Meditation for Thursday 23rd September 2021
I often get asked, ‘What is meditation?’ There are many answers to that question but the one I always favor is that meditation is the ability of living in the present moment. Once we can be in the ‘now’ we have mastered the art and require nothing more. Living in the present does not mean switching-off but rather being aware and attentive to the present moment.
So meditation is simple and straightforward because it is essentially training our mind to be in the here and now.
Moment-to-moment awareness or mindfulness is so important at this time of lockdown when we can easily fret and worry about what has been and what might be. Manifestations of people’s anxiety are seen in anti-lockdown demonstrations and most of us know of people who at this time are ridden with fear and concern. Many are at present experiencing a sense of loss and grief.
Of course I know that I should never under-estimate the unease that comes with unemployment and the angst that some parents have in home-schooling their children. Yet when people turn to meditation it has a remarkable capacity to improve one’s overall wellness assisting with stress, pain, insomnia, anxiety and other conditions that touch all of our lives from time-to-time.
In the present moment I become secure, I feel at ease, I feel safer, more confident and hopeful. I don’t have to be limited by the constraints that a lockdown imposes because my meditation frees me to live in the present moment. I still have bad moments but I can accept those stumbling blocks more easily because meditation teaches me that although change is endless the present is constant.
Now let us meditate remaining in the ‘now’ with the intention that we meditate not just for ourselves but for the benefit of others.
MEDITATE
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A reminder to check out the Zoom programs currently on offer through
the Carmelite Centre. Go to thecarmelitecentremelbourne.org