The Five Minutes Before Confusion Arrives Can Restore the Mind
Even before a situation grows complicated and truly falls into disorder, there may still be five minutes left. Those five minutes are not a time for despair, but a chance to gather the mind and change direction.
In Buddhism, we are taught to stay awake in each moment. Yet if we cannot always remain perfectly awake, we should still stop, settle the breath, and look into the mind just before confusion grows larger.
A short five-minute Seon meditation can become a small doorway that keeps the mind from collapsing. If, in that time, we slow our reaction, look for a response, and establish a right mind again, the flow that follows can also change.
Today too, before things become tangled, may you pause for a moment and let five minutes of awareness restore both your mind and the situation.
In Buddhism, we are taught to stay awake in each moment. Yet if we cannot always remain perfectly awake, we should still stop, settle the breath, and look into the mind just before confusion grows larger. A short five-minute Seon meditation can become a small doorway that keeps the mind from collapsing. If we slow our reaction, look for a response, and establish a right mind again, the flow that follows can also change.
