Understanding the Purpose of Meditation

Meditation seems to touted as a panadol to help combat today's stressful lifestyle. Mindfulness is another hot topic being taught to many people to achieve focus. Sometimes it makes you wonder how many people truly benefited from doing meditation and practising mindfulness. First, know exactly why you want to meditate. Is it to relax the body or your mind, or both ? Second, know how to do it well. For this you will need to find a good meditation teacher who can impart you with the right skills and techniques. Whatever it may be, you must to be in a state of peace and calm before you meditate, and also be peaceful and calm after you meditate. For themore spiritually inclined folks, please also invoke The Triple Gem for their guidance, help and protection. The above diagram aims to summarise some of the key points to help you achieve a more fruitful meditation session. Just remember that total relaxation is key. My next post will show the close connection of having a quiet mind, a relaxed body, and subtle breathing to make the difference, so that you will truly enjoy your meditation, and not to become stressed and frustrated in the process.    

The Danger of Pursuing Materialistic Pleasures

Many people seek enjoyment to gratify their five sense bases (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch). This brings temporary moments of mundane happiness which satisfy the craving for pleasurable sensations. Eventually a person will have a stronger desire to have more and more which leads to clinging (attachment). This forms a strong habit (addiction) to propel a person to a continous cycle of rebirth due to the strong energy stream of consciousness. I would like to point out that it is absolutely okay to harbour ambitions to be successful in life to acquire wealth and enjoy material comforts. However, the balancing act is to know how to enjoy wealth and comfort without being soiled by them. In fact, it is a great blessing to have both material and spiritual wealth at the same time. Why ? So that you have no financial worries (burden) to pursue spiritual development. In addition, you can also put your wealth to good use in doing service and tithing to generate good karma for yourself and your family members.  During the time of the Buddha, there were kings and noblemen that managed to attain the first stage of spiritual enlightenment without having to renounce. So there is hope for us all !