If your notion of meditation is about sitting around cross-legged and getting “spaced out”, read on to find out more about what meditation can really be about…
We all have hectic lives to lead, split between work, family and social commitments. This is not something new: even before the internet or the first mobile phone was invented, life was hectic. And when life is hectic, our ability to remove ourselves from the noise and to examine what is really important in our lives becomes blurred.
Since the beginning of time, men (and women) have been coming up with different ways of examining life and gaining insights into the nature of existence. Meditation is one form.
One common misconception about meditation is that the end point of meditation is relaxation. Rather, being in a relaxed state allows us to access other beneficial aspects of meditation, such as having a greater consciousness of ourselves.
The aim of meditation, according to Master Coach Kelvin Lim, is to train oneself to stay conscious at the point of one’s death. This is exemplified by the maxim, “The mind stays awake, while the body slips away”.
There are many forms of meditation in the world: some are named while some remain nameless. Some schools of meditation have a religious focus while some do not. The form of meditation can also differ: some forms of meditation start with a focus (on breathing or a certain phrase) while some forms of meditation are open with no focus. Some meditation are active in that it can involve movement, sound, music, and so on.
Zazen is a form of meditation that literally means “seated meditation” in Chinese and Japanese. Indeed, one is encouraged to let the body “slip away” into nothingness in some forms of Zazen, while keeping the mind aware, clear, and focused on one’s meditation. Even if one does not achieve such a state, the benefits of regularly practising zazen is significant: participants of Zazen have been known to feel clearer, more restful, more energetic, think faster and better, work more efficiently, and even experiencing a decrease in persistent symptoms like body aches and runny noses, sometimes just after one session! Regular practice also allows one to have more awareness and a clearer state of mind, giving both spiritual and practical benefits in one’s daily lives.
Interested to find out more about Zazen? Master Coach Kelvin Lim conducts Zazen sessions that are free and open to anyone! To learn more about our next Zazen session, please contact Bryan @ 9622 2634 or LIKE our Facebook Zazen Community page @ https://www.facebook.com/quantumzazen/
