One of the things I'd like to do on this blog is share some of my thoughts and experiences of meditation and spiritual practice in general.
This question, what is meditation? is one I reflect on quite a lot. The general definition I tend to refer myself to when I ask this question, is meditation as the continuous production of positive mental states. However this is only the start of an investigation into the nature of meditation, but what I take from it is that meditation is not something that you just do on the cushions, or chair, but is something that is part of everyday life.
If we think of positive mental states, we probably think of things like happiness, kindness, sympathy, compassion, delight, and so on. Being able to remain in positive mental states all the time is quite something, and one of the dangers of this definition is that of suddenly deciding that most of our mental states, not being positive, are somehow wrong and to be disowned.
However, meditation is also about being in the present moment, with whatever it is we are experiencing. In practice we start to see the patterns to our thoughts, feelings and emotions as they arise and pass away again. If we can begin to see that when we put our focus and mental energy into our thoughts they stay with us and increase, and if we just allow our thoughts to pass through our minds like clouds in the sky, they disappear over the horizon of our awareness, we are laying the ground for a sense of equanimity and positivity.
