In today's world the need for mental peace and a stress-free life is great. Most of us are experiencing a feeling of disconnectedness with our inner self, a feeling of mental restlessness and anxiety that is depriving us of a day's sleep, and peace of mind.
Meditation, an important aspect of Buddhism differs from other kinds of practices like yoga, quest for supernatural or any other form of physical exercise. Buddhist meditation is based on the Eight Fold path enumerated by Buddha himself. It believes that desire is the root cause for suffering and that the source for human suffering rests in their minds alone. It is this psychological aspect that dominates the Buddhist meditation practices rather than mere physical ceremonies.
To meditate in a Buddhist way one need not undergo any initiation or be religious in their beliefs and attitude. In fact, meditation has got nothing to do with religion, community or faith. It is a psychological exercise considered by many as of spiritual nature.
Ability to meditate is not some special skill out of human reach. Every human being looking for peace in his life should practice meditation and see for himself how it will relieve him of the mental stress and suffering.
Wondering what would one achieve by meditating! Meditation is a kind of cognitive journey an individual undertakes to attain the so called goals of Buddhism - gaining the ability to concentrate, liberating one's own mind, attaining 'Nirvana' or salvation and thus terminating the mental suffering.
Nirvana is that state of mind which can be attained only after much self -exploration and rigorous meditation. An individual should rid himself of negative feelings like anger, greed, lust, hatred etc to attain spiritual enlightenment. His mind should rise above the frivolous nitty-gritty of life. This doesn't mean that one should stop leading a normal life and seclude himself from the rest of the world meditating in some quite corner of the world. It's just that one should be able to dedicate some time from his busy schedule to meditate.
An individual should practice non-attachment and liberate himself psychologically from his emotions, passions and addictions. One should realize the ephemerality of human existence and it's mental suffering. Self- exploration of one's mind will create awareness about all those hidden and repressed causes that have been lying dormant in your subconscious. Such awareness will help you in steering your mind towards the right path, the path to Nirvana. Focusing your attention on a single subject or object for long will enhance your power to concentrate; to avoid mental distractions.
Some general tips about how to meditate are as follows: § Individuals can meditate either in a Lotus posture; squatting on the ground or in any other posture they are comfortable with. § Try to avoid sitting amidst distracting elements like noisy TV or music players. § Focus your attention on some distant object or a wall or some geometric shape. § Concentrate on your breathing alone. Once your mind achieves proper concentration, slow down your breathing.
The oft-quoted excuse given by people to avoid meditating is that they don't have time. Though this does hold good to our busy lives and mundane routines to a great extent. The best part about meditation is that there are no special rules regarding at what time one should meditate or for how long. Create a plan that suits you the most.
Meditation is all about your quest for peace. It is you who should make a sincere effort to practice meditation and be persistent in learning. So, are you ready to meditate
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