Meditation

Richard teaches that effective consciousness work has to begin with learning to focus our minds and gradually stabilizing the ground of our attention. When the ground is not stable our identities are ever-shifting, determined by whatever fears or desires captures our attention and how we then react. When the ground is stable we have touched what is changeless in our awareness and thus can observe and take distance from the patterns of control and reaction that cause us unnecessary suffering.

Meditation is the art of developing mental stability. It is really an exploration of intimacy with ourselves. To know who we really are, we must learn to differentiate our thoughts, feelings, emotions, and sensations from our true identity as conscious beings. To do so we need to learn to observe all that arises in our minds in an easeful, non-reactive manner.

Richard points out that meditation evolves through stages as we deepen our capacity to focus the mind. Therefore, the first step in meditation is to choose an object for our attention. He uses several techniques, similar to those employed in Vipassana Meditation, Insight Meditation, and Transcendental Meditation. He recommends focusing upon the breath and secondarily – depending on the state of agitation of the mind – using a mental object, or mantra, such as a simple phrase like “Thank you, I am so grateful.” In meditation it is important that our bodies are relaxed and still, and that our focus is vigilant, but gentle. There is no good or bad meditation. It is important not to create stress by importing our usual judgmental, achievement oriented habits as we learn to focus our minds.

At its heart, meditation is about allowing – allowing the free movement of the mind without judgment, without the need to change, fix, repress or avoid, but without identifying with or becoming attached to any of the content. Through meditation we become aware of the ground of awareness which participates fully in life but no longer drowns in the endless ‘stuff’ of mind. Our attention has been freed to be in direct relationship to the source of our being in the midst of daily activity.

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