"We woke up early to sneak out of the monastery and get our morning run in before the ceremonies began. We drove to a nearby reservoir, got out, and began to stretch. It was only three thirty, and the early morning Indian mist and the coolness of the night still hung in the air. We were all a little nervous and excited, as we were running a new route. We slid down an embankment, found the trailhead, and began to run, mostly at a slow jog—with the reservoir on one side and open grasslands bordering a teak forest on the other. Even though none of us had slept very much the night before, we felt very awake.
As we ran through the grassy countryside, Josh Silberstein, my assistant, said to me, “Is there anything we should be watching out for, Rinpoche?”I quickly replied, “Yeah—cobras, leopards, wild elephants, and, oh, the occasional pack of wild dogs.”Josh laughed and asked, “No, really, what should we be watching out for?”Looking at my face, he said, “Oh, you’re not joking.”“Not about that,”I replied.
At that moment, the nature of the run changed for him. We ran through meterwide sinkholes and large mounds of dirt, which we soon realized were elephant tracks and dung piles. We came across wide-open expanses that reminded me of the African savanna. The trail then headed into the forest, lush and thick, part of what remains of the great teak forest that used to cover most of the subcontinent. Occasionally we would see someone walking along, carrying a basket. The rhythmic movement of our feet created ease and relaxation in our bodies, revitalized by the fresh air. We remained alert and constantly aware of our environment, which helped us to be present in the moment. Even though we weren’t saying much, there existed between us the camaraderie of an unspoken language, a deep feeling of appreciation that we were alive and healthy. We felt fortunate to be able to run. This was no ordinary run: we were training for the Boston Marathon, only two months away.
Luckily we did not encounter too many wild animals while enjoying the Indian wilderness. As the sun rose, we returned to Namdroling Monastery, in southern India, where I have spent much time meditating and studying Buddhist philosophy. On this stay, I was visiting my spiritual teacher, His Holiness Penor Rinpoche, to receive teachings and empowerments...
People sometimes say, “Running is my meditation.”Even though I know what they mean, in reality, running is running and meditation is meditation. That’s why they have different names. It would be just as inaccurate to say, “Meditation is my exercise.”I have known some advanced meditators who have been able to bring their meditative mind—that strength and relaxation—into their body with its channels, nervous system, and muscles. They become strong, radiant, and resilient. We even have a type of meditation in Tibet called heat meditation, in which yogis who are able to use the power of their mind to control their body heat meditate in subzero conditions for months, wearing only a cotton shawl. However, it is unlikely that they would be able to run a sub-three-hour marathon.
Likewise, it is unlikely that we are going to attain enlightenment by running, even though some have tried. It is not a matter of choosing what is better—exercising the mind or exercising the body. Rather, these activities go hand in hand. We need to exercise both our body and our mind. The nature of the body is form and substance. The nature of the mind is consciousness. Because the body and mind are different by nature, what benefits them is different in nature as well. The body benefits from movement, and the mind benefits from stillness. When we give our mind and body what benefits them, a natural harmony and balance takes place. With this unified approach, we are happy, healthy, and wise."
-- Sakyong Mipham
"When I was at a monastery last winter, I wasn’t running. And then they gave me a treadmill. It was amazing. I was running in a monastery on a treadmill, which was probably one of the most bizarre experiences I’ve ever had. When I ran, I would think, What am I doing? But then there’s another kind of exercise called prostrations [a practice of purification and devotion in which you progress from standing to kneeling to bowing to lying on your stomach with hands outstretched and then reverse the moves back up to standing]. I recommend those, too." -- Trail Runner Magazine
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