2nd December 2007

The Self Aware Self !

Many people have tried and found it wasn’t what it was cracked up to be. Others had great expectations
only to have their hopes dashed, while some dip in and out of practice, according to their inclinations and
timetable. And then there are the ‘dabblers’ who are always on the lookout for a new and better ways to
‘do it’, dabbling as they go. All would probably consider themselves to be ‘practicing meditators’.

Some weeks ago we explored the myths of meditation. Here we identify a few of the benefits and some
good reasons to get started. Meditation is as old as the Eastern hills and during the last two decades its
been occupying an increasing number of Western minds. But where do you start? Dip into the menu of
‘types of meditation’ and you will find a dizzying number of methods, some ancient, some newly
‘designed’, some with recognised ‘pedigrees’ stemming from their origins, others appearing from nowhere
in particular. Some are practiced sitting down, some standing up, and some are done while ‘strolling’
around. And then there are the promises. Some promise greater concentration, some guarantee deep
relaxation and others promise enlightenment. Some should be done as the sole form of spiritual practice,
some are just one of several practices necessary for the awakening of spirit, and some forms of meditation
have become required practice within a religious vocation. Most ‘methods’ are free of charge so there is
no commercial ‘price comparisons’ to asses the apparent efficacy of each. So for all those new to the idea
and practice of meditation it’s no surprise they find it challenging just choosing where to start.

The original meaning of meditation lies in Latin, and apparently it originally referred to all types of physical
and intellectual exercise. Only later did the meaning evolve into something more akin to contemplation.
Today it generally (very generally!) refers to the ‘cultivation of self awareness’, which is slightly important
considering we are mostly uneducated in the what, why and how we believe, think and feel.

Ultimately self awareness is its own method, and whether you call it meditation or not, it is simply 'the self'
being, not becoming, more aware of 'the self'! In essence it is the self awakening, unfolding and revealing
all that lies dormant, distorted and distracted within the self to the self! It is the self seeing and freeing the
self from the blocks, barriers, burdens and boundaries both learned and accumulated on ‘the way’ known
as life. And as it does a kind of inner healing takes place, hence many schools of meditation strongly
associate healing with the origins of meditation.

If you sit quietly for a few minutes you will probably discover that you cannot sit quietly for a few minutes!

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The noise of an addictively busy mind will distract and defeat your attempt to be at peace, and to clearly
see beyond the fog of your thoughts and emotions. With practice your ability to sit quietly for a few
minutes will expand, as will your awareness of what exactly is going on within your consciousness and
with what you are doing with the world in your consciousness. Meditation is essentially observing,
noticing and allowing all that is happening within your awareness to just ….happen! The moment you
know that you are not ‘the happening’ that takes place in your awareness then you could be said to be on
the ‘edge of enlightenment’. You will also likely realise that while ‘meditation’ may have many formal forms
with lineages and titles and labels and processes, the true process of meditation is an informal,
unstructured, ‘in the moment now’ experience of pure self awareness. And you may then also come to
realise there can only ever be one ‘kind’ of meditation and that is ‘your’ meditation.

In the meantime here are possibly seven good reasons to get started.

Meditation as True Self Awareness

Few of us truly know who and what we are. We have learned to base our sense of identity on what we are
not (position, place, possessions, labels etc.). Self awareness is then limited and defined by what we
identify with. Meditation is the only way to see and release all your false identities, which have their roots
deep inside your consciousness. Meditation allows you to rediscover our true consciousness as spirit or
soul or, if you prefer, ‘pure awareness’. This in turn sets you free from the insecurity that comes when you
base your self identity on something outside your self. With a little meditative practice you will even see
that while your deepest beliefs 'appear' in your awareness they are also, in a sense, outside your ‘self’.

Meditation as Right Thinking

The aim of meditation is not to stop thinking. Thoughts themselves can be a starting point for observing
and witnessing. Meditation will eventually help you to more consciously discern and control the quality
and direction of your thoughts. In this way you can turn your mind away from harbouring thoughts of
physical, material things, and towards your true spiritual nature, which is forever loveful and peaceful.
Meditation helps you generate the highest quality of thinking, which benefits not only your self but also
your relationships and your work.

Meditation as Contemplation

Everything that happens in life has some meaning and significance. Unfortunately we live so fast that we
often miss the deeper meaning of events and the true significance of those people who pass through our
lives. When you stop to ‘contemplate’ a certain situation or even just an object, you are using a meditative
process to allow the event or object to awaken meaning and significance within your consciousness. If
you reflect and contemplate on any scene at work today or on any current relationship, it will open like a
flower to reveal insights and observations that can help you in such scenes and relationships in the future.

Meditation as Visualisation

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We are all artists and our mind is the canvas. If you create a peaceful scene on the canvas of your mind,
and meditate on that scene, holding it in your mind without becoming attached to it, investing it with depth
and richness, you will begin to generate powerful feelings of peace and contentment from inside out
instead of outside in. At the other end of the spectrum, if you envision your goals, your preferred future
achievements, and if you do not become attached to them, then you will begin to attract towards your self
the energies and circumstances to make them happen. Meditation helps you to concentrate and create –
inner skills which many of us have lost in our fast and frenetic media driven cultures.

Meditation as Silence

The most powerful place within your consciousness is at the core – it is the place of silence and stillness.
It is this ‘inner space’ within each one of us that never changes. It is also your inner source of personal
power – the power that you need to think positively and discern accurately. Meditation is a way into that
inner silent space, and on the way in it allows you to see all the memories, experiences and attachments
that block the way and generate inner noise. Once you arrive, ‘in silence’, real peace is present, true love
is rediscovered and a natural awareness of truth is restored.

Meditation as Communication

The context of all our lives is relationship. The currency of our relationships is our communication. At
every moment we are sending messages to each other, whether we are aware of it or not. Despite the
amazing toys we now use to talk to each other across the world, our communication is breaking down. It
seems we live in a globalised world as increasingly separated individuals in separatist societies. Human
communication is much more than just words and certainly much more than the ‘packets of data’ that we
send down the line. Real communication is filled with intimacy, real feelings and invisible messages.
These messages are subtle and much deeper than words can ever convey. To commune with each other
at these subtle levels is not something we learn in any academic forum. This inner sensitivity and capacity
for true intimacy is an inner ‘personal development’ that requires as much time in introspection and
contemplation as it does in interaction. It is in meditation that we relearn how to cultivate, transmit and
receive the kind of subtle communication that comes from the very heart of our soul.

Meditation as Creativity

The one capacity we all have in common is our creativity. It is probably why we are here! True creativity
begins within, with your self. This is not self indulgent or escapist, it is the process by which you can
choose the qualities of your own character. To meditate on patience is to create patience within your self,
to meditate on a generous heart is to restore generosity to your heart. To meditate on compassion is to
bring compassion to life in the reality of your life and the lives of others. In time all those around you will
benefit. This makes your personal meditation a gift to your relationships as you create and bring the best
of your self to others.

There are probably several hundred good reasons to begin ‘the practice’ but ultimately it’s probably true to
acknowledge that each one only starts when they are ready. A readiness to learn meditation and stick
with it is usually generated by an increasing loss of inner peace and an expanding conflict with the outer
world. In other words the suffering that comes from being unself-aware, which is where all suffering

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ultimately has its roots, is such that a point comes when we can take it no more and at last we become
open to a different way to ‘do life’.

Question: Who are you?

Reflection: What matters?

Action: Stop. Be still. Watch.