Why I Meditate
I have searched for meaning in life for years. I always asked myself questions of why human beings were born and what the purpose of life was. In fact, I started seeking answers to these questions when I was nine years old. I liked going to temples. My parents always let me follow them when they attended the temples. While they were talking to monks, I separately went to another room and sat in front of the Buddha statue. I thought that was the only place to find true quiet and I felt peaceful sitting there.
When I was in the temple, I closed my eyes. I waited until I could still my mind and made wishes for things that would make my life better. I practiced focus and keeping my mind inside. However, there were many times that I failed to concentrate my mind. I had too many thoughts and was distracted. For example, I was worried about my test scores in school. I felt sad when my cat died. I was hungry. Thus, it was very hard to overcome those feelings because I was too young to manage my mind. But it was good for me to start to meditate even though I did not know there was a formal process of meditation.
As a teenager, I learned the meditation process. My teacher at
school told us the process of meditation started with closing my eyes,
releasing my stress, and learning to quiet my mind. I had to forget
everything and everyone, including my family, instructor, classmates, and
friends. Eventually, I was able to begin meditation on my own without the
teacher. Both times as a child in the temple and as a teenager in the
classroom, meditation worked and gave me a peaceful and a quiet mind. After
learning meditation as a teenager, I have continually practiced meditation. It
has been the same method then and now. The key is to clear my mind from every
thoughts.
Finally, through meditation I find out the good things in my life. Meditation makes me feel calm and happy.
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*The mantra 'Samma Arahang' means purifies your mind. You can use any word for your own mantra. There is no meaning to the words – only the sound to focus your mind.
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