Meditation

Originally published on my old blog in January 2020.

I’ve been attending mediation classes on and off since I was about 19. The idea of creating inner calm and peace by letting go suffering and anger has been a lifelong journey.

Early on I was resistant to many of the Buddhists idea around suffering being all in the mind, but after years of listening and reading and mediating it makes more sense and is starting to feel like a natural, do-able process.

I’m now at the point, where I only attend meditation classes on a top-up basis. When my mind feels chaotic and my own methods of calming those thoughts isn’t working as effectively as it could, I return to class and the teachings of Buddha.

Some of the books are better than others.
Some are quite dull to be honest. The writing is plain and stodgy and they fail to capture or reveal the essence in a way that you can relate to.

This book was not quite as grim as that, but it was close.

Thankfully the classes I attend are run by people trained to discuss these ideas in a more relatable, modern way. They are simply there to share their understanding of the basic Buddhist tenets, then lead various meditation sessions that help us let go our suffering and find inner happiness.

It’s harder than it sounds.

After 3 months of being ravaged by bushfires in NSW, with friends losing their homes, living with smoke and poor air quality and a truly frightening week when our home was in real danger, my mind was not feeling calm. I returned to classes to top-up and let go.

It also made me finish this book finally.

Reading this book on its own will not enlighten you or inspire you to try meditation. The teachings in this book are best discussed in classes. I suspect that most Buddhist books are best read in conjunction with meditation and yoga classes.

It’s a pathway worth exploring. Every time I go back I hear the teachings in a slightly different way. My mediation practice becomes more effective every time I return and find a deeper level of personal understanding.