Meditation has many uses: from calming the mind, reducing stress, increasing focus and productivity, to mental training, physical preparation, and self-realization. All of this can be achieved simply by sitting still and turning our awareness inward.
It can be a bit challenging to grasp at first, but put simply: when we meditate, we calm the mind, the waves of thoughts become still, and we can clearly see what lies beneath the surface.
Under the surface, we find all our emotions, behavioral patterns, thought patterns, and our boundless potential.
In the initial stages of meditation, we encounter these ingrained patterns as if they were who we are. They possess us with all their power because, for a long time, we have identified with them.
An important detail here is that, in the beginning, we’re not meditating; we’re focusing. After a period of focused awareness, we can let go of even this part of consciousness and enter the state beyond—true meditation.
As we go deeper, we might start noticing the same thoughts and feelings emerging each time we sit down to meditate, like a record playing on repeat.
Through meditation, as we cultivate the ability to observe these patterns without identifying with them, we gain the power to change them, if we wish.
For example, we might be very self-critical and judgmental, or perhaps we choose to only see our positive sides and turn a blind eye to the parts we don’t want to face. This is exactly what holds us back. We’re the ones holding ourselves back, and for this reason, we also have the power to let go.
"Great is the one who conquers a thousand others in battle, but greatest is the one who conquers themselves." – Dhammapada, Buddha.
Buddha said this around 3,000 years ago, and it remains as relevant today as it was then. We have the capacity to build weapons of mass destruction, to build bridges and tunnels that take us across and beneath the seas, yet few are the individuals who have the strength to live as they preach.
The intellect is not always our best friend. But by establishing a harmonious relationship with ourselves—by understanding and mastering our own minds—we can achieve anything we direct our energy toward. As you may realize by now, all the power is within you; you are the power.
Just like creating a peaceful planet to live on.
/A
Comments