Is it the path or the goal? Which one drives you?

[Inyan]

 

 

Some do walking mediations. Some use archery as meditation. Some use prayer songs, music, chi kung, inipi/sweat lodge, vision quests, etc. Grafting is one of my meditation practices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I look at meditation the same way I look at different physical exercises. You might do pull-ups and that helps your back and arms. You might do pushups and that helps your chest and arms. Running for the heart. Deadlifts and squats for ones back. You put these practices together in a consistent manner and you develop strength. Your form improves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All these things practices take the same thing to improve:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Desire

 

 

 

Will

 

 

 

Consistency

 

 

 

Time

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Desire has to come from within. If you are constantly judging ones efforts or trying to reach 300 lbs on your exercises and you can barely move 45 lbs your likely going to loose desire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For me, it is more effective to simply be content with the path rather than focusing on the destination. It is the path that I find exciting as the goal may or may not prove fruitful that day. Yes, there is a goal in mind, but it is the path that one must find ones happiness in. If the path does not bring you happiness then the goal soon becomes a moot point as time eats away at you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Will is tied into desire in that if you are not finding peace or happiness through the path or practice you have chosen then your willpower will soon be over run. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Consistency only comes if one has desire and willpower. If one is missing then it is only a matter of  time before the consistency starts to falter. Consistency is best maintained when the short term goals are focused more on quality of effort and one gives oneself rewards for quality of effort as well as consistency of effort with built in laziness days. Meaning, it is okay to sometimes give less quality of effort so long as the consistency remains true. An example of this is realizing that you don’t feel good one day and you have finally reached the point where you can push 200 lbs 10 times. You would do much better to push 200 lbs 1 time with quality effort and speed that day rather than miss a week of effort altogether. Miss enough and you will find yourself having trouble with half that weight in no time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time… everything comes or goes in time. Each day or moment in time is a choice as to what to do with your time. This ties into your intent, which can be focused intensely over time or with the use of pejuta. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So for me, pejuta becomes the one tool I may use to push through the barrier of time. Essentially giving a cheat or a push which might be looked at in weightlifting terms as doing a negative or forced reps. Pejuta allows for a magnification of sorts, but it may magnify the good and the bad… so it is important that intent and willpower are there when one chooses to utilize that boost.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grafting is one of my personal tools for meditation as it is something I am happy doing. Now, I would love for each and every graft to come out perfect from the start. But that is not how it started. Very little is perfect the first time. If one judges oneself on some ideal that one can not reach then there will be little happiness and much frustration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The path one chooses must be one that brings one happiness or you will find it is immensely harder to accomplish those goals one is after. The goals being secondary to the happiness one finds on the path. It is like a hybridizer who finds joy in pollinating a flower. Joy is found in watching the pod mature. More joy is found in watching the seeds go into the soil. And again, more joy is found as one watches the flowers unfold for the first time. And at the last moment, the flower itself is ugly. It is not what you wanted… but it is still beautiful to you as it is the journey that excited you. So, another round is done and another and the happiness and the focus comes more into play as one continues to refine and to learn from the path already taken.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For me, whether I am on a 4 day vision quest with no food, water, or sleep... or I am grafting it is about the path. This is why I believe I find happiness with every graft regardless of outcome. Why I find happiness in every pollination, every pod, and every seed planted... regardless of outcome the path is an adventure in which there are goals sought after, but it is not the end. It is merely the beginning.

 

 

[SayN]

I agree wholeheartedly. 

 

Direction, for me, is far more important than destination (which is largely unknown).  It amazes me where it has taken me.

[Northerner]

Nicely put Inyan. 

 

To embellish what you are saying...

 

Something we as adults have is an ability to delay gratification. A child will choose to eat one sweet right now rather than wait till tomorrow for two, adults (assuming they like sweets) will choose the opposite. There's been some interesting studies on this, well worth reading.

 

Why I think that this is relevant is that sometimes, even the most "in the moment" focused among us, will realise that we will be better off dealing with a few weeks/months/years even of discomfort to achieve a greater outcome that will lead to longer well being and a better now. Even though that now is not now, but later. Sure it would be great if we could all do what we love and get everything we want for doing just that. But if you look closely at the people who make a living (and life) at doing what they love, even they have made great sacrifices to be in that situation.

[bardo]

Yeh i agree Northerner.

Without some sacrifice or hardships would we appreciate the desired outcome the same way, like we need contrast, a = work/hardship etc. b = reward/outcome, without a as a reference to provide contrast b wouldn't have the same effect.

eg. if you like a beer, drinking one after a days work is so much more wonderful than just drinking all day long

In a way this makes negatives a positive when viewed in a broader picture