Stepping into the musty shop on a busy street in Kathmandu,
I was looking for souvenirs. I found
some – but I also came away with 7 life lessons.
I was in Nepal to facilitate a workshop for The Asia
Foundation, and other than a planned mountain flight to see Mt. Everest, this
afternoon was my one opportunity for shopping and sightseeing. The souvenir shop, not far from my hotel,
sold items like luxurious pashmina shawls, beautiful Thangka paintings,
colorful handmade paper. What caught my
eye, though, were the rows of Tibetan singing bowls.
I didn’t know much about singing bowls, but had seen and
heard them used in the US in church services and in yoga classes as a call to
meditation. I remembered their beautiful
and calming sound. I immediately decided that, if I could find an affordable
one, this would be the perfect memento of my very first trip to Nepal.
When the storekeeper saw that I was serious about buying
one, he offered to show me how to make the bowl “sing.” I gladly took him up on
the offer. Although I made the
storekeeper – let’s call him my “Zen master” – cringe in the process, I am
grateful for the 7 lessons I learned about singing bowls. I think they also apply to life in general.
1. Loosen Your Grip
First, my teacher demonstrated how to hold the bowl lightly
in the palm of one’s hand. If you clutch
it tightly, it won’t sing.
Is there something in my life – career, personal life,
relationships, goals – that I am clutching too tightly, and in so doing,
preventing the very results I seek?
2. Be Consistent
My teacher instructed me to hold the wooden baton as I would
a writing instrument, between my thumb and first two fingers, and circle the
rim of the bowl, applying firm and even pressure. I found that varying the speed or pressure did
not yield good results.
In what areas of my life am I inconsistent? How might
greater consistency help me, and others in my life?
3. Find a Good Teacher
An eager student, I dutifully followed my teacher’s
instructions. As I circled the bowl’s
perimeter with the baton, I thought I was doing pretty well. I soon noticed, however, that my “Zen master”
was cringing. So much for his
equilibrium and inner peace. For him, a master in meditation, watching me in
action was probably the equivalent of hearing fingernails on a chalkboard. He gently and patiently corrected my
technique, until I was on the right track.
Who can teach me what I need to learn? Who possesses the
knowledge I seek, but also – perhaps more importantly – the patience required
to help me learn?
4. Be Patient
After all that instruction and correction, I figured I’d be
producing the melodic pitch at any moment. I figured wrong. I kept circling the bowl with the baton, but produced
no sound. What was I doing wrong? Why wasn’t it working? My teacher reassured me that my technique was
fine, I just had to be patient. “You will circle the bowl ten times, maybe
more, before you hear any sound,” he explained. In the case of this newbie, it
was closer to 20 times – but I did eventually hear a sweet tone emanating from
the bowl.
Are there areas in my life – career, personal life,
relationships, goals – where I am frustrated by the lack of results? Am I ready
to give up too quickly? Should I
persevere, and if so, how?
5. Relish the Ride as Much as the Results
I was so intent on doing it “right,” my brows were knit in
concentration, my shoulders were tense. “Breathe,” my teacher reminded me simply. Oh yeah, this is supposed to be meditative. The gains are not in merely making the bowl
sing. If anything, the sound is merely a
signal that I am fully engaged in the process.
In what areas of my life am I focused more on achieving the
results than enjoying the journey? How can I relish the ride a bit more?
6. There Are Multiple Paths to Take — Find the One that
Works for You
I also learned that to jump-start the sound, you can tap the
side of the bowl, which produces a lovely gong sound, and then circle the rim
of the bowl with the baton to prolong and heighten the sound. I was gratified to find that even in this meditative
activity, there are multiple paths to a common destination.
In what areas of my life am I assuming that there is only
one way to do things? How might exploring an alternate path be more productive,
more freeing, or more effective?
7. Balance Your Commitments
As I held the singing bowl in my left hand, circling it with
my right, my wedding ring would occasionally touch the bottom of the bowl. The contact of metal on metal resulted in a
discordant clang. My teacher again
corrected my hold on the bowl. I wasn’t
about to take off my wedding ring, but I had to adjust my approach given that I
was wearing one.
How might I need to adjust my approach in various areas of
life given that I have certain commitments (be they to spouse, children,
friends, certain values, or causes)?
My Tibetan singing bowl now sits on a prominent shelf in my
home office, a reminder of the 7 life lessons I learned that afternoon in
Kathmandu.
Note : This is real life experience from SHANA MONTESOL JOHNSON. If you enjoy it Keep Sharing - Admin
