history people have retreated to mountain tops, to deserts and caves in order to meditate; to find an inner sanctuary of calmness, depth and wisdom. Every culture and tradition in our world, from Asia to the Amazon, has created within it a system or discipline designed to evoke altered states of consciousness, an enhanced sense of the sacred and to bring to fruition our own potential for awakening. Meditation is not a mindless repetition of a ritual or formula but a direct response to our own aspirations for oneness, wisdom and freedom. As meditation has become more accessible in recent decades there is no longer the demand to withdraw from the world or profess life-long vows. We learn to cultivate a path of peace and understanding in the midst of our lives with their variety of demands and challenges guided by the same longings for calm, depth and wisdom.
Before we ever begin formally to practise meditation we will all experience both the longings for peace and depth and glimpses of genuine meditation. Moments when our minds calm and still: maybe a moment walking through a park when our attention is captivated by the sound of a bird and we listen wholeheartedly; it may be a moment when we feel deeply touched by the sorrow or pain of a friend, and separation gives way to deep intimacy and openheartedness; or perhaps the at times surprising moments within ourselves when we are able to let go of anxiety and preoccupation and experience hints of oneness and clarity – these are moments of meditative experience. These moments, as well as the vast variety of meditative practices and systems are like ‘the finger pointing at the moon’ – in moments of stillness and calm we have just a brief glimpse of the richness and harmony possible for us; the challenge of developing and sustaining a path still lies before us. They invite us to discover for ourselves the heart of meditation. These moments inspire us to discover and develop an enduring peace, happiness and stillness, rather than the random moments previously encountered.
Through this book I will attempt to describe some of the major paths of meditation, looking at both their unique features and aims, and the essential principles they share. There are basic instructions describing the ways to begin to practise paths of concentration, devotion and mindfulness. The chapter on calming the mind and body provides some simple techniques for alleviating stress and tension. Exercises for integrating formal meditation into our daily lives are given.
This book will provide the essential information that will enable anyone to begin a path of meditation and to experience its benefits directly. It is an invitation for each of us to discover new dimensions of well-being, calm and understanding.
What is meditation? As we begin to explore this question for ourselves we are faced with the fact that there are hundreds of schools and systems of meditation that include concentration, devotion, visualization, mindfulness and a variety of other ways to calm and focus the mind. Within this diversity of paths there are genuine differences in emphasis and practice yet beneath this apparent variance there are core elements and parallel principles found in all traditions. At the most fundamental level all traditions are concerned with a process of transforming our consciousness. Within the variety of styles the themes of happiness, compassion, simplicity, calmness and depth are repeated, only in different words. Every tradition will highlight the deepening in acceptance, patience, ethics and wisdom. Different temperaments will be drawn to different styles of meditation practice or specific spiritual disciplines, yet every system will ask the practitioner to foster the essential principles of meditation shared by all traditions. It is the development of these core principles, rather than the comparison of the differences, that allows the deepening of meditation. Some of these essential and shared principles I would like to highlight.
CORE PRINCIPLES
There are several core principles which run through all meditative disciplines. Attention, awareness, understanding and compassion form the basic skeleton of all systems of meditation. Attention is the means of establishing ourselves in the present moment, providing focus and simplicity. There are hundreds of ways to cultivate attentiveness that share the essential direction of developing clarity, balance and calm. Awareness is a fundamental direction in all meditation. Developing and establishing a consciousness that is light, unburdened, sensitive and clear provides an inner environment that is intuitive and still. Clear and profound understanding is the direction of all meditation. Understanding is born of the direct and immediate perception of our inner and outer worlds. Understanding the forces that move us in our actions, speech, relationships and beliefs provides the possibility of travelling new pathways in our lives and is part of the tapestry of deepening wisdom. Understanding the processes that shape and create our inner and outer world forms part of the pathway of wisdom. The vast range of meditative traditions agree that it is understanding that frees us. Compassion is a fundamental principle of meditation. Meditation is not a narcissistic, self-interested path. It provides the foundation for love, integrity, compassion, respect and sensitivity.
The array of different schools will develop these core principles which will be discussed in greater detail in the following chapters. The differences in the pathways of meditation that have evolved are primarily shaped through the differing emphasis that is given to one of the core principles over others; all pathways will include the full range of these principles to differing degrees. Equally the differing schools of meditation will emphasize the significance of establishing a strong foundation for meditation to develop.
FOUNDATIONS OF MEDITATION
HAPPINESS
The myriad paths of meditation find agreement not only in the ingredients of their development but equally in their objectives. The search for genuine happiness and peace are core elements both in meditation and in our lives. Beset by the whole range of human maladies and struggles – loss, disappointment, tension, illness and confusion, we search for a way to end sorrow and conflict. In our lives we seek an enduring happiness and peace, deeper than just the temporary gratification of our passing wants and appetites. We look for ways for our hearts to sing with joy, delight and appreciation. Struggling with anger, tension, restlessness, meaninglessness or fear we search for ways to be at peace with ourselves and others, to live with calmness and depth.
Frequently in our lives we have attempted to find solutions to these conflicts and find happiness through avoiding challenging situations or endeavouring to create a ‘perfect’ world for ourselves where there is an absence of the disturbing, challenging or unpleasant. Or we endlessly endeavour to find happiness and peace through attempting to satisfy every desire that arises – more things, more achievements, more experiences. We begin to look at this longing for happiness and peace in new ways as we awaken to the fact that no matter how controlled or armoured our life is the world will always bring us more changes, new circumstances and challenges that we cannot avoid or control. We realize that there is a difference between pleasure and happiness and there is not enough of anything in the world that can be possessed or gained that can provide the happiness and peace we search for. No matter how much we gain or acquire we are not exempt from the possibility of loss. Our lives will always be a blend of the delightful and the challenging, the pleasant and the unpleasant, flattering and disturbing encounters, health and sickness. Endeavours to control the unpredictable and uncertain elements in life leaves us fearful and tense. Living in fantasies or ideals of how life ‘should be’ is a rejection of reality that banishes us from calm and balance. We begin to discover that avoidance, control and fantasy are not pathways to happiness but to confusion and conflict.
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
