A student of mine sent me this. I thought it was good as a reminder of why we meditate.
We come to meditation feeling that parts of our live are difficult and that perhaps a meditation practice will make them less so. But that is not how mediation works. The desire for peace and happiness is noble; the expectation of instant results is unreasonable. Mediation is a matter of slow and steady experience. It is not a cure. It is not a set of moral values. It is not a religion. It is a way - a way to be fully present, a way to be genuinely who we are, a way to look deeply at the nature of things, a way to rediscover the peace we already possess. It does not aim to get rid of anything bad, or to create anything good. It is an attitude of openness. The term for this is attitude is mindfulness.
We come to meditation feeling that parts of our live are difficult and that perhaps a meditation practice will make them less so. But that is not how mediation works. The desire for peace and happiness is noble; the expectation of instant results is unreasonable. Mediation is a matter of slow and steady experience. It is not a cure. It is not a set of moral values. It is not a religion. It is a way - a way to be fully present, a way to be genuinely who we are, a way to look deeply at the nature of things, a way to rediscover the peace we already possess. It does not aim to get rid of anything bad, or to create anything good. It is an attitude of openness. The term for this is attitude is mindfulness.
Buddhists call this mindfulness meditation maitri practice. Maitri is often translated as "unconditional friendliness." Meditation is the practice of unconditional friendliness toward whatever is happening in the moment - the moment during which we sit in meditation, and all the other moments of life, whether things are going well or falling apart. Meditation helps us find an internal witness with which to view external events. This might sound like a small, easy matter, but it is not. In fact, discovering and developing an inner witness may be the most important act of our life. Being able to observe ourselves honestly, with acceptance and friendliness, trains us to do the same with others at home, at work, and in the world.
Mindfulness meditation trains us to be less reactive to whatever is in life that causes us suffering. It gives us an ability to experience without identifying fully with it, and therefore to be more free from it. Because of that experience during meditation, we begin to fear life's pain less, to contract around it less. We become more easy going with ourselves. We still suffer, but with much less of the dramatic flair that only adds to our suffering and makes it overwhelming.
Elizabeth Lesser
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