. Or that we are neglecting to do something that is essential for our well-being, or for realizing our plans. Turning a deaf ear to these thoughts will buy peace at a very expensive price, or not at all. In these cases, we can use mindfulness to look deeply and find an appropriate course of action. Peace of mind may come only when we listen to and acknowledge that inner voice, resolve to act appropriately, and then follow through.