Harmony Within And Without Through Mindfulness Meditation

Life does get the better of us at times. Just when I was on the brink of giving up, my searching lead me to Eastern Spiritual Practices. Having been introduced to such ways of thinking opened new doors for me. I have been acquainted with the Western views of suffering.

From these viewpoints, I gained knowledge as well of how they are to be resolved. But the more I delved, the more confused I became, so it seemed. In my desperate effort to gain balance and a better perspective in life, I took interest in “Samantha” which is a mindfulness practice.

In this mindfulness meditation practice, focus is placed on breathing in a restful, yet alert manner. After some time of getting to know mindfulness meditation, a revelation dawned upon me. The problem was “me”. On a momentary basis, my mind was so full of chaos and distraction. And the “me” that I discovered was full of conflict, speed and ambivalence.

It is the “I”. “I” was always in a frenzy. Until "I" became a conglomeration of numbed mental chaos. This inner chaos has bound me into a shortsighted, congested human emotional spectrum.Everything in the universe is inherently empty when seen from a meditative perspective. Whatever concepts, notions and opinions we have are not real.

Our minds are in a sense “deluded” that we are convinced that they are real. What we perceive as “real” are mental projections of the value or meaning we give to what we see around us. But we do not see things as they really are, although what we perceive can be very convincing.

Falling into the trap of believing this non-reality causes suffering. Through mindfulness meditation, we learn to develop space around these constant projections. Through regular practice of mindfulness meditation, we eventually realize that we and everything around us are not inherently real or solid. It is in fact through the negation or forgetting of the “I” – our clunky, solid self- that brings us freedom, joy and love.

Otherwise, we get caught in a predicament. Everything is empty, and focusing on this emptiness allows you to see absolute potential in all things. We are no longer caught up in our dualistic notions of happy/sad, good/bad, like/dislike, and so on. We begin to see that the Universe has no limitations of any kind.

This is the essence of genius and mysticism. Consider for instance when you have lost yourself in your work. Or perhaps you became so engrossed with playing with your kids or watching tv or a movie. Such instances are flashing moments when you are free of your normal sense of being “you”.

What is within you and without you has become one. In Buddhism, this is called the experience of the Big Mind. You become one with the One or the infinite nature of reality. Through mindfulness meditation, we maintain a state of “seeing” and the mind becomes a channel of universal energy.

The “I” disintegrates, and impersonal energy flows through us. This is bliss and true liberation—we can finally breathe and surrender to the beauty of life. We can achieve this undistracted, empty stillness through mindfulness meditation. Over time, the mind stops for periods of time and there is simply absolute stillness.

Old habits, fears and unhealthy relationships fade away as the mind becomes more expansive and present. Life begins to open in unforeseen ways and you become genuinely invested to be of service to others. Instead of being preoccupied with the “I”, the enormous energies of the universe flowing through you call you to alleviate others’ suffering.

Then comes freedom and living in the spirit. This state you can achieve through mindfulness meditation.