What is meditation?
Webster’s Dictionary has two definitions for it: 1. a discourse intended to express its author’s reflections or to guide others in contemplation
This makes sense.
2. the act or process of meditating
Oh, brother, so now I have to look up “meditating.”
Here’s what Webster has to say about “meditating”: 1. to engage in contemplation or reflection
OK, this fact checks Meditation definition No. 1 above.
2. to engage in mental exercise (such as concentration on one’s breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness.
OK, so “spiritual awareness” happens. But what does that mean? There’s no definition in Webster for it. So separating the words, I find “spiritual” has more than five vague definitions.
I’ll pick this one:
Spiritual: relating to sacred matters.
And for awareness:
Awareness: the quality or state of being aware.
Oh, brother! So now let’s look up “aware.”
Aware: having or showing realization, perception or knowledge.
By now you’re hopefully seeing how circular and ongoing this Webster search is. Every step along the way requires further research or interpretation.
As a meditation teacher, I’ve traveled around this spiraling block for decades. So coming to you now from a Midwestern meditator’s den are some real-life examples of mind patterns experienced while sitting in the stillness of a meditative practice.
Me, me, me, me, me …
I hurt, I need to check my phone, I need to scratch my nose …
I am anxious over hurting, checking phone, scratching nose …
I observe image of myself hurting.
I release this image of myself hurting and the anxiousness.
I observe myself checking phone.
I release this image of myself checking phone and the anxiousness.
I observe image of myself scratching nose.
I release this image of myself scratching nose and the anxiousness.
With every image that comes to mind, you become the observer and learn the emotions attached to that image. You develop the ability to release negative emotions by first acknowledging them and then becoming the observer of them. You learn the constant shifting of observations and emotions of your life do not define who you really are.
So, who are you? Really, who are you?
From Asia to Portugal to the Midwest of the U.S. and everywhere around and between, regularly unraveling and exploring this vital question of “Who am I?” is the essence of a meditator’s journey.
• Joan Budilovsky can be reached at editorial@kcchronicle.com or her website Yoyoga.com.