Meditation I
June 1, 2024
One of the most influential activities in my life is the practice of meditation. It has produced remarkable changes in my attitude and perception, and I highly recommend it as a life practice! I now meditate twice a day; usually about 20 minutes each time.
I started taking a meditation class once a week in December 2023, and I have practiced it every day since 1/6/24. I admit I knew nothing about meditation before I started the class, but now, after reading many books and watching many videos about it, I can say without a doubt it is the highlight of each day. One book I highly recommend to get started is “Start Here, Start Now”, by Bhante G.
Meditation is NOT about “just learning to relax”. Relaxation is certainly a component of meidation but it is not the goal. Meditation is also not an “escape from reality”. Meditation brings you closer to reality. Meditation allows you to see the world as it is, to be as non-reactive as possible to circumstances, allows you to love and forgive yourself, and gives you an open doorway to your compassionate heart.
The science behind meditation is as compelling as it is fascinating. The brain has a characteristic called neuroplasticity, which allows you to rewire the default neural pathways, from always playing the victim, for example, (‘why me?’) to a far more empowered strategy (“what can I do?”). The science shows that when we react to our circumstances in ways that engage the fight-or-flight mode, we literally cut off access to the so called “executive function” area of the brain, responsible for making decisions. Meditation allows you to focus on what is most important, allowing your inner wisdom to prevail.
Another aspect of meditation involves loving kindness, which is a way of loving yourself, that you’re worth it, and that the world needs you. Loving friendliness takes that one step further, allowing you to have compassion for all beings, not just the people you’re close to. You can have true compassion for people you don’t know, people who are suffering, even people who have wronged you.
We all have a pure heart, capable of unlimited joy and compassion, and it is this heart I have discovered and brought to life in this “forced pause” in my life. This is the seed that has been planted in my heart - to show compassion and dignity to the homeless. In so doing, I will continue to heal my heart, and I am fully committed to watering this seed and tending to this beautiful garden.
In the coming posts, I will share more of what I have learned. I hope to someday teach these concepts in a more formal setting, but for now this will have to do. It is a life-changer!
Peace, Dan
“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness,” - Dalai Lama