Stillness is a word I hear a lot. “Still your mind.” “Find your inner stillness.” “Practice stillness.” These all sound like great advice, I mean I feel calmer just reading them.
But what exactly is stillness?
But is there a definition of stillness? I mean is there a single definition that we all agree on? Here’s Google’s take on the question:
“Stillness is a multifaceted concept that refers to both the physical absence of motion or sound, and a profound inner state of mental calmness and tranquility” — Google AI
Sounds kinda wonky but ok, let’s call that the intellectual/conceptual answer to the question of “what is stillness?” But what is the spiritual meaning?
“When our mind is calm, we can see reality more clearly,
like still water reflecting the trees, the clouds, and the blue sky.
Stillness is the foundation of understanding and insight.
Stillness is strength.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
I like this explanation. When I am not letting my mind wander all over the place I do “see” the world in all its magnificence. I feel blessed after all these years that I can put aside my usual cynical view of the world (“mankind’s world”, that is) and still be able to marvel after all these later years. Simple things like:
How does each goose know what position to take? Oops, no! That last part is my mind “thinking”, i.e., no longer still. Sometimes I imagine there is a Buddhist monk walking around my meditation space and hitting me on my back with a bamboo stick (a “keisaku” I’ve learned it’s called). “Just be still and focus on the damn geese,” he says. “It does not matter how they know how to do what they do!”
Buddhists use the word “Samatha”, which is a Pali word meaning “stillness, tranquility or calm”.
I’ve always liked the word “Samatha”. Maybe because it reminds me of the name “Samantha” which reminds me of “Samantha Stevens” the friendly witch in a favorite childhood TV show and this brings back warm memories. Anyway, that is my little mnemonic to help me retain the word in my limited Buddhist vocabulary.
More importantly, as my spiritual training has progressed, I have learned to “wake up” and recognize when my mind begins to stray from “stillness”. I wonder: Does that mean I have learned to hit myself with an “invisible” keisaku?
I’ll have to meditate on that.
#presence #stillness #peaceful #relaxation #calm #at ease #serenity #tranquility
