Meditation through housework

A couple of months ago, I was stressful from work and had to finish housework. I was tired and had no feelings to do it. I had no choice but started doing it slowly.

I focused solely on each step from start till end and kept aside my earlier stress. After an hour, I got my housework done and more significantly I felt better, relaxed and calm.

I asked myself what I had done to release the work stress. The answer was by doing housework! I was not convinced although it worked. I then shared the story with friends on Facebook just for fun and forgot it.

These could be tools to release stress.

Until recently, I came across a film on Buddha's life produced by the BBC. There was a scene where Buddha at a young age went out of palace with his father to join a farming festivity.

He carefully observed a farmer plowing the earth. He saw worms were dug up and eaten by birds around. His mind came to analyse why all these happened.

Everything is connected with causes and consequences, he thought, started from the plowing to the worms and the birds.

Experts claim that Buddha was actually doing meditation while he was watching the plowing. It is a stage known as 'Jhana', the act of focusing on something with 'peaceful and joyful' mind.

Based on the Buddha's story, I revisited my experience of doing housework and getting a better mood. I assumed that I was actually meditating while doing my housework.

Without realizing it, I came to a stage of mind that shut down the stressful block but concentrating on what I was doing.

So killing stress and getting housework done at the same time is like killing two birds with one stone. But next time I will release my stress with something else as housework is never my favourite activity.

Comments

ទិដ្ឋភាពនឹកស្មានមិនដល់!

ម៉ោង៥ទាបភ្លឺ មេឃនៅងងឹតនៅទ្បើយ។ ពូប៊ុនលី ភ្ញាក់ពីដំណេកនៅពេលនាទ្បិការោទ៍។ គាត់ប្រះខ្នងដេកទៅវិញ ដោយគាត់ដូចជានៅងងុយនៅទ្បើយ។ “ផាំង!” សំទ្បេងលាន់ឮខ្លាំងអមដោយពន្លឺចែងចាំងមួយប៉ប្រិចភ្នែក បានធ្វើឲ្យគាត់លោតចុះពីលើគ្រែ រួចរត់សំដៅបង្អួច។ “អូ! សំទ្បេងផ្គរ និងពន្លឺផ្លេកបន្ទោរទេតើ! ភ្លៀង!” គាត់ស្រែកហាក់ដូចជាភ្ញាក់ផ្អើល។ “តើខ្ញុំចេញទៅរត់ហាត់ប្រាណយ៉ាងម៉េចហ្នឹងកើតទៅ?” ពូប៊ុនលី កំពុងសម្រាកលំហែកាយនៅមាត់សមុទ្រ ហើយមានគម្រោងរត់ហាត់ប្រាណនៅតាមឆ្នេរនៅពេលព្រលឹមស្រាងៗ។ វាគឺជាសកម្មភាពដែលគាត់ចូលចិត្តបំផុត ហើយមិនអាចខកខានបាន។ “អញ្ចឹងមានន័យថាខ្ញុំមិនអាចរត់បាន?” គាត់សួរខ្លួនឯង។ “ចុះបើខ្ញុំរត់ ខ្ញុំពិតជាទទឹកខ្លួនជោក ហើយទូរស័ព្ទក៏អាចខូច ព្រោះខ្ញុំតែងស្តាប់ចម្រៀងពេលរត់។ ស្រួលមិនស្រួលអាចរន្ទះបាញ់ទៀតក៏មិនដឹង!” គាត់ដើរទៅដើរមករអ៊ូតែម្នាក់ឯង។ ពីរបីនាទីក្រោយមក គាត់ទំនងជាមានដំណោះស្រោយ។ គាត់ពាក់អាវភ្លៀងដែលគ្របពីក្បាលរហូតដល់ជង្គង់។ គាត់ដូរស្បែកជើងកីទ្បាជាទីស្រទ្បាញ់របស់គាត់ ទៅពាក់ស្បែកជើងផ្ទាត់ ដែលអាចដោះចោលនៅឆ្នេរខ្សាច់ ហើយរត់ជើងទទេ។ គាត់ក៏កំណត់ទូរស័ព្ទដាក់ “Fly Mode” ដើម្បីកុំឲ្យមានសេវា ដែលអាចស្រូបរន្ទះ ហើយគាត់ក៏...

Too much empathy for others could lead to despair. Compassion is the answer!

Some workplaces closed their doors and staff lost their income. Since Covid-19 pandemic started, I have travelled to many places in the countries. I have talked to some people about their livelihoods. Although Cambodia has not experienced community transmission of the disease, it is obvious to witness economical impacts on people’s lives. Their income is decreased or taken away when their businesses go slower, and their workplaces are closed. This means less money for rent, food and medical care. Each family member in particular children needs to limit their basic needs. They could be in such a situation for longer! Those were the words I heard during my conversations with them. Thinking about their wellbeings afterwards makes me overwhelmed. I kept worrying about from one thing to another, especially about affected children and elders, which made me sad and exhausted. My sadness and exhaustion, according to neuroscientists and psychologists, could be an “empathy fatigue”. It is m...

Closing Cambo Six is a safe bet for securing government's social goals

The Phnom Penh Post's article "Game over for Cambo Six", published on February 26 about the government's closure of Cambodia's legal betting company Cambo Six revealed another major development of the Kingdom's policies towards gambling. It is more focused on long-term results of social improvement by eliminating contradictory forces such as gambling. The new policy will save a great deal for the government's poverty reduction plan, for public spending and for improvements in education. Firstly, the closure will remove the forces that contradict poverty-reduction efforts. This means at the same time the government and civil society are running programs to make people richer, gambling makes them poorer. Secondly, the government's order saves the country's public spending. The government, of course, loses tax income from gambling. But they do not need to increase the budget to cope with social problems resulting from gambling. Domestic violence, ro...

Bunly Meas

Search This Blog