This is a simple introduction to the basics of meditation.
There are many ways to approach meditation but basically meditation is a learning process,
A cultivation process towards our well-being.
The capacity to learn is the most important power that we have.
Our brain molds itself as we use it,
As we train it.
It is referred as the plasticity of the brain in neuroscience.
For any proper learning there are three key aspects to it- intention,
Attention and attitude and these aspects are directly linked to three key questions of meditation.
Why are we doing it?
What exactly we are doing it and how are we doing it?
Meditation is like a journey without a proper understanding of these questions we may be practicing it for a long time but may stuck in the same loop or even go in a wrong direction.
Now we have many scientific evidences of how meditation affects us positively from a cellular level to brain structural level from stress reduction to our overall well-being but let's look at it from our everyday life perspective,
From our experiential perspective so it will be more useful towards our practice.
There is a story about a beggar who lived in a small rusted hut.
Every day he went out and begged for food.
What he didn't know that there was a huge treasure beneath his place.
In fact he was the richest person in his country but without knowing it he lived as a beggar and died as a beggar.
In many ways we are also like that.
We have all peace,
Satisfaction,
Happiness within us but our perception is outward bound.
Our senses are looking externally projecting out for our internal mental states such as peace or joy or happiness.
So we end up relying on these external factors external circumstances for our happiness but these factors are just triggers not the source of our happiness.
Further these external factors are temporary short-lived and fleeting and we don't have full control over them.
Moreover they create dependency and addiction.
In essence we end up getting trapped in a lifelong struggle and suffering.
Meditation is a way to find our freedom from this struggle and discover the source of our peace and joy within us.
So instead of chasing and begging around we can start to share our happiness and love to all.
Let's say we are going for a road trip but our car is not in a good condition.
The tires are not in a good condition,
The brake is not working properly,
The engine has many problems but if we decide to fix the car at the end of our destination our journey won't be a pleasant one to say the least.
Fixing the car before our journey is a skillful thing to do,
An intelligent thing to do.
Our mind is the vehicle of our life journey.
When we are not peaceful or happy that means our mind is not in a good condition but often we tend to think that we can be peaceful and happy after reaching some destination,
After finishing school or some project,
After getting a promotion or finding a relationship.
The only thing we can't afford to postpone is our peace,
Our joy and that should be the starting point.
What is the point of having anything or achieving anything in the world if you are not peaceful or happy?
So what is the most precious thing in the world?
Is there anything more precious than our healthy happy mind?
So first we have to treasure and take care of our mind well.
Our mind is like a garden.
Meditation is the tool to remove the bad weeds such as anger,
Hatred,
Stress,
Anxiety,
Worries and cultivate the good seeds such as love,
Peace,
Happiness.
A bit more technical analogy would be our brain is like a computer,
A personal built-in biological computer.
So how to add new files new programs that is how to learn knowledge and skills effectively and then how to delete old files and programs that is how to skillfully overcome our unskillful negative behaviors,
Addictions,
Painful drama,
How to run it optimally when we are stressful that means it is not working optimally,
How to guard it from viruses that is guard it from harmful external influences and negativity.
Unlike digital computers we don't have a simple save or delete patterns.
Our brain comes with a different architecture and different sorts of controls.
Meditation is about understanding it and learning to use it properly.
The most important question we should ask is are we using our mind brain or are we used by it?
For example how easily we get addicted to our phones and lose our control.
For the most part we don't use our mind instead our mind dictates our life.
The problem is that our mind is a good servant but a terrible terrible master.
So meditation is a training ground to become a master and use our mind effectively.
If you want to use our mind effectively first we have to understand it.
So meditation is about getting to know our mind deeply and intimately.
So it is about paying attention,
A deep listening and bringing clear awareness of our mind.
But our mind is filled with so much of garbage we lack clarity.
Then we don't have much control over it.
We lack stability.
Our mind is like a monkey constantly jumping all over the place.
So first we have to train our wild mind towards stability and clarity.
For example when training a wild animal such as a horse or an elephant there are two broad techniques people use.
The first technique is punishment and reward based approach.
Here we try to force and control and even apply horse punishment.
This may offer faster results but the quality will be lost.
The majestic beauty and the power of the animal will be lost.
It may follow our command but miserably so.
A much better approach would be a love-based one.
Here we need lots of patience.
Slowly we have to build trust and friendship with the animal.
Then we can properly channel its wild energy without losing its beauty,
Its power.
In meditations we use such a gentle and compassionate approach.
It is called calm abiding.
It is about making friendship with our own mind and discovering our mind natural stability,
Strength and clarity.
For the most part we get lost in the external world in the activities,
Projects,
Enter time and addiction,
In drama or in the internal world in thinking,
Feeling,
Worrying,
Fantasizing.
Meditation is a waking up process to discover our true home from where we can connect with our body and mind and bring harmony from where we can navigate life with dignity and freedom.
In meditations there is no place for any judgmental attitude.
If there is no gentleness it is not meditation.
Meditation is nothing to do with willpower.
We can't force it,
Control it,
We can't achieve it.
Like flowers meditation comes to us,
Happens to us when we plant it,
Cultivate it and nurture it properly.
So meditation is not an achievement it is the greatest blessing that we can receive in this life.
