down, standing on one leg, running, or taking a bath.
But to stay at it for even five minutes requires
intentionality. To make it part of your life requires
some discipline. So when people say they can't
meditate, what they really mean is that they won't
make time for it, or that when they try, they don't like
what happens. It isn't what they are looking for or
hoping for. It doesn't fulfill their expectations. So
maybe they should try again, this time letting go of
their expectations and just watching.
In Praise of Non-Doing
If you sit down to meditate, even for a moment, it will
be a time for non-doing. It is very important not to
think that this non-doing is synonymous with doing
nothing. They couldn't be more different.
Consciousness and intention matter here. In fact,
they are key.
On the surface, it seems as if there might be two
kinds of non-doing, one involving not doing any
outward work, the other involving what we might call
effortless activity. Ultimately we come to see that they
are the same. It is the inward experience that counts