I Teach Meditation
11/28/81
I am giving a workshop on meditation at a college. It seems that we have just begun the group when we run out of time. People keep coming in late until there is a big group. Some guy takes up a lot of the available time talking. I become impatient. I want to hit the group with some powerful information before the class ends. I don’t get to because we run out of time. The group starts leaving while this guy is still talking. I tell everyone that we will meet at 5:00 on Friday to continue. There is a lot of interest. I meet a girl who is involved with T.M..
Associations
None.
Preference Predictions
Most Accepting Character: TM Girl
Least Accepting Character: Dream Self
Most Preferred Character: TM Girl
Most Rejected Character: Guy
Most Preferred Action: Meet again
Most Rejected Action: wasted time
Most Preferred Feeling: desire to give
Most Rejected Feeling: impatient
Sociomatrix Commentary
Dream Self: I get impatient that time is being wasted.
College: I am glad he is impatient. He should be more so toward such matters. I’m glad he was disappointed.
Group: Agreed.
Guy: I don’t like myself that much.
TM Girl: I like Dream Self. I want to meditate with him.
Comment: Two perspectives on meditation: one goofs around and wastes time. The other wants to get down to business.
Dream Commentary
If you could change this dream in any way that you wanted, as long as it respected the rights of all fellow dream group members, how would you change it?
College: Notify the guy he has a time limit and a subject to stick to at the beginning and cut him off if he strays from the subject or goes past his time. That’s the only way he’s going to learn.
Group: Right. That’s in our best interest. We came learn about meditation.
Guy: Ok, Ok. So give me some feedback if it’s off track. That’s OK.
TM Girl: Great. Now we can get down to business.
Dreamage
I am giving a workshop on meditation at a college. People keep coming in late until there is a big group. I tell the guy introducing me to take no more than two minutes and to relate his remarks to the subject at hand. He agrees and does so. I begin on time, speak enthusiastically on meditation, ending with a half an hour meditation period for the group. Afterward they say how much they enjoy it and that they would like to meet again soon. We arrange to meet at 5:00 on Friday to continue. There is a lot of interest. I meet a girl who is involved with T.M.
Waking Commentary
If you were this dreamer and were dealing with his waking issues – money, relationships, fears, career choices, physical health, and spiritual development – would you do anything differently? If so, what?
College: When you sit down to meditate, be clear on your agenda and get down to business. Your audience is waiting and you don’t want to disappoint them.
Group: Right. We want to learn how to meditate and you’re the teacher.
Guy: If you shut your thoughts up a bit, they’ll learn something.
TM Girl: Just have a constructive, no-nonsense attitude and get to work!!
Action Plan
meditation
clear agenda
limited thinking
Actual Preferences
Most Accepting Character: TM Girl
Least Accepting Character: Dream Self
Most Preferred Character: Big Group
Most Rejected Character: Guy
Most Preferred Action: meditation workshop
Most Rejected Action: meet again
Most Preferred Feeling: desire to give, interest
Most Rejected Feeling: impatient
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Sociogram Commentary
Here we have a depiction of the array of internal forces that are associated with an aborted meditation period. Self-acceptance is present. That is not the problem. It takes a good amount of self-acceptance to get the point where one sits down to meditate, vs. to contemplate, visualize, problem solve, sleep, do biofeedback, self-hypnosis, etc. The difficulty does not involve feelings either, in this instance. The impatience is in fact constructive in that it motivates a more constructive approach. The difficulty lies in attitude and action. In attitude, there is a polarity between thoughtless rambling (Guy) and committed interest (TM Girl, Dream Self, College, and Big Group). Most internal energy in the group is on the side of meditation, which is good to know. On a behavioral level, the story is different. The opposition is weighted toward negative factors: tardiness and stalling. Clearly, the recommendation is to start on time and get down to business.
