And other fun metaphors
Meditation teachings are full of fun metaphors.
Like monkey minds, and minds as sky, and reps in the mental gym.
There’s our mind like murky river water whose sediment sinks when left to sit.
Or our emotions as internal weather patterns that eventually clear no matter how long drizzle has been drizzling (and our hair has turned to frizz.)
Or how about this one I made up, but won’t claim is mine – since all teachings are borrowed from spiritual traditions way older than me.
Meditation is like warm water that dissolves a sugary mind.
A sugary mind?
A sugary mind is a jacked-up mind, buzzing, bloated and feeding on empty calories.
The brain’s default mode network spewing out a stream of juicy thoughts to ingest on repeat.
It’s a mind that’s constantly consuming; from work-related tasks to the latest binge-able series on Netflix.
It’s a mind that lives by the motto, more is more.
But since we’re all flocking to intermittent fasting to detox our bodies and curb actual calories, what about intermittent fasting for the mind?
Meditation is the circuit-breaker our minds need to detox from stimulus that’s got us all hooked. To starve the compulsion toward endless consumption.
To starve the proclivity for stress, pain, and fatigue.
To dissolve time, impatience, and an inflated sense of self.
Intermittent fasting for the mind is another metaphor I made up, but my guess is someone likely already joined the dots.
What’s your favourite meditation metaphor?
