Why Meditate

At first sight this looks like a simple question which deserves a simple answer. If you were to ask one hundred regular meditators you would in all probability receive one hundred different answers. Such answers might range from the down-to-earth, ‘I feel better in myself, to the mystical, ‘It brings me closer to God’. Perhaps the question is for you to answer in your own time. Meditation is really a personal search and no one person may answer for another.

Meditation may be thought of as a journey, an adventure into the depths of your own being. It is said in Buddhism that we study Buddhism in order to study ourselves. It is a long journey. There is much to discover, more than you ever dreamed possible. It has been wisely said, ‘A man would search for God. Let him beware he will discover his true self. A man would seek himself. Let him beware he is in mortal peril of beholding God.’

Here is perhaps the first paradox of the search; we look for the self only to lose it, we seek the lesser but find the greater. We begin with the self – after all what else is there that you can truly claim as your own? The injunction to ‘Know Thyself’ is the universal call to awakening. Perhaps you think that you already know yourself well enough. What, then, is the point in taking up meditation? Look again. Look into the mirror of the self. How well do you know the face that looks back at you and all that lies behind it? What do you really know of your own motives, desires and aspirations? Where have you come from, where are you going? When did you begin and when shall you end? Who are you? What you think, feel and know of yourself at present constitutes the starting point for your journey.

Meditation is a way of change. It is a process of gradual refinement, of distillation and transformation. It is you who sets the pace for your own progress. It is you who determine whether meditation works or not. Like anything else that is worthwhile meditation requires hard work and discipline. It is not an easy road, for you are transforming yourself at all levels of being by your own application and labor. It is not an easy task but it brings a rich reward. For the sake of simplicity, we may look at the several areas in which meditation may have an impact. In reality this separation does not exist, as meditation itself will certainly reveal. Analysis can usefully precede synthesis on occasion. It is merely helpful to look at the different areas in turn.

How to Meditate – Guided Meditation Techniques – Buddhist Meditations

With the hectic pace and demands of modern life, many people feel stressed and over-worked. It often feels like there is just not enough time in the day to get everything done. Our stress and tiredness make us unhappy, impatient and frustrated. It can even affect our health. We are often so busy we feel there is no time to stop and meditate! But meditation actually gives you more time by making your mind calmer and more focused. A simple ten or fifteen minute breathing meditation as explained below can help you to overcome your stress and find some inner peace and balance. Meditation can also help us to understand our own mind. We can learn how to transform our mind from negative to positive, from disturbed to peaceful, from unhappy to happy. Overcoming negative minds and cultivating constructive thoughts is the purpose of the transforming meditations found in the Buddhist tradition. This is a profound spiritual practice you can enjoy throughout the day, not just while seated in meditation.

On this website you can learn the basics of Buddhist meditation. A few books are mentioned that will help you to deepen your understanding if you wish to explore further. Anyone can benefit from the meditations given here, Buddhist or not. We hope that you find this website useful and that you learn to enjoy the inner peace that comes from meditation.

Why Learn to Meditate

The purpose of meditation is to make our mind calm and peaceful. If our mind is peaceful, we will be free from worries and mental discomfort, and so we will experience true happiness; but if our mind is not peaceful, we will find it very difficult to be happy, even if we are living in the very best conditions. If we train in meditation, our mind will gradually become more and more peaceful, and we will experience a purer and purer form of happiness. Eventually, we will be able to stay happy all the time, even in the most difficult circumstances.

Usually we find it difficult to control our mind. It seems as if our mind is like a balloon in the wind – blown here and there by external circumstances. If things go well, our mind is happy, but if they go badly, it immediately becomes unhappy. For example, if we get what we want, such as a new possession or a new partner, we become excited and cling to them tightly. However, since we cannot have everything we want, and since we will inevitably be separated from the friends and possessions we currently enjoy, this mental stickiness, or attachment, serves only to cause us pain. On the other hand, if we do not get what we want, or if we lose something that we like, we become despondent or irritated. For example, if we are forced to work with a colleague whom we dislike, we will probably become irritated and feel aggrieved, with the result that we will be unable to work with him or her efficiently and our time at work will become stressful and unrewarding.

Such fluctuations of mood arise because we are too closely involved in the external situation. We are like a child making a sandcastle who is excited when it is first made, but who becomes upset when it is destroyed by the incoming tide. By training in meditation, we create an inner space and clarity that enables us to control our mind regardless of the external circumstances. Gradually we develop mental equilibrium, a balanced mind that is happy all the time, rather than an unbalanced mind that oscillates between the extremes of excitement and despondency.

If we train in meditation systematically, eventually we will be able to eradicate from our mind the delusions that are the causes of all our problems and suffering. In this way, we will come to experience a permanent inner peace, known as “liberation” or “nirvana”. Then, day and night in life after life, we will experience only peace and happiness.