THE POWER OF RIGHT UNDERSTANDING

What do we do when we want to understand something right?

This question brought me back to my schooling time. I remember that to understand a difficult subject, especially math, I would analyze the numbers, look at them from different angles, draw pictures of the problems, and figured it out what part of the numbers called more my attention, and why.

I realized it was not much different of what I do today to understand my life. I look inside of me, in silence, to analyze my patterns, emotions, and reactions, looking deep into my mind what is more important to me, what do I really care for, and why I react in different ways to different situations. I even like to draw some specific situations to better understand them.  I carefully consider the consequences of my personal reactions. How do they impact the life of those that somehow are in my life, or are affected by my reactions or decisions?

It is important for my readers to know that it wasn’t always this way. It started with my meditation practice about 8 years ago. I was going through a difficult time and I wanted a quick fix that would bring me joy, peace, and bliss. Something unusual and extraordinary that would heal my wounds. But poor me… all I got was a busy mind full of thoughts and noise. I decided to read lots of books about meditation and take some meditation classes. I wanted a magic formula, not just to sit and watch my breath raising and falling like the books and teachers recommended.

I resisted to believe that the answer was to observe my breath. I struggled to the point that I almost gave up meditation. Finally, I decided to give it a tray and sit every morning and night for 20 minutes to observe the raising and falling of my breath, going back to it every time my mind started to wander. I did it on and on without judging myself for having thoughts, replacing my frustration with kindness and patience repeating to myself it was o.k. I was just training my mind and it would take practice.

With time – several months – I noticed I was more concentrated when witnessing my breath, and without forcing anything I suddenly experimented a sense of peace, a silence, a peaceful state I can’t explain with words. You have to live the experience to understand it. I have heard many times an example I will share now, even though for some readers my be a repetition. “If you have never tasted a mango I can describe you its sweetness, I can explain how delicious it is, but only until you taste it you can know through the experience of your senses, the smell, the taste, the texture, the juicing melted sensation and flavor.” It is the same with meditation, you need to stick to your daily practice and live the experience to have the right understanding of what it is.

Until today I have never enjoyed that exhilarating feeling described by many meditators, but my attitude toward life, my reactions to the daily events have changed day though day. My family and friends noticed my change even before I realized it. They used to tell me you look different, more peaceful, less reactive, more glowing. As I increased my daily meditation time, I noticed more and more the sensations of my body, it was an amazing awakening. I felt gratitude for the body I had, for every day I was alive, for my breath, my hands, my ability to walk. I. understood the reason why I was created through the voice of my spirit, and how we create our own suffering.

I have discovered the power of right understanding which comes through the experience of living in the moment, not in the past or in the future, just in the moment we own which is the present. I can see more clearly the truth of life and the purpose of being here. Does it mean I am perfect, or I have a perfect life? No, it means I am learning to accept my life as it is, not as I would like it to be.  I want to clarify that the books I read helped me very much, as well as the meditation classes. They are very important, but they cannot give you the experience of transformation. The daily practice was the magic wand that produced the miracle of healing.

Meditation is not a destiny, is a spiritual path, is not a religion, is a tool to help us to live better our religion and understand the true of life, to find joy while we walk through the earthly pathway regardless of circumstances. I have good days and less good days, but I live them with joy.  I discover every day a new challenge and a new solution, a new detour and the guidance to choose the right path, a new stone on the road and the strength to walk over it.

If you would like to learn more about the powers associated with meditation don’t miss our blog every weekend, starting on Fridays at www.ociepace.org

If you want to share your experience  of mindfulness to contribute to the healing of wounded souls, share your experiences through comments on this blog,  or writing an article to be published.

Email me at gladys.gonzalez@ocipeace.org