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True essence lives behind the mind of the seeker. Curiosity’s great, but effort makes you weaker. Relax, just be what’s coming out the freakin’ speaker.
- MF DOOM
Hiphop does not need improvement. Yeah I said it. Why do I say that? Because Hiphop is not a thing that can be manipulated. It’s not a “thing” at all. You can’t touch it or bend it to your will. Hiphop is not a form of music, a culture, a style of dance, way of playing music or creating art; it is a word that we use to try and understand and live according to the formless and groundless nature of reality. The elements are merely the way that we attempt to experience what we call Hiphop.
Underlying all of our efforts at emceeing, making beats, recording songs, writing graffiti, b-boying, collecting and spinning records is what DOOM called the true essence. How can you and I come to understand and experience this? Maybe we could start by looking deeply with intention and without bias at the origins of my behaviors, feelings and thoughts.
Behind the mind: behind the everyday active mind that comes and goes that labels our experience through the sense organs and perceptions is the nature of all internal and external phenomena. When I sit still and allow my body and mind to relax into each other until there is no difference between outside and inside, I experience a calm yet alive essence that is true because it does not come and go. It is steady, is not created by my own doing, is always there and is therefore reliable; more reliable than the comings and goings that I usually associate as me. In fact it IS the only thing that I could relate to as a “me” simply because it does not change despite the fact that my body, my address, my friends, family, schools, likes, dislikes etc., all the things that I consider that make “me” a “me” have all changed.
The great Persian love poet Rumi said, “whatever anyone is seeking, that is seeking the seeker”. No matter our vocation or activity, whether moving or still we are unintentionally trying to identify with what is doing the seeking within us. Why is that? Why are we always looking for what is passively witnessing our everyday life and why don’t we seek this witness on purpose? We are always seeking the seeker through all activity (including the 4 elements of Hiphop) because it is our only source of true happiness, contentment and well-being. What are the qualities of Hiphop? Knowledge, wisdom, understanding, love, peace, unity, justice, equality and having fun. Resting as the seeker exposes these same qualities. The world’s great wisdom traditions of Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Hinduism all describe similar qualities when describing the direct experience of God, spirit, Tao, Buddha Nature, Brahman Atman etc. It is no mistake that although the world religious traditions differ in form and practice, that they all agree that the essence of their respective path is an end to personal suffering and fullness of personal well being that if we share with our world manifests as compassion. As Hiphop practitioners this is the basis of all that we do knowingly or unknowingly because as humans it is the basis of all that we do knowingly or unknowingly, skillfully or unskillfully, enlightened or neurotic, dope or wack.
Curiosity is great because more often than not were not paying attention to the intention with which we engage in most activities, including Hiphop centered activity. The ego is usually in charge and the ego says pay attention to me; a plan which usually results in temporary moments of glory but never permanent happiness. When we increase our curiosity about what were doing with a mic, a pen, our bodies, a turntable or can of paint we illuminate hidden motivations and desires that maybe we would like to ignore. Or maybe when we see our underlying motivations we can rationalize it as the need for money, to get out the hood, to get props or even to elevate the culture. Becoming even more curious we may see that we don’t truly have a stable sense of reasoning behind what we do or at least maybe we don’t know it. That’s great news! Maybe the result of our curiosity doesn’t have to be definite knowing of something solid but instead could be knowing that the unknown is good enough, for whatever could be known is like all knowledge; temporal, fleeting and always changing. Remember when people thought they “knew” that the pinnacle of turntablism was what DJ Cash Money did at the first DMC in 1988? Despite how dope his set was, we all know now that that’s not true. If we keep looking we may find greater and greater realms of potential and possibility.
However DOOM says that “effort makes you weaker”. How can effort make one weaker and how can you be curious without effort? Effort makes you weaker because the harder you try to look for something very often the more unstable the mind becomes. You ever lost your keys? The harder you look, very often the more frantic you get which makes the search harder. The key is to relax. Relax both your body and your mind, allowing both to be as they are without trying to change anything. Without trying to change things will naturally reveal themselves; mental stability and clarity naturally arise. As the old Zen saying goes, “muddy water let stand will clear”. When rhyming, writing, tagging, cutting records, making beats or dancing relaxation is the key to experiencing what underlies those behaviors and (if you’re interested) being good at those behaviors. Relaxation always exposes things as they are.
As DOOM says just “be what’s coming out the freakin’ speaker”. The definition of the word being finds its roots in old English words that mean existence, presence or consciousness. Being means resting in a state of fullness as you are to experience what you are, and as a Hiphop fan or practitioner to explore and find out what and who you are you need go no further than where you are right now. Just be, watch without words or discrimination, don’t try and make anything happen and don’t get pulled away by an inner dialog about what you’re experiencing. Just dispassionately be without trying to get away from or move towards anything. The world’s contemplative traditions give similar instructions for advanced meditation practices such as the Tibetan Buddhist practice of Mahamudra or the Taoist practice of Zuowang. Just be.
Let's contemplate this: Sit in an upright and comfortable position (on a cushion or chair) with your hands in the meditation posture (place the back of your left hand on the palm of your right hand and let your thumbs touch lightly). Let your eyes rest, half closed and focused on nothing in particular. Let everything in your field of vision just be, without labelling it or judging it. Just let your eyes relax. Sit for five minutes and focus all of your attention on breathing. Feel the complete in and out breath and when your mind wanders, bring your attention back to your breath.
After five minutes, allow a word, a sentence, or the entire phrase to arise in your mind and when the word, sentence, or phrase fades, say it gently again. Allow whatever arises to arise without judgement and when something feels real, when there's some spark of insight, rest in your mind and place your attention on it. When your mind starts to wander, bring your attention back to what arose for you. Practice contemplation for ten minutes and then return to focusing on your breath for five more minutes. Focus only on the most subtle of experience. Afterwards, carry whatever arose for you in contemplation practice into your everyday life.
Check this previous post for an explanation of contemplation practice. http://www.hiphopalive.org/mind-spray/2016/12/7/4p2lnb8omwoc5dc5uznhcxii002b89
If there is a verse you think should be contemplated or think I should discuss, let me know in the comment section below.
Hiphop Alive
Justin F. Miles is the founder of Hiphop Alive and pioneering practitioner, theorist and educator at the intersection of Hiphop culture, mindfulness and contemplative studies. He is the leading voice championing the use of Hiphop infused contemplative modalities to foster resilience, emotional intelligence, and community empowerment.