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Slowing Down to Still the Mind

This post is a reflection on the article "The Need for a Teacher," by Eknath Easwaran.


What struck me most in Easwaran's article is his injunction to go slow and to allow my body, mind and will to develop the strength and resiliency necessary to continue to progress on the spiritual path, even as the challenges increase. I tend to be impatient with the pace of my progress, so I’m grateful for Easwaran’s reminder that trying to force or rush spiritual growth is dangerous.

In practice, going slow might mean taking incremental steps in, for example, training the senses. Rather than giving up coffee  altogether, for instance, I might try drinking a bit less than I’m used to. Or, for an even smaller but still effective experiment, I could choose a different mug, leaving my preferred one in the cupboard for another day. I have tried both of these options recently, and have found I was able to loosen up my preferences just a bit. As Easwaran teaches, juggling my likes and dislikes in one area makes is easier for me to do it in other areas. I have discovered, since I implemented the two experiments above, that my preferences in things like deciding where to eat when my family orders takeout have become more flexible. I’m learning that it can be liberating when asked for my opinion about where to eat or what to listen to on the radio, to say simply, “I don’t have a strong preference,” or, “I’ll let you pick.”

Just the other day I was having lunch with some of my coworkers, and although I had already chosen my entree I began to doubt my choice as I listened to them discuss what they might order. Pretty quickly, however, I was able to catch my mind in the act and say, “We are going to stick with our first choice, even if their selections sound more enticing.” And while I’m sure it was almost all due to the expertise of the chef, it was one of the best restaurant meals I’ve had in a long time.

To borrow Easwaran’s language, it is the artistry of these small daily decisions that appeals so much to me. More than that, though, it is the stillness of mind that comes from loosening my preferences, even a little bit, that is the real payoff.
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