Fri, 2011-04-22 22:30 — bcnsw
Buddhist Meditation
Your mind is normally active generating a continuous flow of thoughts, sensations and emotions. Meditation practice recognises that this is how the mind functions. It does not try to stop your thoughts, but rather offers techniques for letting them go.
So how does meditation work? We experience everything through our mind, so by training or cultivating this mind, we can change the quality of our experience. Gradually meditation practice alters the structure of the brain and new neuronal pathways are created which improve whole brain functioning. Meditation increases left-prefrontal lobe activity which is associated with happiness, compassion, joy and curiosity. It also tends to reduce “neuronal gossip”, that is, thoughts of anxiety, fear and worry. This is achieved by resting the mind in natural, non-judgemental awareness. Buddhist meditation helps us to be aware of the so-called “mental poisons” of attachment, aversion and ignorance, which lead to harm for ourselves as well as other beings.
Meditation can help us to become happier, kinder, more compassionate and more aware of the needs of other beings. Over time, meditation can even make us more aware of the consequences of our own actions, or the actions of others, and we may learn to uncover the illusion of “self”. Gradually we may start to realise that there is no difference between the mind that thinks and the thoughts that flow in and out of it.
The difference between ordinary meditation and Buddhist meditation is Mindfulness. What is this? It is the link between sitting meditation practice and everyday life. Mindfulness meditation improves our non-judgemental awareness throughout the day, so that we are not on “auto-pilot”, but instead living life fully aware. It’s important to integrate practice into day-to-day life. There is no point in being calm on the cushion but out of control throughout the day. Mindfulness can be applied in every situation: listening to others, cleaning the house, eating your meal, or walking along the street. These are all opportunities for mindfulness and being aware of the present moment.