Practice, Practice, Practice of Meditation
In the world news today, we hear too much about victims of war, terrorism, violence, destruction and starvation. We also have plenty of examples of suffering and cruelty in our city. Today, there are a billion people surviving on $1 a day or less and two billion people living at $2 a day or less in our world. Poverty can result in the escalation of violence and crime. Today, there are more than 40 wars and armed conflicts going on in the world. Of the 20 poorest countries in the world, 14 of them are facing conflict, war and civil strife.
The most basic underlying explanation for violence and war is that our inborn intrinsic goodness and wisdom become blinded by extrinsic social value systems. Human capacities offer a choice between universal compassion and destructive cruelty. What are the root causes of problems in our world? A dualistic mindset is one of the main culprits. Dualistic thinking promotes division and conflict between "us" and "them", humanity and nature, God and humanity, men and women. Fear is another cause of cruelty. We need to find a way to transform and redirect human behavior. One of the best ways of solving the persistent world problems is to put our energy and resources into developing stronger love and compassion rather than stronger military force. We need to spend part of our busy life in meditation and silence to strengthen the inner life that is an essential element toward meeting the challenges of our global society.
Psychologists remind us that most of human beings use only 10% of the mind's capacity. If we cultivate the mind and develop our mind's capacity, it might be possible to treat everyone with unconditional respect and love.
When we see suffering in our world, we want to do something about it. We can help the world with Won Buddhism by initiating a spiritual movement aimed at building a new civilization. Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Our small group of committed Sangha members can play its part in initiating a world wide movement to build a new civilization. This new civilization will be universal and inclusive and will place the dignity and worth of all human beings at the center.
Won Buddhism teaches that enlightenment is available to anyone who can practice long enough with deep commitment. Won Buddhism does not keep enlightenment as a secret as many other traditions do. Your sincere practice will bring a new experience of your own enlightenment. This powerful opportunity and understanding are of great consequence and need to be nourished more in our Sangha. We were educated and trained in a society that stresses dualism. Thus it is difficult to rise above a dualistic mindset. It is critical to spend more time in meditation to understand what is going on in our minds. Through the long and steady process of meditation, we awaken to a sense of our oneness with all of humanity and all of nature. Cultivation of this awareness through the development of inner peace and wisdom is a positive way to turn around the negativity in our individual lives as well as in our collective society.
We construct our world through our thoughts and perceptions. The inner condition of our mind is then projected onto the outer world. When we discover our inner beauty and light, we have everything we need within ourselves. How you feel inside yourself in silent meditation is the most important tool in preparing you to deal with any kind of hardship.
We begin to understand ourselves better when we pay attention to our inner world. Cultivation of the mind is like growing crops or weeds in a field. In order to have a good harvest, we need to gain a proper knowledge of farming and to use that knowledge correctly.
When you observe how crops and weeds are growing in any garden, you can see that the weeds grow fast and soon dominate all vegetation. The weed is a plant that is considered undesirable, unattractive, or troublesome, especially when it is growing where it is not wanted. If you cultivate the land daily, it is easier to remove the weeds. But if they are allowed to grow to the point where they dominate all other vegetation, then it takes much more time and effort to cultivate the field. A similar process occurs within the human mind. As the weeds are strong and grow well, our negative thoughts, destructive habits, indulgence, delusions, laziness, greed, and anger, when not attended to, are so strong that they come to dominate human life.
Through meditation you begin to notice useless thoughts circulating constantly in your head day and night just as weeds dominate the garden if you do not cultivate it often enough. When I was growing up on a farm, I saw farmers pulling the weeds and burying them near the plants to give them nourishment. In the same way, even though you have some difficulty with your active mind in your practice, those weeds themselves will help you eventually. Therefore, do not be bothered by your thoughts but be grateful for the weeds because sooner or later they will enhance your practice.
What is the condition of your spiritual garden? Are your crops growing well? A good farmer, who weeds the field constantly, grows healthy crops and eventually reaps a good harvest. If you do not practice and leave the field uncultivated, you cannot expect a good harvest in the autumn.
Meditation is a way of practice for letting go of distractions and restoring the true nature of mind, the Buddha nature within you. According to a scientific research done by Richard Davidson at the University of Wisconsin, meditation shifts activity in the prefrontal cortex in the brain. By meditating regularly, the brain is reoriented from a stressful fight-or-flight mode to one of acceptance and contentment. A right-prefrontal oriented person tends to have a negative disposition while a left-prefrontal tends to have more enthusiasm and to be a happier person. Thus meditation is the healthiest way of changing a negative society into a positive one. The good news is that anyone can meditate regardless of religion, culture, age, or gender and enjoy the benefit of it. It is encouraging to learn that ten million American adults now practice some form of meditation regularly.
In our meditation, we use the focus of attention on our breathing to achieve a oneness of mind with calm and constant awareness. When you breathe in, the air comes into the inner world. When you breathe out, the air goes out to the outer world. The inner world is limitless and the outer world is limitless. In fact, the inner world and the outer world are one and the same. During meditation, you watch the entire movement of breath with clear attention by observing your breath closely. The speed and depth of your breathing change according to your emotional state. You are following your own breathing continually.
Meditation is a practice that helps us to be here and now with full awareness of the present moment. When you are doing it properly, you are aware of only what is occurring in the present. You don't look backward or forward. You stay right here, right now, with what is actually taking place. You are totally aware of everything that is happening, exactly the way it happens, exactly when it is happening, with full, continuous awareness in the present moment. This is a difficult state to achieve. Thus we practice with one small unit at a time, one single inhalation and exhalation at a time.
Meditation takes practice. Practice takes persistence. Please remember that the purpose of practice is to study yourself. You need a teacher because it is impossible to study yourself by yourself. To find the meaning of your life in the temple is to find the meaning of your everyday activity. In practicing meditation, we become aware of the meaning of our lives. Meditation is the best technique for spiritual growth, helping us to stay calm and centered in order to live here and now , in the moment , living in this busy and hectic modern society.
There are many different kinds of meditation. Thus we need to understand the depth of this practice. The first level of meditation is meditating without awareness of the Karmic Principle of Cause and Effect. You don't initially meditate to follow the law of karma. You meditate to relax, to get a good position, to receive respect, to sharpen talents, to get psychic power, and to get self promotion. This is better than not meditating at all, but it has limitations because it does not acknowledge the larger picture.
The second level of meditation is when you come to understand and believe in the Karmic Principle of Cause and Effect. You now understand Dharma. However you meditate to seek limited virtue; hoping to improve your good fortune, to build your concentration, to improve your effectiveness at work, or, if you are a student, to get a good score on an exam.
The third level of meditation is when you come to realize that there is no permanent independent self. At this point you meditate in order to achieve nirvana. There is no self centeredness, self image, or arrogance at this level. One comes to understand that we are temporary beings, that nothing is fixed or permanent. Our mind is changing every hour, day, and month according to the condition of the time and space in which we live and move. Buddhas and masters know that there is nothing to cling to or to be obsessed with. And thus they are able to keep one pure mind.
The fourth level of meditation is when you come to understand that not only is there no independent permanent self, but that the true nature of all things is found in emptiness. I am empty, others are empty, all things in the universe are empty. It is very difficult to understand this concept in our Western culture because it is so contrary to the dominant cultural values of capitalism, consumerism, and materialism.
The Fifth and final level of meditation is when you come to recognize that you were originally and always will be Buddha, who, living with the virtue of Buddhahood, lives free of delusion and distortion. We need to meditate with the faith that we can achieve this kind of enlightenment, even when it seems distant from where we currently are in our practice. With faith, we can focus on this type of meditation. Won Buddhist meditation aims at achieving this level. At the center of the teachings of Won Buddhism is the admonition to "See everyone and everything as a living Buddha and practice meditation at all times and in all places." If we can respect everyone and every thing as a Buddha, then we will be able to love everyone. Practicing with the awareness of the Buddha, we come to see others as Buddha. As Won Buddhists we strive to achieve this deep awareness that we are all originally Buddhas and have within us the same virtue that was found in Gautama Buddha, and Sotaesan, the founder of Won Buddhism. In this way, we may cultivate unconditional love just like Buddha and Sotaesan felt for their disciples, and like all good parents feel toward their children.
In conclusion, practice is the key. The only difference between you and Buddha is the level of meditation and depth of practice. The enlightened person regards meditation as his or her destined task. If more individuals practice meditation and contribute positive energy to our society, our world will be transformed from one of negativity and greed into one of positive interaction and peace. Let us practice, practice, practice -- as often as possible!