Meditation for Thursday 4th July 2024
Although most of us know the value of meditation we will probably find it useful to occasionally appraise its effects on our life. This does not mean making a judgment about the so-called quality of meditation; that is a useless pastime that may bring us heartache.
It’s worthwhile to occasionally ask have I felt any benefits from regular meditation and if so how would I describe those benefits? Has the commitment to meditation changed me? Has my life become calmer, more peaceful? If I am committed to a religious path has it given me a deepened insight and sharpened my imagination into the mystery of God?
“To meditate is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self.” (Zen Master Eihei Dogen, 13thCentury.)
A note of caution. The practice of meditation must never inadvertently lead to the promotion of a passionless, distant attitude to life. The very idea of meditation which often results in us practicing greater detachment in our life can be annoying to families and friends. It must never become a spiritual exercise that leads us to hide in the artificial tranquility of an imaginary monastery of the heart.
Meditation is life and “the unexamined life is not worth living.” (Socrates)
Meditation
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