What’s all the fuss about meditation, really? Does it live up to the hype?
Well, if you stop to think about it, there are only two ways to go about life.
One is to look outside and focus on what we can’t control. This leads to blaming, frustration, and often a feeling of disempowerment. We lose our center and get agitated. We don’t really know who we are; we don’t know our power.
This is what the meditation masters call the monkey mind.
The other way is to look inside and focus on the only thing we can control—our mind, the way we see things, the stories we tell ourselves, and what we choose to focus on. This leads us to feeling more in control of our lives; more centered, empowered, and content.
This is what I call the monk mind.
Monkey Mind and Monk Mind
The monkey mind is anxious, restless, scattered.
The monk mind is calm, centered and focused.
The monkey mind seeks happiness in external things—wealth, fame, beauty and power.
The monk mind knows that happiness is something you cultivate inside yourself. It seeks growth, contribution, connection.
When the monkey mind is not feeling well, it tries to fix the situation by numbing itself through unhealthy habits, jumping from branch to branch, or working on the symptoms of the problem through things like medication and unhealthy habits. It doesn’t really work.
The monk mind rarely feels unwell; but if it does, it knows it just needs to let go of something, or change something inside itself. It works at the root of the problem: the mind.
We were all born with a monkey mind—so that is not your fault.
But you have a unique opportunity right now: to learn how to master your mind, and thus master your life. To transform yourself. To go from monkey mind to monk mind.
For that, meditation is key.
An Opportunity for Change
If you want to pacify the monkey, and unlock its powers…
If you want to turn your mind into your best friend, rather than your enemy…
Then you need to practice meditation.
You can go and try to learn it all by yourself, from books and apps. I know it’s possible because I did that (for 20 years). It was a long and often confusing journey—one that required self-discipline, a lot of time, and a lot of patience.
The easier way would be for you to tap into my two decades of meditation experience, just as you would make an investment in yourself by hiring a personal trainer or joining the gym.
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