Not Excited, Not Bored

    I have been reflecting after meditation today: why is it so important for a practitioner to keep a simple lifestyle, with relatively few attractions or stimulation? From a perspective of meditation, the obvious answer is that it helps to calm the mind and body at all times. But I am sure that there are those who live by the belief that life should be lived in extremes. For instance, William Blake once said, one who persists in one's foolishness will become wise. So what is wrong with simply living life according to one's passions?
      I have noticed that when there is too much stimulation happening around me, I get swept away in it, and the mind doesn't really feel grounded in anything. Soon, I become so overwhelmed that mind switches into a kind of spectator mode, just taking in things without really processing or understanding them with any depth or fullness. It's like having too many courses for dinner: there is simply no chance to enjoy or savor that one thing. I found that this is especially the case with books. Going to a bookstore is a kind of blessing and curse all at once, since it opens me up to so many possibilities, yet not enough time to go into anything with depth. Sometimes, it's better to commit to one book deeply for a long time, with the faith that one can understand all books through that one book. This is a tricky practice, because we are conditioned to think that everything has its own distinct subject area with no overlaps. But one does have to stick deeply to something to see the depth and complexity of all things.
    The problem, then, is not 'having too much to do', but it is more to do with the quality of awareness. I have observed that if I am too caught up in many things, I won't have time to really sink into something and immerse myself in it deeply. This puts consciousness almost in the position of grabbing at whatever bits of meaning it can find. And I feel that at times the Internet can also be a kind of source of stimulation, because it is always determined to attract people to sensations, gossip and other kinds of entertainment.
    When one really cultivates enjoying one thing, the mind finds that it has its own inherent way of stimulating itself. When I am really calm and my mind is settled, even breath is interesting. It has nothing to do with the special attributes of the breath itself; it is more the quality of mind when it is not being lead about by objects or stimulating things. What one can learn in meditation is that joy doesn't require having so many entertainments, but that when left to itself, the mind actually 'entertains' itself through a relaxed engagement. But it takes practice to really do this. And I am thankful to have a group practice with fellow practitioners who allow me to find the joy in mind.