Home as Sanctuary

One of the slogans of the Seven Points of Mind Training indicates that we have a responsibility to "create conditions conducive to practice". One of the most effective things we can do is to create space in our home for practice or to have the sense that our home is a blessed place for us. This involves making decisions about where we live and how we organize our living space. Today I happened to pick up a book I had forgotten I have called, Spirit of the Home: How to Make Your Home a Sanctuary by Jane Alexander. Here's one suggestion that I came across for increasing awareness about how our surroundings affect us:

If you're not sure how sound affects you, try living without it for a day or a weekend. Go on a sound fast - no television, no radio, no music, no inane chatter. If you share with people, see if you can manage a day in quiet companionship - if you need to say anything obviously you should, but try to cut out conversation for sound's sake. This can be a very interesting exercise. When I tried it - on a five day retreat - I realized for the first time just how important silence and peace is to me. I also realized how much rubbish I speak just to be polite and sociable! Being silent can also be a real eye-opener on even deeper levels. When you stop the external chatter and noise, the mind can focus inwards and sometimes you can find quite unexpected insights appearing.

Then there are soothing and healing sounds that can help us. Ms. Alexander makes these simple suggestions:

* Search out simple sound-making equipment. Bells can be tinny and irritating or mellow and stunning. Find one whose voice suits you. Tibetan singing bowls make eerily mystical sounds. Drums echo our heartbeat - in Native American tradition you could make your own drum or buy one which "calls" to you. Drumming can be very grounding and calming after a hard day's work.
* Introduce natural sounds into your home: wind chimes, waterfalls and so on.
* If you live in a very noisy neighborhood, invest in some recordings of soothing sounds from nature - and maybe a pair of earphones. The sound of birdsong, dolphins, waterfalls and the sea can give an instant sense of soothing peace...
* Try singing or making sounds yourself. Most of us forget how to sing but it can be truly liberating. sing along with the radio when you're on your own; sing old songs or make up your own; chant sacred sounds like "omm" or vowel sounds like "aah", "eee" and "ooo". See how they affect you. Sing everywhere and anytime: in the garden or the bathroom; in the wind and rain; to the dawn and the dusk. Just sing.

Of course, don't forget simply using sound as a support for meditation. Give relaxed attention to whatever sounds are present without discrimination. When the mind wanders, gently bring it back to sound. I experience this as a very soothing form of meditation - especially if I'm in a situation in which the sounds present would seem like a distraction with some other meditative support.