Morality and Why It Matters.

Morality and Why It Matters

Meditation is sexy, morality a wallflower, of sorts, yet the former won’t go well without her. Meditation classes and sessions are great places to meet people and socialize, not unlike yoga classes, but if we want to get anywhere in either, we had better recognize why we are there.

Whether it be meditation or yoga, if we are up front and personal with ourselves and others, acknowledging why we are there, to ourselves and others, making no pretense about our motivation then meditation and yoga rock. No shortage of sexy people practicing the “dharma.”

We get into trouble when we allow our intentions to get seduced into thinking we are not in the studio or meditation hall for purposes of getting laid, when we are. To fool others is one thing, but when it advances to the stage of fooling oneself, we are in trouble.

I went to a Zen center many years ago in San Francisco. They had sessions throughout the day, a “serious” place, and as I had just moved to the City, I decided to live and practice there. I practiced with the members about a week, and even continued meditating during the breaks, one of which was two hours, ostensibly for lunch. I only needed a few minutes for lunch and was then back in the hall meditating.

The others needed two hours because they were partying across the street every day. I know because I crossed the street and joined them one day. Because the atmosphere of the Zen center was not serious enough for me to get anywhere, sort of like a good soup with one bad ingredient. I soon left.

If I learned anything throughout years of meditation and yoga, it’s that I better go it alone than be in an environment where intentions are mixed. This doesn’t mean that I don’t join a “sexy” yoga class or go to a tantra initiation. But, I am clear of my intention befor going, and when I get what I want, I am on my own again. My intention is to get instructions, and sometimes getting them means getting into a “scene” that to my mind goes counter to the instructions I am receiving. So, I get what I want and go my way.

Dharma practice of any kind is a pain in the ass that requires discipline in every area of our lives, and we cannot pick and choose what areas are fare game and which are hands off. As the saying goes, “you got to be willing to die in the last ditch.”

Of yoga, meditation, and AA meetings, AA is considered best for cherry picking, followed closely by yoga and meditation sessions respectively. I suppose AA wins because of vulnerable targets are easy prey, but yoga studios are not far behind, though for different reasons. Meditation studios are more difficult because everyone tries to be more reserved and serious.

I don’t find it a problem going somewhere to be a better, healthier, more aware person and not care about any of the foregoing, if one acknowledges that intention, but let us not think otherwise. If we conceal our intentions to others, we may end up fooling ourselves, too, and wear a mask that covers up who we are, which is what we should want to find out.

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