These primary insights are turning points in ourselves and are the beginning of meditation. They lead us not to dismiss or reject the world around us or belabour ourselves with judgement or despair, but to begin to look within ourselves for the source of happiness and the ways to foster it. We realize that to bring change in our personal lives and our world we will need to bring about radical change within our own hearts and minds. We begin to look not only for a genuine way to happiness but also cultivate the willingness to understand the dynamics of unhappiness and discontent. We begin to question our prejudices, opinions and beliefs and understand the way in which they can blind us to understanding what is true in the circumstances and events we meet. Instead of avoiding conflict or projecting blame in the face of disturbance, we find new encouragement to explore the nature of conflict, anger, fear and resentment and begin to understand the relationship between distress and its cause. Instead of searching the world for satisfaction, gratification and relief from restlessness and tension we become increasingly attentive to our inner life, and there are glimmers of sensitivity and understanding. Rather than turning on the television in an attempt to distance ourselves from anxiety or distress we learn to explore and untangle those feelings. Rather than being lost in anger and resistance to someone who disturbs us we find the calm and willingness to stay present and begin to understand the nature of our conflict.
With a greater willingness to be consciously present and awake in each moment, rather than being lost in struggle or resistance, our minds begin to calm and there emerges a deeper sense of harmony and rapport within ourselves and with the world. We discover that peace is not the elimination of the disturbing or challenging but the capacity to meet the changing circumstances of our lives with balance and understanding. We begin to sense a profound happiness that is not reliant upon a ‘perfect’ world, but that stems from the clarity, calmness and contentment of our own minds and hearts. It is not the happiness of exhilaration or excitement but an enduring happiness born of sensitivity, balance and appreciation.
THE PATH
All traditions will portray meditation as a path, a living dynamic process of unfoldment. It is intended to take us from confusion to clarity, from entanglement to freedom, from discontent to happiness, from agitation to serenity. The practice of meditation will not insulate us from the pain that our lives may bring, nor is it an escape from the challenges we will all be asked to address in our lives. It will enable us to meet all of the variety of changes and challenges of our life with increasingly deep levels of acceptance, balance, understanding and compassion. Meditation is not a path of passivity or withdrawal; it will empower and free us to live with greater skilfulness, vitality and intuition. Through meditation we find the inner skills and resources that enable greater responsiveness and clarity in life.
Meditation is not a magical solution nor will the different schools of meditation dispense prescriptions and formulae to impose upon the changing events we encounter. There is no system of meditation that will guarantee a quick and painless solution to the variety of dilemmas we meet in our lives. As a path of change and transformation all traditions of meditation will ask us to be a conscious participant in the development of the discipline we adopt and in the process of meditation. An integral aspect of all meditative paths lies in their practice and application. We are not passengers but travellers. There are qualities of heart and mind that we will need to foster and develop and other qualities we will be asked to understand and let go of. One of the meditation principles that runs through the variety of spiritual disciplines is the emphasis that is given to laying firm and clear foundations for the development of a meditative practice.
ETHICS
Every meditative tradition will emphasize the need to establish a basis for meditation upon the foundation of a moral or ethical life that fosters a mind and heart of mindfulness, compassion and sensitivity. The precepts, vows and commandments of the various traditions are not intended to be rules blindly adhered to but instead highlight the integral link between an ethical life and a mind that is able to deepen in calm and understanding. If in our lives we are engaged in actions, speech, lifestyles or pursuits that bring harm or pain to ourselves or to others, it is exceedingly difficult for the mind to deepen in serenity or compassion. Instead through unethical action or speech that harms ourselves or others, the mind collects residues of regret, guilt and unease. These feelings in turn create endless streams of thought and agitation preventing inner calmness and depth. Engagement in unethical action or speech fosters a pronounced sense of disharmony and fear, anger and alienation. For example, a cosmetics company, aware of the high turnover rate among the technicians involved in testing products on animals, invited an instructor to teach meditation as a stress reduction technique. Paradoxically, the experiment ended with many of the staff resigning as they connected with their intrinsic unease about the nature of their work. The discovery of the happiness so integral to meditation rests upon the harmony and clarity we cultivate in our lives and relationships, both inwardly and outwardly through our actions, speech, thoughts and choices.
Meditation is not ethically neutral nor is it solely a path of inner transformation intent upon achieving exotic states of inner experience. It is directed towards not only the cultivation of calm and wisdom, but also compassion, sensitivity, forgiveness, love and generosity. Meditation is a path not only of inner change, but a path that enables us to touch our relationships and the world around us with compassion, care and peace. It is not possible to separate the quality of our meditation from the quality of our lives. If our lives are saturated with tension, conflict or remorse this will be reflected in our meditation. If the culture of our lives and relationships is based upon peace, understanding and sensitivity, this too will be reflected in our meditation.
The ethical guidelines of any tradition show us the way to a life of harmony and peace and are the vehicles for embodying the spirit of meditation in every circumstance and moment of our lives. They show us the way to live a life of harmlessness, tolerance and compassion. Giving attention to the truthfulness of our speech, cultivating honesty, showing reverence for life through non-harming, bringing integrity and respect into our relationships with other people and fostering a mind and body that is unclouded by intoxicants – these are the ingredients of a life of peace and a mind that is easily collected and focused in meditation.
ATTITUDE
Right attitude is one of the essential principles of meditation practice in all traditions. Most styles of meditation are simple but this does not imply that they are easy. Our approach to any style of meditation is significant and profoundly influences the way in which our experience will unfold. The willingness to learn, the humility to accept the moments we falter, the inspiration to begin again in every moment are all fundamental ingredients of right attitude. Right attitude is the willingness to bring profound patience, openness and acceptance to our path. Every moment is greeted as our teacher, including the moments of boredom, restlessness and resistance. We learn to welcome even the sometimes painful discoveries of our own frailties and prejudices as invitations to deepen in understanding. The path cannot be separated from the goal in meditation. If we seek peace then we need to develop our path in a peaceful way – judgement, striving and forcing are not conducive to peace. If we seek compassion then compassion must be an integral part of our own approach to meditation – intolerance, blame and rejection are not elements of compassion. If we seek calm, excessive ambitiousness and preoccupation with goals are not appropriate or conducive.
Many people come to meditation practice inspired by the stories of great saints and mystics who have been changed through profound spiritual experiences and altered states of consciousness. We may find ourselves looking to meditation as a fast track to our own transcendental experiences and breakthroughs. Investing too much in these expectations we may easily feel disappointed or disillusioned when our initial experiences seem to fall far short of our ideals. Vision and inspiration are vital ingredients in developing our meditation practice, but these need to be finely balanced with a number of other qualities of heart and mind that allow us to become clearly established in the reality of the present moment with balance and openness. All meditative traditions are paths from here to there, a way of realizing the understanding and compassion that is possible for all of us. For us to fulfil those possibilities, to realize