Meditation is a mental and emotional training that enables the practitioner to retain a profound measure of inner stability and mental and emotional resilience through the trained procedure of repeatedly and systematically reestablishing a state of calm composure (known in scientific circles as homeostasis and the ancient language of the historical Buddha as Samatha initially, and Samadhi at more advanced stages). It is the art of self-tranquilization, afforded by the development of a compassionate and stilled heart, and done so for the sake of meeting our lives with an unbiased and clear mind, as well as a tamed, resilient and gracious heart. We must first acknowledge the peril that an unchecked mental and emotional landscape really poses in our lives and our world, and then choose whole heartedly to address this issue with benevolence and determination, devoting ourselves to a willful, though kind and unbiased, self-monitoring (ie. the practice of mindfulness). A self-monitoring founded not on harsh self-scrutiny, but a calm, detached, non-judging and compassionate outlook that only comes from a kind and honest watchfulness. This composure, when truly and deeply established and understood intimately by the practitioner, has the ability to immediately subvert and counter-act overwhelming emotions and complex thought matrices that drive and direct us, often without our knowing, and which routinely lead us into the jaws of compulsion, addiction, anxiety and depression. These mental and emotional energies can be easily disseminated and dispersed via the processes afforded by the altered states of consciousness that meditation is well known for giving the practitioner access to. These practices get us in touch with our own innate resiliency, as well as a deep abiding nobility of heart. If we do not know something clearly, and as it Truly is, in the mind, body and heart all at once, then it has the power to influence us. By carefully observing our inner world and practicing and developing a calm forbearance in regard to our very own thoughts and emotions, empowered by a compassionate heart, we can assume the seat of power in our lives. This kind of deep self-awareness is referred to as Embodiment. This level of observation can initiate powerful transformations. But to do this we must have a clear understanding of our goal and of the path to its fulfillment. This goal is the development of a deep and abiding forbearance that has the power to soften old ways of thinking so that we might engage with new ones based on a wise clarity of vision.

This requires deep states of calm.. And…

A deep and continual letting go…