What are the reasons
I come to practise meditation?
Rich and varied answers may follow,
Not necessarily conscious.
In time, one outcome
May gradually become clear.
Practice by practice
…sip… sip… sip
…in breath…out breath…
I learn the craft of ‘breathing with awareness’
Deepening the well of my understanding
Feeling compelled
In a careful and safe kind of way
To keep renewing contact
With the meditation practice.
Little by little
Again and again
The further I go into the practice
The more I come under its spell
Until I come to recognise…
What?
The experience of stillness in myself
Reflected in the happiness of others
Especially when I am
Really feeling
Settled and reflective.
Beginning with pauses between the thoughts
I learn the craft.
Awareness while breathing
Long breath
Short breath
Pauses becoming gradually longer
Thoughts fewer
Leading on…
To ‘samadhi’, or ‘concentration’
That is the deep soul of the practice
To the flower that unfurls within
When with this concentrated mind
I may gradually touch upon
The depth of the Buddha’s teachings.
Strong, still, silent Samadhi
Blissful, serene, contented state of awareness
When, just for a while, I can merge into
Pure oneness, within, all around
Leaving
Worry and flurry - thinking this…thinking that…behind.
Meeting myself
For the first time!
And then back to daily life
Renewed, refreshed, invigorated, grateful
Touched by the sunny, lucid nature
Of my innermost being.