In the Pali Canon, there’s a meditation metaphor about a chicken:
“Just as a hen covers, incubates, and nurtures the eggs, our dedicated practices and investigation lead directly to awakening.”
This spoke to me, especially as a woman who gestated and gave birth. I can relate to the potent sense of something important happening, even when I’m ‘doing nothing.’ And I can see the correlation between pregnancy and meditation. Each quietly, steadily, almost passively, grows something priceless and precious.
So a few weeks ago, I shared this metaphor while leading a meditation in my women’s meditation sangha. But I soon realized that the thought of a hen might activate thoughts rather than inspire skillful concentration. One of my students raises chickens. Would she be suddenly caught up in thinking about them? The rest undoubtedly have concerns about industrial poultry farming. While worthy of thought, it is not the stuff of a mindfulness meditation.
How easily a seemingly quiet metaphor can become a bundle of knotted thoughts and emotions. Not at all what we’re going for in meditation!
But I still liked the metaphor. So I came up with one that is the same but potentially freer from the entanglement of activated thoughts. This is offered as a brief lead-in to silent meditation.
Nesting Bird Meditation by Stephanie Noble
If you can’t listen right now, here are the words of the guided meditation:
“It’s the nature of mind to meander, just as it’s the nature of birds to fly. And yet when it’s time, birds know to build a nest and sit on the eggs, trusting in the practice.
“Just so, we sit, and we trust in the meditation practice, returning our attention to the nest of this moment, again and again.
“We let go of speculating on what will be hatched and trust that wholesome actions will yield beneficial results.
“Once the eggs hatch, the bird nurtures and feeds the offspring. In the same way, once we begin to see the benefits of meditation practice showing up in our experience, we nurture and feed them. We recognize their value and the importance of our continuing practice. We see the natural cultivation of spacious awareness, loving kindness, ease, health, peace, and joy.
“It takes unqualified patience to sit on a nest of eggs. Let this awareness inspire us to let go of speculation and expectations. Let’s not peck at the eggshells, trying to hurry awakening along.
“And, let’s keep our attention from flying off in all directions, leaving the eggs of awareness to grow cold.
“Just like the bird, we simply sit.”
After the meditation our class discussion was rich.
One student said, “It appealed to my feminine energy of nurturing and caring.”
Of course, that feminine energy is not solely for women. We all have that within us. Accessing it is a great way to develop Metta, infinite lovingkindness.
We explored the difference between patience and waiting:
Waiting is caught up in anticipation, aggravation, worry, daydreaming, and restlessness.
Patience is being fully in this moment, just as it is. During meditation, we’re not waiting for the bell to ring or for enlightenment. We’re simply here for whatever is arriving in our field of awareness. There is an element of trust in this patience. We trust in the benefits of the practice. And if there’s an insight gestating, we are here to recognize it.
What comes up for you? Please join in the conversation!
STEPHANIE NOBLE 