2nd July 2010
I stumbled across meditation in 1984. I wasn’t really looking for anything. I wasn’t ill, or stressed, or going through any life challenges. No doctor had advised me that I needed to meditate. I wasn’t seeking spirituality or meaning in life. I wasn’t seeking happiness. I thought my lIfe was pretty good. But somehow meditation found me. I was invited by some friends to come along to an introductory talk on meditation, and I went along. I was interested enough in what I heard to take a short course, and what I learnt intrigued me. So I kept going to classes and started meditating on a daily basis. It all made a lot of sense to me so I just kept going along and learning and practising.
Well that was 26 years ago. Today, I look back and think about all that I have gained from being a meditator. I have discovered how to tap into the peace that is within me. I’ve gained self-confidence. I am better equipped to adapt to an ever-changing world. I can access my creativity. I have a sense of purpose in my life. I can draw upon my inner strength, peace and courage. I have a good working relationship with the material world, I don’t need objects or possessions to make me happy. I know myself pretty well, I know my strengths and my weaknesses. I accept myself as I am. I try to be a better person, and live up to my full potential. I’ve tapped into my intuition, and I can sense the strengths and qualities of other people, often when they can’t see that for themselves. I derive great pleasure from helping people. I have learnt that thoughts are amazing and that paying attention to the quality of my thoughts makes a huge difference in the quality of my life. I know how to choose thoughts that are helpful and steer away from thoughts that take me into negativity. I feel optimistic about life and the future, and I feel a connection with a Higher Power. There are heaps of other benefits in my life, that’s just the ones that come to mind today.
But you know, life is a work in progress, rather than a finished portrait. So yes, there are days when I’m not in touch with all the things I just mentioned. There are times when I am angry or grumpy, depressed or impatient. There are days when I can’t be bothered doing anything for myself, let alone help other people. There are times when I choose to dwell on my defects and shortcomings rather than my strengths and then I start to feel bad about myself. There are days when I don’t want to meditate. But I know it is my lifeline to all the good things. Being disciplined enough to meditate every day is an ongoing battle for me, but I will never surrender in this battle, because the gifts that meditation gives me are well worth the fight against laziness, self-sabotage and my love-hate relationship with discipline and structure.
Well, that’s my story for today. Not quite what I thought I was going to write about, but I’m glad that I’ve started out by being honest with you.
By the way, if you want to find out more about the meditation I practise, please visit – www.bkwsu.org and if you would like to study the free online course I co-wrote, please visit www.learnmeditationonline.org