Mind Weeds

Whenever you're sitting in meditation or contemplative prayer do you allow other thoughts to creep into your head and disturb your focus? That happens to all of us, especially if we're new to contemplative prayer. In Zen practice they call those thoughts Mind Weeds. I rather like that term, so I've stolen it and use it myself to refer to distractions during my spiritual meditation and contemplative prayer times. I like the term because weeds tend to be unwanted visitors in our lawns and we often have trouble getting rid of them. It's the same with Mind Weeds.

O.K., just what are Mind Weeds? Well, as I mentioned above, they're thoughts that disturb your contemplation, but they can also be sounds, or maybe you're starting to daydream. All of these experiences are Mind Weeds. They take you away from the true focus of your contemplation. Dealing with them is rather easy. Just let them come and go. Don't consider them as bothersome, because as soon as you begin thinking about them they have drawn you away from your focus. Pretty soon you'll see this is how the mind learns to settle down and as you practice contemplative prayer you'll find these disturbances come less often.

Whether you're a beginner at contemplative prayer, or have been doing it for some time, another technique to combat Mind Weeds is to use the Jesus Prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy on Me, a Sinner." By focusing on the Jesus Prayer you can calm your mind and soon you'll find that peace that is part of the experience of contemplative prayer. Of course, saying the Jesus Prayer is always a good thing and should itself be a focus of your contemplative prayer life.

So, the next time you're in contemplative prayer and you experience distractions, just know they're Mind Weeds and let them go. It will be as though a pond has been disturbed and all of the muck and mire has settled to the bottom leaving the water clear and peaceful.