The Benefits of Blankness
Sunday, April 25th, 2010
If you spent a moment without thinking, would you cease to exist?
As I mentioned earlier, when I give talks about using mindfulness practices to focus on your work, at least one person usually tells me they “can’t meditate” because they can’t seem to force their mind to quiet.
But often, if I get the chance to dig deeper into what’s going on for that person, what I discover is that they don’t really want their mind to be silent. They’re afraid that, if they stopped thinking for a moment, they wouldn’t be able to start again. And if that happened, they’d become stupid or comatose, or perhaps even disappear.
Their solution, then, is to keep up a constant stream of thought. One problem with this approach is that the clutter in their mind creates distraction — particularly when they’re trying to do a task at work. Also, as I’ll bet you know from experience, much of the thinking we do is repetitive and unpleasant.
Relaxed Body, Relaxed Mind
Many people think emptying the mind takes hard work, which is why I get questions about how to “force my mind to empty.” But over time, what I’ve discovered in meditation is that it’s more a matter of, if you will, taking a break. In fact, thinking is what takes work — mental blankness simply happens when we relax.
To experience what I’m talking about, next time your mind feels cluttered, take a moment and notice whether some part of your body is tight. For example, one thing I usually observe when my mind is teeming with thoughts is that my jaw is tense. When you notice where you’re holding onto tension, see if you can relax that area.
What I’ve noticed in myself, and in others I’ve worked with, is that relaxing those tight muscles actually helps relax the mind. It’s as if we need to tense up to produce a constant stream of thought, and letting go of that tension helps us drop the compulsive thinking.
I think this is one reason why yoga, bodywork, and other methods that help loosen up those tight spots can bring such peace. When constricted places in the body open up, it’s as if the mental storm abates and the sun peeks through the clouds. I had a striking experience like this last weekend (in a workshop by Robert Masters, whom I highly recommend), when tight spots I wasn’t even aware of in my jaw and throat unraveled, and my mind became blissfully clear.
Thinking Versus Insight
But if we let our minds empty, how do we come up with the ideas we need to do our projects? This is where, for me, the difference between thinking and insight comes into play.
Thinking, as I said, seems to require effort to produce. Insight, on the other hand, seems to arise without effort — in those moments where “inspiration strikes” without warning.
My sense is that, when our minds are clear, there’s more space for insight to enter. But when they’re clogged with ceaseless thinking, there’s no room for inspiration. It’s no surprise to me, then, that my most powerful ideas have spontaneously come up during meditation.
I think this is one meaning of the story you may know about the professor who visited a Zen monk. The monk served the professor tea, but he kept pouring even after the cup was overflowing.
“You are like this cup,” said the monk. “I cannot show you Zen until you are empty.”
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April 25th, 2010 at 8:56 pm
Oh Chris as you know by now, I love how you point out that practical tangible connectedness of tense body tense mind. You always get me, I just realized I was reading this with my hand clutching the mouse, tense of course. Interesting how I still tend to force things, rather than relax and force only when it is necessary, like taking a very heavy water pump to the river . . . I get it, thinking cannot be done by force. I do try to force solutions but as you too just told me, I know it doesn’t work.
So keep reminding me, insight is way more superior than most of my thoughts.
xox Wilma
April 26th, 2010 at 8:17 am
Hi Wilma — yes, I never get tired of this, do I? I’m glad you don’t either.
That sounds really valuable to be able to see yourself trying to physically push your work along in the moment. I hope this blog provides people with an opportunity to check in like that and notice where that kind of “pushing” is going on.
April 26th, 2010 at 9:09 am
Chris,
You are correct, we must allow our minds to become silent. Forcing our mind to be silent is like forcing the toothpaste back into the tube, you won’t get much back in and you will create a big mess. When we allow our minds to be still we then as you said make room for insight, this is when the magic happens. I love your thought about relaxing the part of the body that is reacting to our over stimulated mind, very good!
April 26th, 2010 at 10:51 am
Hi Mark — thanks for the appreciation. I like that way of putting it — we usually, I think, see the mind as creating sensations in the body, but in fact can work the other way around — and, at a deeper level, the mind/body distinction breaks down.
April 26th, 2010 at 3:07 pm
Thank you Chris,
I just discovered your blog and look forward to reading more!
I have never read before about finding tension in the body to quiet the mind. I’m looking forward to trying this!
Thanks again!
April 26th, 2010 at 4:38 pm
“When our minds are clear, there’s more space for insight to enter.” Exactly! I was thinking that just prior to reading your words. It just makes sense. And… when the mind is calm and empty, the inner critic isn’t filtering the insights.
April 26th, 2010 at 8:43 pm
Sometimes, I think a person is afraid that they’ll lose track of something they need to remember, if they let go of thoughts. If that’s the case, taking a little time before meditation to do a ‘core dump’ onto paper of all those things you don’t dare forget, can do wonders.
I love your comment on the effortlessness of insight, as compared to the tension of the holding-onto kind of thinking.
April 27th, 2010 at 10:35 am
Hi Davina — that’s a good point — that allowing our minds to empty also allows us to take a break from the critic for a while. For people who identify with the critic — which I think we all do from time to time — this can feel like a dangerous thing to do at first, but I think ultimately it’s liberating.
April 27th, 2010 at 10:39 am
Hi Kye — I like that suggestion — that seems like a helpful way to drop some of the anxiety people tend to feel about meditation. I also think that, if we find ourselves saying “I don’t dare forget something,” that sounds like a useful fear to look at — what exactly is going to happen if I forget this particular agenda item, and whose voice is it telling me I’m worthless or in danger if I do forget?
April 27th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
Chris,
I just left a yin-yoga class and I was so happy to have a teacher, because my mind has been so busy lately that I needed to be reassured that after the end relaxation someone would be there to bring me back…I did not end up going too deeply as it was a new class, but I was able to get a rush of joy which assisted me in getting off the floor…all relief…
more insight please
Great write up Thank you.
I am hoping I can get my IT to check out your class but it might conflict with her trip to Denmark….furlough plan means she has to take vacation before July 1 ….she may have a conflict…do you have a flier….?
April 27th, 2010 at 8:10 pm
Hi Patricia — I’m glad to hear that you were able to let your mind relax — it sounds like that was relieving for you. If you’re interested in my workshop, it’s a one-day, full-day affair on June 12, and you can find out more about it at http://purposepowercoaching.com/site/2010/04/09/inner-productivity-intensive-workshop/
April 29th, 2010 at 11:42 am
Ahhhh, a calmness always drifts through me as I read your posts.
My mind is empty now.
This sentence breathes all wisdom of the ancients.
See? See how amazing my next thought when I was empty!!
You rock, in the way Seth Godin spoke about true rocking in this post…
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2010/03/you-rock.html
with love and continuing funsterment,
xo
April 30th, 2010 at 2:03 am
I like the Zen Monk analogy. I often feel like that cup.
April 30th, 2010 at 9:07 am
Hi Jannie — I’m glad my posts have a calming effect for you — that’s definitely what I hope to achieve. You rock too — in your case both literally and figuratively!
April 30th, 2010 at 9:09 am
Hi Barry — thanks for the appreciation. I’m glad the analogy was helpful to you.
April 30th, 2010 at 11:01 am
Very nice further thought about the voice saying ‘I don’t dare’–yes indeed, whose voice is saying that?
May 1st, 2010 at 2:48 pm
Hi Jenny Ann — whoops, I overlooked your comment on the first pass. I hope the practice of relaxing the body to relax the mind is useful to you — I know it’s definitely changed how I experience my work.
May 21st, 2010 at 3:12 pm
Dear Chris,
I know you’ve written a more recent post, which I also just loved, but I HAD to comment on this one as it is one of the BEST things I’ve read.
There are SO many dynamic passages in this post. I love this part: “Thinking, as I said, seems to require effort to produce. Insight, on the other hand, seems to arise without effort — in those moments where “inspiration strikes” without warning.”
That is BRILLIANT!! I have even written in some of my posts how thinking is very draining for me. You have worded, so well, something I have tried to put into words and am never able to, not as clearly as you have here. Why I resonate with this so strongly is that it is how I write, play music, do blog posts, and so on. I have also been a glass aritsan and potter and more and it ALL comes from this non-thinking place. I am in a state of “high” when I create, and I forget myself. It is a like a meditation for me.
I know this may sound odd, but I rarely think. All the creative things I do seem to just pop out of me from thin air. If I even begin to “try” to think I can’t seem to do a thing. But if I get out of my own way, things just happen. Life flows in and creativity with it. I hardly ever print out articles but this is one I want to read again as it is SO packed with wise magical insights. I am forever amazed at what will come out of your next. It’s quite remarkable. You are.
Thank you Chris.
Hugs,
Robin
May 22nd, 2010 at 1:56 pm
Hi Robin — mmm, I feel warm and snuggly reading your comment. I’m really glad to hear that this post had a positive impact on you. Yes, I definitely agree that thinking is a draining experience, and that it doesn’t seem to take place when I’m really immersed in and enjoying what I’m doing. I hope you’ll share some of your glasswork and pottery and other visual-art masterpieces with us readers! — Love, CE