It’s Time to Graduate

There comes a point when you are no longer the student.

A guide for the intermediate mindfulness practitioner.

Some interests like chess or music are so vast that it’s easy to remain a novice, in our minds. It might seem like we are still freshmen when, in fact, we are quite accomplished.

This isn’t because the enthusiast hasn’t learned a lot. It’s because some undertakings are so large that our proportional success always seems small. It’s the “seeming” that I am writing about here.

Our own enlightenment is obviously one of those big endeavors. Mindfulness and meditation are two topics that make it easy to believe that one still has a lot more to learn. The idea of really “being zen” can always seem to be out of reach. What seems to be is a matter of perception. I have reasons to believe that, when it comes to our zen journey, our progress should seem different than what we have in mind.

I have been practicing and studying mindfulness and meditation for over ten years and I still consume information about the topic every day. But, the switch I am proposing, for you and me, is to change our perspective on our stage in the process: from a fledgling student to an authentic practitioner.

My case:

Mindfulness is based on principles, not an extensive canon of knowledge. Unlike law or medicine, the study of zen is not about gathering a lot of new information. In fact, much of Eastern philosophy is based on “unlearning” our mental programs. Like most things Asian, zen is beautifully simple. Asian paintings can have very few brushstrokes. Likewise, zen has very few particles of information, compared to many other areas of study. It would be relatively easy to study for a test on Zen and mindfulness. There simply isn’t that much information to learn.

It’s less about learning and more about applying. Mindfulness training is like ski instruction, a short segment of lessons, followed by hours (years) of hands-on practice. Like the old board game, Othello, mindfulness can be described as requiring “a minute to learn, but a lifetime to master.” When viewed this way, spending more time than needed to “learn” about mindfulness is exposed as a waste of time.

So, should I stop consuming all content about mindfulness, meditation, and zen?

No. The dish I best prepare is perspective and I am going to serve you a portion now.

Reminders Not Lessons

Whereas there might come a time in your mindfulness journey when lessons are not required, there will never come a time when reminders about mindfulness are not useful. In my opinion, daily reminders are essential in order to grow (or even maintain) a mindfulness practice. You can’t go out there alone. You need to remind yourself of “your” zen philosophies every day. The modern world sows too much content into our minds to not fight back with our own, hand-selected, content. However, the shift in perspective, from lesson to reminder is significant.

Why does your perspective about your stage in the journey matter?

Does it really make a difference if you consider yourself to be in the process of learning about mindfulness or an established practitioner of mindfulness?

It does, and here are reasons why it does.

By determining that you no longer need additional mindfulness education you will gain:

Confidence: You will believe that you are doing (and thinking) the right things, making you more likely to do (and think) those right things. Although it’s not usually described as one, mindfulness is a plan. It’s a strategy you can use every second of the day, meaning you can know what to do at all times. You do not need more lessons on how to apply mindfulness to a moment. Mindfulness is simply explained and you have already heard that explanation many times. You have earned the right to be confident about your mindfulness abilities.  And, if you are confident in your mindfulness abilities, you will apply them more often.

Trust: Rather than constantly analyzing your life philosophies and adjusting to your “next big campaign,” you can relax in knowing that you have a plan and that it is solid. Mindfulness is for life. It has been around for thousands of years and has millions of devotees. It’s not a fad. It has brought relief and happiness to countless people. Modern science is also on board with the claims made by the East for centuries: Mindfulness works. Once committed to, another philosophy is not necessary. Mindfulness encompasses it all, the whole universe. You don’t need to keep looking for new ways to be. When you realize that you are already a mindfulness practitioner you can let go and trust the philosophy.

Time Efficiency: Less time spent learning about mindfulness, means more time spent living your best life MINDFULLY. Would you keep attending the bunny slope ski lesson over and over again? Continuing to study mindfulness in the hopes of learning new information is just as illogical. It’s redundant. Seeing your consumption as a reminder or a daily devotional makes more sense.

Pride and self-image: You’re no longer someone who needs to learn how to fix your life. You are someone who has learned the best way to live and you are already doing it. Although there are millions of people in the world who practice mindfulness and meditation, compared to the whole population, there are still very few. You are one of a small percentage of people who have committed time and attention to this topic. You deserve to feel pride for that accomplishment. Take pride in the fact that you have already learned its lessons. 

If this guide resonates with you, maybe it’s time for you to proclaim yourself to be a full-fledged mindfulness practitioner and no longer just a student. As with most things, all it takes to make a shift in your life is a shift in your mindset.

So, go ahead and throw your own graduation party!

Burak Uzun is an award-winning writer and a Certified Meditation Teacher.

Burak Uzun also co-wrote a feature film called Team Marco, which was featured in over fifty film festivals around the globe and was distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films.

Please feel free to reach out to Burak here.

Learn more about SOCA LLC and Burak’s classes here.