I would like to quickly preface this post by saying that I am by no means an expert on the topic and that every letter that I am about to type is based on my naive experience and understanding alone.
In the West, we seem to have lost our understanding of how to nurture our souls. Meditation is one of the most important skills that is not taught to us as children. The ability to be in control and understand our minds is most necessary for aligning with one’s ideal self. Now more than ever does the youth need to learn to reconcile which thoughts are to keep and which are to discard.
Our world of digital hyper-realities pulls us ever further from a stable tranquility. Many have been tricked into associating relaxation and reflection with the consumption of media and “content”, perpetuating a cycle of distraction and disconnection from our inner selves. The slot which our bodies allocate for relaxation is an opportunity for our spiritual development, just as our work is for the development of our skill and labor. Instead, we fill it with consumerist garbage.
Meditations for the West
Unfortunately, many tend to associate the word meditation with Eastern religious practices such as Buddhism and Hinduism, which drives them away from something that is an inherently human practice. One’s meditation does not necessarily have to be sitting in a lotus pose counting breaths or humming oms.
The great techniques given to the world by these practices are, of course, not without merit. I have found that Buddhist meditation practices have, for example, great introductory techniques to get one comfortable with a meditation process. In reality, any practice that can cultivate stillness, concentration, insight, and a heightened state of consciousness is of strong meditative value. That being said, meditation is truly one of the most subjective experiences one can have, and therefore effective techniques are going to vary drastically from person to person. It takes time and experimentation to understand what works and what doesn’t.
Europe also has a history of meditation that can be looked to for guidance. Taking a closer look at the contents of classical Greek and Roman thought, for example, you realize that much of what they were talking about was meditative in nature, albeit typically not with the same technical approach as the Buddhists, although they tried that too. Marcus Aurelius in The Meditations and Plato’s “contemplation of forms” both taught introspection and contemplation as a way to better control oneself and deepen understanding of the world. Sound familiar? Given how innately human the practice of meditation is, practically every culture has its forms of it.