I was invited to give a private talk about meditation. While I’m not sharing the actual meditation practice here, I’d like to share the talk that set the stage for the session.
If I were to suggest that we all live in various "worlds," some of you might question my sanity. But consider how we live our lives: most of us compartmentalize. We have a life at home, a life at work, a recreational life, and so on. While calling them "worlds" might seem unusual, think about how differently we act, think, and feel in each. For example, a sports fan might display intense emotions during a game—emotions they’d never exhibit during a quiet dinner at home. At that moment, they’re living in a "world" of excitement and passion.
These worlds are self-created, shaped by our experiences, culture, upbringing, and personal preferences. There’s nothing wrong with inhabiting these worlds, but when emotions spill over into inappropriate settings, they can lead to embarrassment or pain.
Now, imagine if we chose to live in a single emotional world all the time—a world of aggression, joy, or peace. This is the realm of our inner world. The phenomenal world, on the other hand, is the external reality we experience moment by moment. It’s where events unfold and leave impressions in our consciousness, like seeds planted in fertile soil.
Everything that arises in our mind—joy, fear, anger—comes from this storehouse of past experiences. These seeds can be triggered by our senses: what we see, hear, touch, taste, or smell. For some, emotional pain or discomfort leads to escapism—through alcohol, drugs, or other addictions that provide temporary relief but fail to address the root cause.
This is where meditation becomes invaluable. Meditation transcends the worlds we create through our emotions. It trains the mind, allowing us to observe what arises within us. In meditation, we can witness the seeds of anger, jealousy, kindness, or peace as they sprout. Remarkably, all of these emotions come from the same place: within us.
Without this training, we remain unaware of how emotions and thoughts arise, tricking us into reactive behaviors. Often, these behaviors are reinforced by our culture, upbringing, or environment, making it even harder to break free.
In each of our minds, a movie is constantly playing. Without mindfulness, we have no control over its plot or ending. To gain control, we must first pause. Stop what you’re doing. Be still. Close your eyes. Without any agenda, simply sit and observe. You’ll quickly notice the storyline unfolding in your mind—a narrative your thoughts are crafting, seemingly without end.
At first, you may feel powerless to pause the movie. It feels as though your thoughts have the upper hand, and peace is unattainable. But this is a misconception. With practice and commitment, you can take control of your thoughts. You can rewrite the script. However, this requires consistent training—something that doesn’t happen overnight or through a single meditation session.
We live in a chaotic world, constantly bombarded by external stimuli. These distractions influence us more than we realize, making it even more important to cultivate clarity and focus through meditation. Meditation helps uproot habitual, unhelpful thought patterns, reducing stress and sharpening our focus.
When it comes to meditation, we always return to the basics: the foundation, the beginning. Each time we sit, we return to the beginning—a space of calm and clarity. This is why I often say, simply sit.
So, find your space. Sit. Close your eyes. Let your mind settle. Observe your thoughts without judgment. And allow yourself to relax into the simplicity of just being.
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