My First Experimental Meditation with Phoebie: An Encounter with Emptiness and the Present Moment

The Call of Non-Doing: An Unintentional Discovery

As a teenager, I experienced something that, unbeknownst to me, would mark the beginning of my meditative journey. One day, for no particular reason, I decided to do nothing. No music, no book, no goal. Just sitting, letting time pass, and observing. At the time, I didn’t know this practice had a name: meditation. I had heard about Buddhism in school, in a book that mentioned monks in saffron robes and teachings on suffering and liberation. But no one had ever taught me how to meditate, or even what it truly meant.

At first, this deliberate stillness seemed absurd. I felt like I was wasting my time, squandering moments I could have spent on "useful" activities. Yet, Phoebie, my cat, seemed perfectly at ease in this state of non-action. She would lie down beside me, her eyes half-closed, as if she knew something I didn’t. Her silent presence made me wonder: Why did I feel the need to always do, to always act? What was the point of this constant agitation?

The Weight of Inaction and the Lightness of Being

It was in this letting go that I discovered a form of relief. By stopping my struggle against boredom or the feeling of "not being productive," I felt a weight lift. My mind, accustomed to the relentless race of thoughts and obligations, began to quiet. For the first time, I experienced a sensation of emptiness—not as an absence, but as an infinite, soothing space. As if I were suspended in the cosmos, freed from the chains of anxiety and expectations.

This simple daily practice transformed my relationship with myself and the world. I felt clearer, more "cool," as if a mental fog had lifted. The blocks I faced at school faded away. I understood, without being able to explain it, that this "doing nothing" was actually a profound act: the act of allowing myself to be.

Emptiness and the First Steps: A Buddhist and Hindu Perspective

Emptiness in Buddhism: Śūnyatā

In Buddhism, the concept of emptiness, or Śūnyatā, is central. It is not a void or nothingness, but an ultimate reality: everything is interdependent, impermanent, and devoid of intrinsic, fixed existence. Meditating on emptiness means realizing that our thoughts, emotions, and even our identity are fleeting constructs. By observing this emptiness, we free ourselves from attachment to the illusions that bind us (fear, desire, ego).

• Buddhist meditation invites us to sit with this emptiness, to welcome it without judgment. It is not an escape, but a compassionate confrontation with reality as it is.
• Without knowing it, Phoebie embodied this wisdom: she didn’t seek to fill every moment; she simply was. Her calm taught me that inner peace does not depend on action, but on presence.

The First Steps in Hinduism: Silence and Unity

In Hinduism, the "first steps" toward meditation are often linked to the search for the Self (Ātman), that pure and eternal essence that transcends the mind. Here, emptiness is tied to the dissolution of superficial identifications (body, thoughts, social roles) to access a unified consciousness.

• The practice of Dhyāna (deep meditation) aims to go beyond the mind to reach a state of pure awareness, where the meditator and the object of meditation become one.
• Silence is not the absence of sound, but the presence of the absolute. Like Phoebie, who observed the world without attachment, I understood that meditation is not a technique, but a return to the essential.

A Transformative Experience: Peace as Revelation

What I experienced that day was a form of samādhi (absolute concentration), though I didn’t know it at the time. I felt a peace so deep that it marked me forever. It wasn’t an escape, but an encounter: with myself, with the present moment, with that part of us that exists beyond words and concepts.

Today, I recognize in this experience the echoes of Buddhist and Hindu teachings:

• Letting go: accepting not to control, not to know.
• Mindfulness: observing without reacting, as Phoebie watched the world from the balcony.
• Compassion: realizing that this peace is accessible to all, if only we pause for a moment.

Why This Practice Still Resonates With Me

Years later, this spontaneous meditation remains a cornerstone of my life. It taught me that:

• Simplicity is strength: no complex rituals are needed to meditate, just the intention to open up to the moment.
• Animals are masters of presence: Phoebie, Xena, Cassie… They showed me that meditation is not a performance, but a return to the deep nature of being.
• Emptiness is not an end, but a beginning: it is in this silence that clarity, creativity, and compassion are born.

Conclusion: An Invitation to Exploration

If you’ve never meditated, I invite you to try—just five minutes of doing nothing. Not to achieve a goal, but to discover what emerges when you stop running. Perhaps, like me, you will feel that lightness, that sense of being both here and everywhere, grounded and free.

And if you already have a practice, share your experience: Have you, too, encountered this soothing emptiness? How did you interpret it?