Question: Hi: When I’m in meditation or prayer, I find I hear an insight that proves to be ‘write-worthy’, and at that moment, I want to write it down, but at the same time my logic is, ‘don’t break the silence’. I feel somewhat disrespectful if and when I do it, but, at the same time I see the value in the wisdom, and I don’t fully believe I can sustain an exact memory for the remaining meditation/prayer, however long that is. What should I do? God bless you, Brett
Answer: Dear Brett: There are many meditation experts out there and right off the bat you should know that I’m not one of them. I’m sure you’re right that anything interruptive is not encouraged in some schools of thought. The opposite side of the coin is that when there are so many approaches, I feel like there is the open opportunity to personalize it. I happen to agree with you in that I don’t want to lose those precious little insights. To that end, I keep a hand-held tape recorder nearby to speak into at will. Then, when I am done, I transfer what I have said into a notebook, since I want to take what I’ve learned into the practical aspects of my life.
There are so many different ways to meditate…even some of them with different goals. I would recommend Paul Fleischman’s “Cultivating Inner Peace” for a great introduction to Vipassana Meditation and Pema Chodron’s writings for an introduction to Tonglin Meditation. I particularly like the Tonglin approach because it keeps my mind busy, but she also teaches a variety of Consciousness Meditation that involves stilling the mind. Your co-reference to meditation/prayer appeals to me because I feel they are so interrelated. Blessings, Luise
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