Meditation And Transformation

Meditation practice can be highly transformative. In this post, I will take a look at changes that can occur in the mind of a meditator after persistent meditation practice. These transformation take place at the subtle depths of the mind as well as on coarser levels where the body and mind merge.

Increased Awareness

One of the first transformations along the meditative path is an increase in awareness during meditation and also throughout the day. To increase one's awareness during meditation is much easier than sustaining awareness throughout the day, which takes more practice and matures gradually over time.

Awareness or mindfulness if you like is a precious quality that makes for inner freedom. Now, as we become increasingly aware of our feelings and thoughts we're presented with choices. This new level of awareness offers us the opportunity to choose what to do and when to do it, as opposed to following old habits blindly.

Letting Go

With raised awareness of our feelings and thoughts comes the precious gift of letting go of our feelings and thoughts. Normally, when things go wrong we hold on to our feelings and thoughts which is a way of resisting. This form of resistance is futile and only makes for unhappiness. Letting go on the other hand, is the ability to accept things the way they are and leads to mental comfort and ease.

Letting go of your feelings and thoughts doesn't mean that you approve of the situation, rather, it's the insight that holding on would only make things worse that makes you let go.

Inner Peace

When we're able to maintain a certain level of mindfulness throughout the day, we become increasingly peaceful and harmonious. Previously, it would have take hours of daily meditation practice in order to sustain this level of awareness and inner peace. With more experience, all it takes is relaxed attention of the present moment and you will rest in this state of inner peace.

Profound Transformations

We're not talking about enlightenment here which is an even more profound form of transformation that chiefly deals with the realization that there is no solid personality or self. What ordinary people see as self, the enlightened mind percieves as consciousness identifying with the physical body, feelings and thoughts.

Anyhow, most of us are able to increase our awareness and really dedicated meditators can even sustain awareness throughout the day. Those of you who practice well, which strengthens mindfulness, open up the doors to profound transformations. These transformations can include eradication of depressive emotions which basically has to do with an enhanced ability to let go of feelings and thoughts.

Further transformations of the mind makes for deepened inner peace and as a result of that you become increasingly open to mental energy from other forms of life such as people, animals and beings from other planes of existence.

Profound transformations only manifest when the mind has matured sufficiently, until then...

Best of luck!