Why Meditate?

A far-ranging conversation on why human beings developed and continue to practice meditation. Research confirms that meditation improves quality of life. It enhances the immune system and positively impacts the brain. However, are there more compelling, even existential, reasons that help explain why it evolved and continues to be practiced. Might the impetus for meditation have something in common with the use of drugs in general and more specifically, psychedelics? In the end, we all sense that there is more than what we normally perceive. If we are to find peace, and some level of certainty in the midst of so much uncertainty, loss and even death, there is a natural seeking to “see” beyond our rational mind. Being able to do so is essential if we are to find a meaningful way navigate the larger challenges of what it means to be alive. Some of the topics covered include… - The limits of the five senses and the conditioned mind - “We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are.” (credit: The Talmud & Anais Nin) - Clinical studies have shown that psychedelics can change perception sometimes, permanently, in the treatment of trauma, prolonged mental illness, chronic despair in those facing end-of-life-related distress, addiction, and obsessive-compulsive disorders. So too, does meditation… - Experiencing what lies beyond normal perception can change the brain (increase neural plasticity). - Meditation is a means to step beyond the confinement of the mind and step into the boundless, the sacred, Source. - The 3 stages of meditation - The four categories of meditation practice - Meditation activates meta-cognition and can promote self-compassion - Everything in nature contains the intelligence to be the fullest version of itself - Beyond ego, fear, and death