Meditation has been the topic of conversation many times lately. I ask myself: What is meditation? What good is it? Do we have to go into the cave or cave-like conditions to have results?
Someone once asked the Buddha:
"What have you gained through meditation?"
The Buddha replied, "Nothing at all."
"Then Blessed One, what good is it?"
"Let me tell you what I have lost through meditation: anger, depression, insecurity, the burden of old age, the fear of death. That is the good of meditation, which leads to Nirvana."
So there you have it. The Buddha tells us the advantage of meditation. And we have another question: What is Nirvana? Some say it is just the peace of mind that comes from being present with the moment.
How do we get there? Do we have to live the life of a monk? Sitting, sitting and more sitting. Or do you think meditation can be defined in different ways?
To toss around some ideas: There is the traditional sitting in meditation for a designated amount of time. Or can it be the simple act of contemplating on a particular thought (like "I will meditate on that.")? Or is it being with your breath, following it in and out at different intervals during the day? Or can it be just being mindful of, let's say, the wind blowing through your hair, feeling the sun on your face or looking at an insect scurrying across the ground?
For me it can be all of the above. Being mindful or being present or being in the moment (whatever you want to call it), I believe is our gift. Sitting in meditation and its practice of mindfulness of our breath and body, I believe to be the roots of the practice. We can teach ourselves to be in the moment during meditation and that will lead to mindfulness in the other parts of our life.
There are many ways of meditation and to reap the benefits, it takes practice practice practice.
We know that, don't we?
Thank you for being on the pathway of awareness with me.
