Roger, Will, Charlie
Last night I was talking to my husband about the Buddhist concept of being present. He began to tell me about a Rabbi’s sermon he remembered about a young man and his homework. He recounted that the Rabbi had said the young man put off doing his homework because he was thinking about how much he wanted to be with his girlfriend, but then when he was with his girlfriend he felt anxious because he had not done his homework. If you had attended the field trip at Wat Bhuddhabhavana, this story would sound familiar. It happens to be the exact story the monks told my students.
One of my favorite poems starts this way…
In a field/ I am the absence/ of field./ This is/ always the case./ Wherever I am/ I am what is missing.
Although my analysis of the poem does not seem to fit in with the normal analysis, I have often thought about these lines when I feel disconnected from what is around me. I am here, but my mind is somewhere else. I am here, but I am worried/concerned/focused on the past or present that I cannot change.
This brings me to Wednesday and our second visit to the Wat. You can read the Lowell Sun article about our trip here.
Ajahn Mangkone and Ajahn David spoke to the students about focus and being present. I watch my students struggle with this daily. They sit in my class, but do their homework for another class. They text their friends. Wherever they are, their attention is what is missing. This ability to focus, to be present, to truly experience the present reality is one purpose of meditation. As Ajahn Mangkone said, ‘the past is gone, the future has not yet come, the present is the only reality.’
As our group meditated, I could sense the calming in the room and the energy of the 50 of us in the room. The next day, some of the students reported that it was hard to sit still. Some reported that their backs hurt from the effort of sitting straight on the floors or in their chairs. But some students talked about the feeling of peace that came over them, and the sensation of their bodies slowing down.
The school building and schedule does not lend itself to being present. The halls are crowded, the classes short, the structure of the day is controlled by bell tones. If you don’t move fast, you might not get the seat you want in the cafeteria, or find the empty stall in the bathroom and still get to class on time. Within the existing structure, is it possible to create an environment in which students can learn and explore?
Receiving a blessing bracelet
Ajahn David and Ajahn Mangkone talk to the students
