Buddhist meditation is often misunderstood. It is a science, not a religion. We, as human beings, can turn anything into a religion – money, sports, status, health, looking good, etc. – but religion in this sense is obsession.
The science of Buddhist meditation is a practice like yoga is a practice – but for our minds. Therefore, meditation is yoga for the mind.
Modern meditation techniques took Buddhist meditation and stripped it of its connection with ALOHA; thereby, rendering it shallow in its effects and, in some cases, sterile. But Buddhist meditation is powerful medicine for what ails today’s world and one does not have to “become” a Buddhist to practice it. Many devout (and famous) Jews, Christians, and atheists have devoted themselves to Buddhist meditation because it has brought them a deeper understanding of and faith in their own beliefs.
Buddhist meditation is an individual journey, whether you learn it in a group setting or by yourself with a teacher. The practice is simple but not easy; therefore, it’s vital to have teachers who offer information, techniques, and support in how to have your own experience along the path of meditation.
My friend and colleague, Karen Simpson, and I offer such guidance through the ground-breaking course called The Path of Meditation that Leads to Living ALOHA. Whether you have no meditation experience or feel short-changed by other programs, I encourage you to find out more about our course.
Buddhist meditation is a vehicle for:
- strengthening our minds to remain calm, cool, and collected in the midst of chaos and undistracted in any situation
- investigating why we think, say, and do the things we think, say, and do
- uncovering our habitual patterns of thinking, speaking, and acting that act as obstacles to how we really want to be in the world
- discovering the power of objectivity
- seeing the reality of situations and circumstance vs. our minds’ interpretations/projections
- recognizing and releasing our inner critic
- becoming aware that others think, say, and do things from a place of their own inner discontent/suffering/pain
- realizing the world is actually a friendly place and not out to get us
- rediscovering how to feel – safely
- learning that feeling is our connection to ALOHA
- remembering nothing exists other than ALOHA – including ourselves
- working with the energy of ALOHA to make positive change for ourselves, all sentient beings, and the planet
- preparing us for an easy passing at death
