You will get a different form definition of meditation depending on who you ask and where you look. The definition of meditation that I will give you comes from the New Kadampa Tradition of Buddhism. “Meditation is a mind that concentrates on a virtuous object, and which is the main cause of mental peace.”
The purpose is to become more familiar with our thoughts and to have more clarity. The more clear that we become about our thoughts, the more calmer and peaceful our mind becomes. The goal is to free your mind of worries, anger and negativity. As you may be aware, a negative mind is an unhappy mind. That’s the bad news. The good news is that we can change that.
Through meditation you can learn to control your mind and to be less negative, rid yourself of worry and get rid of anger all together. Once you become more in tune with your mind you will realize the power that it has and that it really does control your entire life and every thing that happens in it.
Just to be clear, it’s not always that easy. It’s really up to the individual what they get out of it. It’s like learning how to do anything, it takes practice. The more you practice, the better you become and the happier you get. As you get happier, you will naturally worry less and be angry less. Imagine that, not getting angry with people. Can you image not having to have that feeling of anger ever again? Let’s face it, it doesn’t feel good. Nobody likes being angry!
Just as you need to practice to become better at anything, you need to practice to become better at meditation. You should also follow the actual practice of someone else. Think about this, you wouldn’t go out and try to drive an airplane with out first learning from someone who knows how to drive an airplane would you? You wouldn’t jump out of an airplane without first learning the proper procedures from someone with experience would you? Yes, these examples are a little extreme, but it applies with anything. Just as you need a coach in sports or a manager or leader in business to show you the ropes, you also need someone qualified to teach you how to meditate properly so that you get the most benefit out of it.
I spent many years practicing meditation on my own and didn’t get very far. Yes it helped, but it was not close to what I could have accomplished by learning from someone else who knew A LOT more about it than me. After spending a few months learning from a teacher the true way to meditate and following there direction, I made some really significant growth. I probably achieved more spiritual growth in a few months time than I did in three years practicing on my own.
My recommendation is get a teacher. If you don’t know where to look, then I would recommend checking out a
