365 steps is a lot of steps! Each morning for a week, running/fast walking up them, barefoot, seemed like a good thing to do before breakfast… Circumambulating Swayambhunath.
Grounding on the cold stone steps and breathing deeply, is a wonderful tone to start the day on.
This is Swayambhunath, or ‘Monkey Temple’. Overlooking the Kathmandu valley. Magnificent and breathtaking, literally, with approximately 10% less oxygen in the air (at 1.5km above Sea-level the taking of breath gains less), and that’s a lot of steps in the morning… a strangely euphoric feeling accompanied this.
Euphoric Feelings and Alterations
Everything is an alteration of consciousness, from happy to excited, bored to sleepy… they are distinct states of consciousness different from each other.
The entrance to a building or room (according to Collins Dictionary: En- is added to words to form verbs that describe the process of putting someone into a particular state, condition, or place), en-trance… literally means ‘in-trance’.
Who would doubt that, walking in from a snowy, dark, cold environment… and stepping thorough the ‘EnTrance’ into a warm, colorful, loud environment of good cheer, seasons greetings and merriment… it is an alteration of ones experience. En(ter a new )trance.
Stepping into the Temple at the top of the hill, it was colorful, breathtaking and beautiful… and circumambulating. . .
Circumambulation is a fancy word to describe walking round in a circle. Typically around something.
Kathmandu, aka the City of Temples, has many places for circumambulating… the Buddhist Stupas, dome shaped, round buildings are built for this.
Adorned with pray wheels that are there to be spun while circumambulating is another part of the active movement/meditation at play here… and play is vital.
The first groups of Buddhists monks I really met were in Henley-on-Thames in the UK. In a park where my young son and I were playing… they too came and played. A thing I did not expect from ‘holy men’… certainly the black ‘n’ while clergy I’d met before seemed to lack this aspect of their character. Splashing in the fountain and laughing, and generally not taking life to seriously, these monks intrigued me.
Circumambulating Swayambhunath
Turning the prayer wheels while Circumambulating Swayambhunath… sometimes there are hundreds of these prayer wheels around some of the Temples.
Walking round and round…
Almost any act can be a meditation… life indeed should be a meditation, according to some.
Walking round and round, or going up and down (mowing the lawn), or side to side.. Side note: side to side movement is especially effective when it is your head only. Shaking your head side to side like an exaggerated ‘No’ at a continuous 100 bpm for 5 minutes is not something most people know about. Nor what happens… or how you feel afterwards… or what happens next…? See Head-Nod Vibration
Across the valley is Bodanath Stupa, built a thousand years ago… round and round untold millions of footsteps have traversed this circular Stupa. On level ground and surrounded by prayer wheels this is the place for inner contemplating and circumambulating.
A quiet mind.
Peaceful and calm.
Except when creativity and excitement are the state required.
All is mind. Control of your mind is the goal (this goal is big… and that just makes the target easier to hit!)
Meditation is a timeless technique for feeling calm, relaxed and more… meditation is very varied. There are many formulas and systems, styles and disciplines…
Meditation in Many Ways
Guided Meditation ~ an outside person or people, leading or guiding the session (this also includes ‘none word’ types, e.g. chanting).
And Internally Initiated Meditation ~ this may start on the outside side, eg: a candle flame, or start behind closed eyelids (and may include: breathing, visualisation, body scans… etc).
Both of these may happen in groups or by ones self (mp3 players make the guided form just one). The connection and energy of group meditation is undeniable, palpable even. Experiments have been conducted on both the participants and the ripple effect of the Intention of such experiences.
Intention is powerful. From simply relaxing, to seeking guidance for an aspect of life. Intention is the frame for the meditation (even the healing effects of placebo comes down to intention…).
The combinations and the different distinctions of meditation are enormous:
On your own, in groups, quiet, with music (or sounds), motionless, moving…
Meditation can also be ‘Active’. Many years ago I rose unusually early one morning to attend an ‘Active Mediation’ on the beach.
The Guru who created this form of Active Mediation wasn’t present, maybe he doesn’t like getting up before sunrise… Instead one of his followers was leading the meditation, I say leading she very briefly explained what we were going to do before simply jumping up and down…
Seeking to Transcend the Individual Identity and Merge with the Divine
Sufi whirling, or ‘Sama’, is another form of physical meditation (a very fast spinning), one that aims to induce a state of ‘Ecstatic Trance’ ultimately leading to a profound connection with the divine.
Circumambulating is a much slower version… much slower.
Circumambulating while repeating a Mantra or chanting “Circumambulation contains all three actions of body, speech and mind.”
“Even if you only circumambulate one or two times using this method, you become enriched with so many skies of merit and receive very deep purification. This is an extremely important practice for quick enlightenment.”
Lama Zopa Rinpoche
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