GOODNIGHT, FUCKERS #413: TM

Words to live by

 

When I first heard of Transcendental Meditation it was as a kid because my parents loved the Beatles. It seemed kind of silly to me, so I forgot the whole thing. And then I saw Twin Peaks when I was a bit older, and it interested me a little more, but not enough to try it. And then I read David Lynch's Catching the Big Fish, and I figured, why not?

First of all, and this is very important, the way I use TM is *not* to transcend or do anything spiritual. That still sounds very silly to me. As far as I can tell, Lynch doesn't use it for that, either. From my interpretation, it helps him think a lot clearer, and it does the same thing for me. It clears my head, and it helps me think about things from different angles.

Remember a while back when I talked about teaching myself to cook? TM is how I did it.

So this might help you, too. This is what I do.

I mediate twice a day (if I'm lucky). Once in the morning before work, once in the evening after work. I set twenty minutes aside for each session. You're supposed to find somewhere quiet with no distractions, but I don't have that luxury. I live close to the expressway and the train tracks, which are constantly noisy. Birds nest just outside my bedroom window, and the neighbor has a dog that barks constantly. To say nothing of screaming children walking through the alley behind my house.

But I do the best with what I've got. I sit comfortably. I cross my legs, but that's not important. Just so long as I'm comfortable, I can meditate. I close my eyes, and for the next twenty minutes I say my mantra over and over again in my head.

It important to choose a mantra that doesn't get said in regular conversation. It's like training an attack dog. The attack word should not be something someone might say accidentally around your dog. The mantra itself means nothing. It's just a thing for you to concentrate on. For example, I use a made up word. You're not supposed to say what it is to anyone else. That's probably bullshit, but I won't mention it here.

There are risks. Sometimes your thoughts will intrude on your mantra. That's natural. Get back to your mantra as soon as you can. You might start getting itches all over your body. Some will say to ignore it, but I find that if I do, all I can think about are the itches, so just scratch 'em and get back to the mantra as soon as possible. And the mantra might start morphing on you into another word. Try to stay focused.

By the time twenty minutes are up, you won't even think it was twenty. Today I thought I was meditating for ten minutes when my alarm went off and brought me out of it.

It refreshes the mind and promotes deeper thought. I recommend it.