Description
This article is from the Meditation
FAQ, by Jeffrey Chance jeffjc@cs.mcgill.ca with numerous
contributions by others.
2. What is meditation?
The basic idea generally associated with why people meditate
is that during our day we are constantly subjected to sensory
input and our minds are always active in the process of thinking.
We read the newspaper, study books, write reports, engage in
conversation, solve problems, etc etc. Typically, as we do these
normal activities we engage in a constant mental commentary, sort
of an inner "The Drama of Me." Usually people aren't fully
aware of all the mental thought activity that we are
constantly engaged in.
Meditation allows all this activity to settle down, and often
results in the mind becoming more peaceful, calm and focused. In
essence, meditation allows the awareness to become 'rejuvenated'.
Meditation can be considered a technique, or practice. It usually
involves concentrating on an object, such as a flower, a candle, a
sound or word, or the breath. Over time, the number of random
thoughts occuring diminishes. More importantly, your attachment to
these thoughts, and your identification with them, progressively
become less. The meditator may get caught up in a thought pattern,
but once he/she becomes aware of this, attention is gently brought
back to the object of concentration. Meditation can also be
objectless, for example consisting of just sitting.
Experiences during meditation probably vary significantly from
one individual to another, or at least if different techniques
are involved. Relaxation, increased awareness, mental focus and
clarity, and a sense of peace are the most common by-products of
meditation. While much has been written about the benefits of
meditation, the best attitude is not to have any expectations
when practicing. Having a sense of expectation of (positive)
results is likely to create unnecessary strain in the practice.
As well, since meditation involves becoming more aware and
more sensitive to what is within you, facing unpleasant parts
of oneself may well be part of meditation. Regardless of the
experience, the meditator should try to be aware of the
experience and of any attachment to it.
Failure to experience silence, peace of mind, mental clarity,
bliss, or other promoted benefit of meditation is not in itself
a sign of incorrect practice or that one can't concentrate
properly or concentrate enough to be good at meditation.
Whether one experiences peace or bliss is not what is important.
What is generally considered important in meditation is that one
is regular with their meditation -every day- and that one make
a reasonable effort, but not strain, to remain with the object
of concentration during the practice. With regular practice
one inevitably acquires an increased understanding of and
proficiency with the particular meditation technique.
Some people use the formal concentrative meditation as a
preliminary step to practicing a mindfulness meditation during
the day where one tries to maintain a calm but increased awareness
of one's thoughts and actions during the day.
For some people, meditation is primarily a spiritual practice, and
in some cases the meditation practice may be closely tied to the
practice of a religion such as, for example, Hinduism or Buddhism.
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