Balanced Existence

This article takes a detailed look at Buddhist mediation, specifically Vipassana or Insight meditation. We’ll examine the meditational method, subsequent effects which go far in explaining the underlying purpose of the meditation and finally the contextual role of meditation within Buddhism as a whole. By the end of this article you will see that through the correct training of our mind the veil of ignorance, the very first link in the Buddha’s chain of dependent origination resulting in the unending cycle of suffering (samsara), can be pierced and liberation achieved. Further you will come to understand why I feel that meditation in and of it self is not the complete picture, as the Buddha wisely perceived when he created the Noble Eightfold Path. Rather I feel that meditation is a vital part of the interdependent morality-meditation-wisdom triangle that is the Noble Eightfold Path to liberation.

We each are confronted daily with stress and anger that is projected outwards by others. Beginning in the morning with road rage on the way to work, taken up by a stressed snappy boss, followed by another dose of traffic gridlock on the way back home and topped off by our grouchy, stressed and exhausted partners who come home from work after soaking up this sort of thing all day long.

A few years ago I decided to try an experiment. I had been reading about the secret of the inner smile and wanted to test it under the pressure of modern life. Whenever I drove in traffic I would maintain a small smile, just a little uplifting of the corners of my mouth. I would smile quite literally to myself. The energy of my smile directed towards myself. It works as a feed back loop. If some other person smiles at you this feels good and there is a tendency to smile back. So smiling at myself made me feel good which made me smile even more which made me feel even better, and so on.