Oakville Zen Meditation

#399 MEDITATION: more on the basics 29 May 22

                                                  MEDITATION: More on the basics.

Learning meditation is like learning to play a musical instrument:

It is learning how to “tune” the mind, to get better relationships with our thoughts, and eventually control them

Dedicated, regular, patient, and non-judgmental practice is how to achieve this.

Progress will not occur if one is casual about her/his practice “ I cannot make time for meditation” meaning “meditation is not important for me”,  on the other hand, meditation cannot be forced either.

For these reasons, meditation practice is often compared with gardening:

  We cannot force plants to grow faster, but we can assiduously provide them with the right conditions,

 so that they develop naturally.

Among the beneficial impacts of regular meditation on our day-to-day life are:

Samatha and Vipassana or Vipassana with their daily impacts on our life:

Samatha can be translated as “effortless concentration”.

It is a state in which the mind is focused intensively and yet brought to rest. How is it possible?

    It is done by practicing mindfulness that is focusing only on one item such as breathing to anchor  

   the mind w/o allowing us to analyze anything coming up.

   When the mind wanders, simply be aware of the thoughts, and go back to your anchor.

   Samatha is focusing thoughtlessly. When this is done, a calm pervades within body and mind.

When we are meditating, we are practicing Samatha.

Vipassana can be translated as “ proper Insight,” which is a clear awareness and right understanding

or view of our surrounding factual reality and its components as opposed to being in a constant daydreaming state full of illusion, delusions such as 1) being in the past or future, 2) Feeling to be in control, 3) inappropriate label, idea, judgment, etc...

When we meditate, we are practicing Vipassana

Meditation is also a discovery of self, and around self:

Through the process of mindfulness meditation, Samatha, and Vipassana,

   1) We slowly become aware of what we really are, beyond the power of our ego-driven mind, and

       the so-called thinker who is not the genuine you but just an amalgam of thoughts, labels,

       judgments coming from huge fictional mental and emotional spaces.

   2) We wake up to what life really is. Things, events, and people are what they are, and

      not necessary as we want them to be.

   3) We discover that serenity is more important than happiness which is always transient, and

      exocreated whereas serenity is coming from our inner self and not from outside sources.

Thank you