Meditation for Thursday 27 November 2025

Many of us who have been recidivist meditators know that meditation is astonishingly simple and astonishingly difficult.

Most of us at some stage in our meditation journey have lacked the discipline to establish a daily meditation practice despite an enduring belief that it would be a good thing. The important point is to acknowledge this and resolve to continue the journey.

Sadly, there is a tendency by some practitioners and training organisations  towards the  commodification and oversimplification of meditation and mindfulness. This may result in disenchantment as the practice has to have a solid foundation. ‘Me’ meditation and ‘Me’ mindfulness will ultimately prove unsatisfactory.

Focusing the mind, stilling our thoughts, and abiding in a state of calm is a worthwhile objective when the outcome is that we become our true selves and thus relate to the world in wholesome honesty. By becoming a better person, we have an effect on others.

These ancient meditation practices overlap hugely with modern psychological therapies that are commonly centred on cultivating a steady, non-anxious presence, a deepened awareness of the present moment and an ability to just sit; quiet, undisturbed, undistracted!

The purpose of meditation goes way beyond the calm feeling we might achieve but more broadly it’s about transforming one’s life, to see things as they really are, to cultivate loving, compassionate attitudes and to attain a greater calmness through all parts of our day.

Meditation

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