Buddhism and the Law of Attraction--can these 2 be friends????

I recently returned from my 3-day Vipassana meditation retreat. I went to the Kaufman, TX center, which is conveniently located 40 miles outside of Dallas. The last time I went to experience a Vipassana course was back in 2003, where I spent 10 days at a center in Massachusetts. I figured 3 days would be no big deal, and a nice chance to get some uninterrupted silence and inner focus.

So, Vipassana....for those of you who don't know much about it, is the technique that the Buddha himself used to become enlightened and then subsequently taught. It is very precise, and not fun by any stretch. However, it is something beyond fun; it is a meticulous process which leaves you with a deeper sense of equanimity. As you watch the breath as it moves in specific parts of your body, you become aware of your mind as it jumps from aversion to craving and back again. The watching and the attention to breath are what allow you to just see things as they are, not as things we either crave or desire (which the Buddha says are the sources of misery).

The schedule at any Vipassana center is very structured. Every hour of the day is accounted for, and you basically are meditating all day. You wake up at 4 am and by 4:30 you are meditating all the way till 9 pm with breaks for breakfast and lunch (no dinner for those who are not beginners; however, you get tea at 5 pm) and some short breaks during the day.

You are also observing silence as well, which I particularly enjoy. You are not even to look at people directly in the eyes or acknowledge people with nods or hellos or anything like that. The idea here is that these gestures are distractions that not only cost us energy, but ultimately take our focus away from ourselves.

This method of meditation is slightly different from what I practice on my own, but it is very similar. It is a lot more precise and requires more focus. It is good discipline, and I appreciate the opportunity to increase my ability to concentrate with the Vipassana techniques. In the end, I left feeling like I experienced a deeper level of healing, got some interesting insights and truths about who I am, and I sharpened my mind. All very good stuff.

The ten day course I took in '03 was something quite magical, however, and I truly felt like a new person at the end of it, but this 3-day course was just perfect for me now.

Here is one thought I've been mulling over since my visit there: How do Vipassana and the Law of Attraction (LOA) work together , or do they?

I know I'm not the only person to raise this question, as I googled it before starting to blog and found other writings on the topic (of which I read two).

I am pretty convinced that the Buddha would not be a proponent of LOA as a way to manifest things in our lives. However, I think there are several ways LOA could "work" within a Buddhist perspective, but it takes some creative melding to make that happen.

Number one, perhaps the most vivid illustration as to why he wouldn't be a fan is his life itself. His early life was one of absolute wealth and privilege, his every desire manifested. He eventually broke free of this life, as he saw it could not produce true peace and happiness. The Buddha taught that true happiness is contentment from within.

However, the idea that our unconscious and conscious minds are dictating our reality is an idea the Buddha could get behind. The Buddha had a different idea as to how to deal with the mind, but both teachings, I feel, support the notion that our beliefs dictate how we experience life.

There is one central place where I feel Buddhism, or any meditation practice, can support LOA: The unconscious mind. Bottom line: you have to contend with the unconscious mind in some way. Let's not forget, the unconscious mind has a lot of stuff in it; and some of that could very well be taking you off of your goals without you even knowing it. In Vipassana, even though Buddha didn't call it "the unconscious", he did know you had to address the subtleties of the mind by witnessing the breath. I feel in order for LOA principles to actually work in a positive way (and that is what most people are after, aren't they?), it is imperative to have a meditation practice of some sort in place which can address the unconscious mind. The Buddha taught that by being present inside the body and attuned to one's natural breath, we can address and heal very deep sources of pain. This being the same kind of pain which can sabotage our best-laid plans.

The Buddha also spoke about dispassion, which is the opposite of getting excited and desiring a result. I've heard different views from LOA folks on this piece of the puzzle, which I think happens to be the most critical and sometimes not-talked about issue. I believe it is a fundamental aspect of mastering the LOA in a favorable way. If you remember from The Secret, you were instructed to get really excited about the thing you want to manifest, and hold that energy in you, and believe you currently have that thing you want. I would argue that this is not really going to work in most cases. Others that write about LOA also support this idea. For example, in my reading of Abraham-Hicks, they do not seem to support this notion of excitement either, but instead, a calm knowing and firm faith. The idea is that you will attract whatever you have in your mind and simply to trust that feeling. When we are coming from a trusting, faithful place, we are naturally calm and dispassionate. Also, if we are in a calm knowing state, we naturally are not craving, or attached to, an outcome. All of these are Buddhist teachings.

Another similarity is in having a present-moment focus. The Buddha was a firm proponent of staying present, and the LOA teachings also remind us to stay present as well. Present-moment awareness is key to being in a flow and connected to source energy.

So, in the end, if we can be relaxed and calm about our goals, in addition of course to being focused and taking action steps, I believe LOA and Buddhist teachings can co-exist. However, it is very easy for us to move from this place of equanimity and faith into something more rushed and fear-based. This is where I personally benefit from meditation as a tool to get me back into alignment with my highest self. I am at peace with my goals and don't want to renounce them, but it is extremely helpful for me to remember this Buddhist perspective as I move forward.

Till next time.