Why would someone raised and trained in a culture steeped in meditation call it the greatest? From my own view and experience, the answer is simple: a regular meditation practice draws out the best in every part of what it means to be human.
I suspect many readers have already tried meditation, perhaps for years. Even so, you may share the experience of the many people I have questioned at workshops over the years who admit to feeling somewhat dissatisfied. A great many feel they ought to meditate more often, and they are unhappy with the quality of their practice. Yet these same people also tell me how much meditation has benefited their lives in countless ways.
That, then, is the immediate aim of the next few meditation posts: to encourage a little reflection, to help you set realistic expectations, and to help you find genuine satisfaction in your understanding and practice of meditation.
Motivation
Every action begins with motivation. So why do we want to meditate? Perhaps you started, or are now considering it, because of a pressing issue: a health crisis, personal trauma, a sense of being out of balance, stress or anxiety. Or perhaps you have realised there is more to life and feel drawn to know yourself and to experience the truth of who you really are.
The reality is that meditation benefits every area of life. Its practice draws on 7000 years of written history, and more than 4000 research studies have appeared in scientific journals worldwide, testifying to its wide-ranging physical and psychological benefits. Meditation brings out the best in us, so we can be at our best for others and most useful in our lives.
The key is to remember your motivation. Perhaps you began meditating with a burning passion to address a particular issue. Over time, without reminders or stimulus, that passion can fade. Other things take precedence, and you can slip into “I don’t have time now, I will meditate tomorrow”.
The antidote is to build the habit of reminding yourself of your motivation each time you begin to meditate. Spiritual traditions often did this through prayer, but a secular affirmation works just as effectively.
This means taking a little time to craft a short, positive statement that captures why you are motivated to meditate. Write it down. Learn it. Commit to saying it before every meditation. And when you say it, aim to say it freshly and with meaning, reconsidering it each time and remembering what it means.
Many people I know have transformed their meditation through this process. Give it a try. Then perhaps you would like to share some feedback. What works for you? Do you have a prayer or affirmation you would like to share? And what other meditation questions do you have?
In the next meditation post, I will explore the old and the new: some remarkable facts about meditation's ancient history and some of the mind-blowing recent research.
Useful Resources
- Free access to research on meditation is available via biblio.noetic.org
- Sogyal Rinpoche’s book is: The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
- My most recent book on meditation: Ian Gawler and Paul Bedson: Meditation - An In-Depth Guide
- DVD to learn meditation: Meditation Live by Ian Gawler
- CD for learning and practice: Meditation - A Complete Guide by Ian Gawler
- Meditation Courses and Retreats (and leaders who may be in your area and who have been trained by Ian and Paul) : The Gawler Foundation: www.gawler.org
I'm really looking forward to more posts on your blog and also to hearing affirmations that people use at the beginning of their meditation to remind themselves of their intention. Thanks so much for starting a blog!
ReplyDeletehi Ian. Good to see you in the Blogosphere. You know what sends me back to the cushion? (chair these days). It's all those others that need my prayers.
ReplyDeleteMy meditation statement is very simple: "I meditate to respond to the depths of inner wisdom and spirituality within."
ReplyDeleteGood on you Ian - I have never been into blogs either but now you are, I will follow ... because whenever you have opened your mouth and spoken, whether personally, by CD, DVD, on the written word, I have listened. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
ReplyDeleteHi Ian,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts via the web, and in particular via a blog - I personally find it a really easy way to communicate with others.
I have been practising Vipassana meditation every day since July of this year, after attending a 10-day course in Blackheath, NSW. I am sure that you have heard of it, but for those who haven't, the link is here:
Dhamma.org.au
In June of this year I was diagnosed with brain cancer (Glioblastoma Multiforme), after surgical removal of the tumour. My GP in Sydney recommended your name, which led me to The Gawler Foundation's website, and ultimately your blog.
I have found that meditation has changed my life, and I have kept up my practice every day since I have returned home from the retreat in July. The benefits have been that I am more generous, have been able to confront death, and generally more at peace with myself and others.
If you (or anyone else) is interested in reading a blog entry regarding my experience with cancer and meditation, then click here to read my story.
I will continue to follow your blog, and hopefully attend a retreat at your centre in Victoria as soon as I can.
Cheers,
Russell.
The Hebrew word "ain", pronounced eyennn, means a ring, an eye, a well, and nothingness. It is the highest concept, above the highest sephiroth in the Hebrew Kaballah. The vowel i, ai, pronounced "eye", is the resonant sound of the cylinder which differentiates round circuitry, of the one substance, energy, in the one substance, energy, counterclockwise on one side, and clockwise on the other side, the real polarities, which are a provision of opposite polarities, that provide moments of "conscious nothingness", total satisfaction, when this sound "eyennn" is thought.
ReplyDelete