About Meditation

inquire into the possibilities...

part one | part two | part three

 

Thoughts have a physical affect on our bodies. Thinking about something intensely enough can bring about a physical reaction. For instance, if you are a pianist and you are rehearsing a particular piece of music in your mind, your fingers may start to move. Nowadays, people spend a lot of time thinking about their jobs, the bills they have to pay, the safety of their children, their relationships, etc. These thoughts create stress, and stress puts our bodies in a state of fight or flight - our hearts beat fast, blood is diverted from vital organs to muscles, and our breathing becomes shallow. The fight or flight mechanism is the body’s natural response to an acute physical threat, i.e. when being charged by a wild elephant. But the stresses we face today are psychological, and chronic. It is extremely unhealthy to be in this state of fight or flight for prolonged periods and the effects on bodies and our minds is evident – from tense shoulders and aching backs to high blood pressure and indigestion.

Thoughts are powerful, but it is important to realize that our thoughts are not based on reality, they are based on our perception of reality. We rely upon our senses – our ability to hear, see, smell, touch, and taste – to create our perception of realityr, but this is simply our perception, which exists only in our minds. We cannot trust our senses – which tell us that the earth is flat, when really it is round – and must realize that what appears to be happening is really a projection of our minds. To understand how our minds work, all we need to do is simply observe and recognize everything about our minds, to meditate. Meditation is the only way to really get to know our minds.