by Jeremy Fyson
I came to meditation hoping it might ease my nagging sense of unsatisfactoriness. I did initially experience a few moments of ease. However, as I continued to practice, the difficulties remained and often most visibly during meditation. As a result, I mistakenly lost faith in the practice and sought relief through other means.
As the insubstantial nature of these other means (people, positions, experiences etc.) slowly became evident, I returned to practice with greater resolve but, more importantly, I embarked on a more sustained and honest enquiry into the roots of my predicament, investigating how Buddhist teachings might apply to that.
For me, it was only through the support of this enquiry that meditation practice transformed from a haphazard stress reduction technique into an indispensable component of a broader path.
The importance of making this enquiry relevant to the context of Aotearoa New Zealand here and now has become increasingly clear. While I am grateful for the inspiration I have drawn from those who have appropriated elements of distant cultures, letting go of much of their associated baggage has allowed me to begin practicing in a more unified way.
It hasn’t been easy, but it has been extremely worthwhile.
I’d be interested to know if others have had similar experiences. Please post your comments here:
https://secularbuddhistnetwork.org/secular-buddhism-and-the-real-reasons-to-meditate