Meditations: For Those Who Gossip About Others

Have you ever caught yourself gossiping about another? Have you ever talked to a friend or stranger about your next door neighbor who you thought was having an affair with the pool man? Have you ever stood around the water fountain and talked about what a colleague did at the previous nights Christmas Party?



Gossiping about each other, the stars and especially the neighbors have become a common past time for us human roamers of this planet. The act of gossiping whilst may give you an immediate high this high is only short lived and over time the resentment will build inside of you between you and the person you are gossiping about but also within your own mind.



The act of gossiping in the work place is a very common act but it is also a very destructive one to the harmony of that workplace. See, gossiping feeds on the negative thoughts of both you and others and as a result generates a state of mind that is negative and in all cases unproductive.



Whilst one single act of meaningless gossip may not seem to have any consequences, you will find that your mind will get used to the negativity and over time this will build up and the impact on your karma can have dire consequences on your ability to grow and nurture your life and to be happy.



The Meditation –



The first step in this meditation is to reflect on the act of gossiping during your meditation. Focus on the effect of the negative state of your mind whilst you gossip. Reflect on the pain that the gossiping is causing on the person not just hearing the gossip but also is the focus of the gossip.



Now that you have reflected on the first account, take a moment when you have attracted a group of people to a gossiping account. Whilst you are reflecting on your gossiping account look into the eyes of the people around you. Look at how they are reacting to your gossip. Is it positive, or is it negative? Remember that gossiping cause's pain, look into the eyes of the person the gossip is about. Do you see their pain?



In the third stage of this meditation it is now time for you to develop a sense of regret for your actions and for having absolutely no control over the power of your mind. To help you in developing this sense of regret reflect in your meditation on a period in which your gossiping has caused a person to break out into tears. Feel the pain that this person is feeling.



Now that you know the pain your gossiping has caused it is time in your meditation to resolve that you will avoid gossiping and that you will only engage in spoken thought on topics that are positive and that will help your fellow man benefit and find a state of happiness.