by
Paul
Benhaim
Meditation
'O Bhikshus and wise men,
Do not accept my words merely
Out of respect for me,
But as gold is tested by being
melted, cut and burnished,
So, analyse what I have said
and only then accept it'
Lord Buddha
What is meditation? Sitting in a lotus position watching your
breath? Meditation is different for everyone. Below I have invited a
practicing Buddhist, Vimlaraja to share guidelines for two basic
meditations that I currently use to focus my mind. To become
aware of everything we must first let go of everything; empty our
minds. It is inexplicable, yet meditation is possibly the most
profound practice we can integrate into our lives, no matter what
backgrounds we come from or where we want to go. The ultimate
- Buddha, Nirvana, Enlightenment - is to be found in meditation
throughout life. Eating is meditation, giving is meditation, receiving
is meditation, being fully with our emotions is meditation. In fact,
every aspect of our life, when carried out with awareness, is
meditation. It is being whole in our actions. When we
communicate, work or love, we should do so not superficially with
our minds or body, but with our whole self carrying all of mind,
body and emotions with us. When we are neurotically busy we find
we do not truly or authentically do anything. There is no real action
until we act with our whole being. To reach this whole we must
start at the beginning.