It's that time of year when many people are preparing or planting gardens or remembering when they did have gardens. So this felt like an appropriate time to talk about gardening as a metaphor for meditation practice because there are so many parallels.
Choosing the right place for the garden, for example, the kind of soil (too sandy or too much clay), different plants like different amounts of shade and sun.
Many people find it helpful to designate a regular place to meditate. It might be a room or even a corner of a room. This also involves preparing the meditation space, for example, sacred objects, pictures, flowers, candles, meditation bell, etc.
It also helps to find the right time of day that works best for you.
Preparing the soil, making sure it's the appropriate pH and has the appropriate amount of necessary minerals
Each person needs to find the combination of determination, patience, and kindness toward yourself that works.
Choosing what you will plant and how much you will plant
This is an individual consideration. Tara Brach, a well-known teacher, said that she struggled at first to build a regular practice. What worked for her was a pledge to herself to sit at least 5 minutes every day. Over time she built up to a strong practice. Other people find it helpful to explore how frequently they meditate, and some people find it helpful to set a timer.
Using and finding the right tools before you plant
The parallel to meditation here is preparation time before meditating. Some people take a few minutes before sitting by moving mindfully (stretching, yoga, dancing, walking slowly), reading, journaling, reciting a short prayer, or reflecting on your intentions.
One of my teachers recalled first learning to meditate in Thailand. His teacher’s instructions were “go make yourself happy and then meditate.” Confused by this, he asked for clarification. The teacher’s response: meditation is not about getting happy or peaceful (thought that is a wonderful byproduct); rather meditation is about developing wisdom. Thus, we bring an uplifted heart to the meditation cushion.
Learning from others, for example, spacing the seeds, companion plants, right depth, etc.
There are many resources (books, talks, others, joining a group, online courses) to help you learn to meditated and to look up issues you might be having
Paying regular attention to your garden, for example, climate, temperature, water, sunlight, fertilizing/feeding.
There are many variations of meditation, different ways of paying attention to the breath, to the body, to thoughts and emotions, loving-kindness meditation, etc. Each person needs to find the practice that works best for him or her.
There are also many positions for doing meditation: sitting in a chair, on a cushion or bench, astronaut position, lying down, etc.
Attending to unwanted elements: weeds and unwanted animals in the garden
Thich Nhat Hanh used the metaphor of meditation as turning garbage into compost. Many teachers talk about dealing with unwanted thoughts and emotions and not fighting them but learning how to respond to them.
Rotating crops
Just as vegetable gardeners will rotate crops so that the soil does not get depleted, so too many meditators prefer to have variety in their meditations so that the practice does not become mechanical or routine.
Four (of many) lessons from successful happy gardeners
Take your time as opposed to rushing.
If you are weeding in a rush and not pulling the weeds by the roots, they just grow back. Similarly with thoughts, if you don't understand and address what keeps the mind so busy, you'll have busy mind.
Patience
When the Buddha taught meditation, he often used the word bhavana which also means to cultivate, because most people in his time had gardens and/or farms.
Finding joy
If you remember your intentions, you may find great joy in meditating regularly just as many gardeners take great joy in gardening,
Seeing the whole
A gardener who sees the whole picture finds planning, buying the plants or seeds, preparing the soil, planting, weeding, pruning, harvesting all to be part of the process. Similarly, if one sees the whole picture with meditation, a meditation practice is not just the time actually meditating.
I end with a quote from Robin Wall Kimmerer who talks about gardening in her wonderful book Braiding Sweetgrass: "People often ask me what one thing I would recommend to restore relationship between land and people. My answer is almost always, 'Plant a garden.' It’s good for the health of the earth and it’s good for the health of people. A garden is a nursery for nurturing connection, the soil for cultivation of practical reverence. And its power goes far beyond the garden gate — once you develop a relationship with a little patch of earth, it becomes a seed itself."
Happy gardening with whatever you are growing!