The real revolution is taking place in everyone’s hearts and minds all over the world and it is an inner revolution. The revolution that changes the inner seat of power from a centralized ego to an enlightened, kind and wise expression of love itself. There cannot be an enlightened society without enlightened individuals. No matter how good the system is, it will always be oppressive unless it is driven by the collective wisdom and compassion of the people.
Six ways meditation is revolutionizing
1) Civil disobedience
Just seeing clearly the vast wealth inequality in the world, without dismissing or justifying it, can bring about a radical shift in perspective. Today, the gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ is the widest in history. Meditation can facilitate a political awakening, if only through the ability of ordinary people to see with a fresh perspective and see the naked truth.
2) Economic revolution
Meditation is an economic revolution because it cultivates contentment. This simple fact undermines most of the marketing that appeals to a sense of lack or at least the feeling that “more” or “new” will make you happier. Like the attitude against cultural pressure, meditation is an armor against impulsiveness and against being controlled by excitement and whims.
Meditation fundamentally teaches us that happiness comes from a stable mind and not from acquiring new or better things. This undermines the consumerist economic model that relies on more and more spending and consumption. Meditation offers the opportunity to be satisfied with little and find total peace and happiness with very few material comforts. I wonder how the economies of the Western blocs would fare if people were happier with what they had and were not so easily induced to spend money frivolously? Leading meditation teacher Alan B Wallace says
“A world that truly understands the nature of consciousness could step off the hedonistic treadmill of consumerism and focus on the infinitely renewable source of true happiness cultivated by training the mind.”
3) Equality
The Way of Meditation is a revolution in social justice because meditation trains people to see the equality and equality of people. The identity politics of characterizing people based on their skin color, gender, or sexual orientation is challenged by the meditation experience of no-self, where no fixed or definitive self can be found upon examination and deep contemplation. In fact, the realizations of many Masters confirm that we all have the same fundamental nature of conscious awareness and that we all suffer from similar mental and emotional conditions.
Buddha taught the revolutionary idea that enlightenment through meditation is available to everyone, regardless of social position or gender. This threatened the religious authorities of the time and spawned a tradition that lasted 2,500 years.
At the heart of Buddha’s teachings was the idea that every person has an equal potential to become enlightened. The Way of Meditation is a religious revolution because meditation puts you in direct contact with the absolute – a direct line to God, without any ‘middleman’. Meditation allows people to rely on their own wisdom and not be dependent on gurus, churches or the government. Of course, instructions and a teacher are important to the meditation practice, but essentially the source of freedom, wisdom, and the ultimate is readily available within all of us through our own efforts.
The ability to calm and quiet one’s own mind after a neurosis also allows people to be their own therapist. Meditation masters say that by stabilizing mindfulness, a person does not suffer from disturbing thoughts or emotions. These claims have now been rigorously tested with scientific experiments and the results seem conclusive that meditation is a boon to mental and emotional good health. Therapeutically speaking, mindfulness meditation is nothing short of a revolution in the field of psychotherapy.
Mindfulness-based therapies are heralded as the third wave after Freudian psychology and Skinner’s behaviorism. There has been extensive scientific research on meditation and mindfulness practices, which clearly shows that meditation improves a variety of mental disorders, especially stress- and anxiety-related illnesses. Meditation has had significant success in drug rehab and is even used by major companies like Google to help their employees with creativity, productivity, and stress relief.
4) Environmental awareness
Meditation also promotes a deeper connection with ourselves and the planet. Meditation helps us become more sensitive to how our actions affect others and how they affect the world. This is what meditation master Thich Nhat Hanh says:
“A revolution must take place and it starts with each of us. We need to wake up and fall in love with the Earth. Our love and admiration for the earth has the power to unite us and remove all boundaries, separation and discrimination. We must restore true communication – true communion – with ourselves, with the earth and with each other as children of the same mother.”
5) Mass global meditations
Groups around the world are synchronizing and meditating together in large numbers. Focusing their attention on unity and peace and coming together to share a vision of hope and prosperity and to end violence and corruption. This has even been scientifically studied and the research shows that the effects of mass meditations can have tangible results. Reductions in crime and violence have been measured in some of the most violent parts of the world where groups of meditators have channeled their energy.
There is even an ancient science behind these discoveries that shows how tapping into a universal energy field at the source of all things can actually impact the physical world. It’s called subtle activism and everyone can participate. However, the Dalai Lama has warned that prayer and meditation are not enough and once a vision of peace and unity is established in the minds and hearts of millions of people around the world, action is needed to create the social structures and organizations that do the work. of exposing and stopping violence, corruption and exploitation.
6) Attention revolution
Alan Wallace warns us that we are in the midst of an attention deficit epidemic. Academics report that the average person’s attention span has decreased dramatically over the years; in fact, by 25% in the last 15 years. The number of children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is staggering. Psychologists suggest that 25% of children in Australia have ADHD and that much of the generation is drugged because they can’t pay attention. This is a mental health crisis that requires revolutionary direction.
Mindfulness meditation training in schools is the key to overcoming ADHD and other related attention disorders. Reports show that in addition to better regulating their emotions, children can also use mindfulness to manage stress and help relax.
Meditation helps find basic sanity, the ability to rest calmly and undisturbed in the present moment. Beginning to connect with this basic common sense is the role of mindfulness meditation that guides you from confusion to a clarity of mind that is as simple as it is clear.
The basis of meditation is mindfulness training. Literally training in stable attention. In fact, the specific goal of mindfulness meditation is to increase concentration and the ability to deal with distractions. From this perspective, it appears that meditation is a basic skill needed to counteract scattered attention and may be a non-pharmaceutical alternative to help children and adults develop clear focus and stable attention.
Conclusion
Just being in the present moment and being content is a total revolution. The simplicity of satisfaction in watching the next breath. Actions that come from such a place are peaceful and effective. Being touched in this world by an inner spiritual force of calm and love is the only way to live a good life and truly move forward to create the society that we would be proud to leave to our children.
Written by Chad Foreman
to gradually guide people from the basic principles of mindfulness and relaxation to profound states of consciousness.