
Meditation
Effective meditation is done in three important steps.
First of all, no physical or verbal action is taken that disturbs peace and harmony in oneself and in others. Refraining from such actions allows the mind to calm down to the point where it can develop in practice. It is not possible to free oneself from the impurities of the mind while simultaneously practicing physical or verbal actions that will eventually multiply.
The next step is to overcome the indiscipline of the mind by training it to focus. This concentrates and sharpens the mind, makes it penetrating and enables it to gain inner discernment ("insights").
These first two steps – living a life based on an ethical frame of reference that disciplines the mind – are very useful and necessary in themselves. However, this can lead to the suppression of negativity if the third step is not taken: the development of one's own inner vision.
Meditation means to experience one's own reality through systematic and unbiased observation of the ever-changing physical-mental phenomena that manifest themselves as sensations. This is the essence of "Live Mindfully": reducing stress and increasing well-being.