The world is at war, mother earth is at stake, so why meditate?

Meditation has some wonderful secondary benefits, but for me, the goal of a meditation practice is not to reach enlightenment or a permanent state of tranquility, but rather to cultivate a mindfulness practice to help ride the highs and lows of life. The practice of watching thoughts and emotions rise and fall like rolling ocean waves while sitting in silence is invaluable in these days when terror and fear run wild. Paradoxically this can be amidst previously unseen feelings of compassion, kindness and love.

Through my meditation practice, I bring one more human being into a state of consciousness, which leads to accessing the only thing that I imagine actually exists; an awareness of the transient nature of each moment of life. This is clearly demonstrated as I witness the steady fluctuation of thoughts in my mind, and the ever-changing nature of the physical body during a meditation.

What ideally happens when and if all the conditions are ripe for meditation? For me the physical body cooperates with one's desire to sit still without any physical distractions, thus allowing you to focus your attention on a chosen object and sustain that object without distraction.¹ In my limited experience, these "chosen objects" are the cultivation of such qualities as compassion, patience and or unconditional love, so we can carry our meditation into our lives. What we plant in solitude we reap in our relationships.

Through a stillness practice I learn to appreciate simple things, like my ability to sustain life though breath. And in stillness, I can commit to sharing my talents and abilities as a way of transforming the world if only in minute and possibly unclear ways. As a secondary benefit, meditation uncoils prana hidden deep in the body. Physiologically, mentally and spiritually this may lead to experiences of momentary calm, quietness and expanded awareness. The holy sparks in each of us are thus ignited.

However, eventually your sitting time is over and life does await you. I aspire to the wisdom of meditation, to cultivating a state where I can become a witness to thoughts and emotions, fostering intentions that are directed by my values and principles. When I succeed I am no longer a slave to the emotions or thoughts that rear their ugly heads while driving to work listening to the news, sitting in meetings with colleagues I may disagree with, or in relationship with my loved ones. This wisdom comes in handy, especially in turbulent times.

But can we justify the practice of striving for wholeness, or for cultivating compassion, in our individual lives when the 6:00 news is about to deliver the next horrific sound bite? What is the point of beginning a spiritual journey that I may never complete? The Jewish tradition provides us with a response to that question: "You are not required to complete the task, however, neither are you not free to withdraw from it."²

I am committed to continuing my meditative practice as a way of raising the holy sparks within me in the hope they spread amongst the complex universe we currently reside in. Thus, my journey and the end become one.

1. The Heart of Yoga, Developing A Personal Practice, Desikachar
2. Ethics of The Fathers, Mesorah Publications, 1995. p. 125.

Offer these thoughts to:

benefactor
yourself
friend/spouse/child/parent
neutral person
difficult person
all sentient beings