There are hilarious ironies in life. Perhaps laughing at them is the only way we know how to deal with them.

I see the argument that focusing on the very small and very subtle sensations in order to understand the large and gross sounds absurd, but that is exactly what I’m discussing today.

How real power, which is reflected outwardly into the world, starts inside. How conquering one’s own mind is more important, for at least my definition of success, than conquering the world.

I am reminded of the ninjas, who would move at incredibly slow speeds as they trained for their explosive movements.

I see a direct correlation between opposites. How we grow simultaneously in both directions. At least in this particular situation I understand that understanding the self leads to an understanding of the universe.

I think of it like a pendulum, which must necessarily move between extremes in order to function. Just like any wave function.

I feel like I’m leaning too much on facts that I’m not grounded in though, and knowing that this is an opinion and only researched through personal experience, I’ll shift my focus.

What I’m suggesting is this: as I journey through my life I face successes and failures, I continually need to pick myself up in order to continue, and these trials require me to develop more and more strength. But the strength they require is not exclusively physical. More often it is a mental strength that is required. Even when it comes to training the body, it is the mind that must harden itself. The mind must be willing to push through the pain in order to grow.

And because of that, I am writing today to acknowledge the benefits of meditation.

Meditation is such an umbrella term. It means many different things to many different people. On the surface level it indicates some focused activity but there are different ends depending on the intention behind the focus.

Primarily, I understand it as an exercise to focus the attention. The objects of focus differ. Some are directed at a love for god, or an affirmation for personal development, or on the sensations in the body. There are commonalities and differences.

I have tried several techniques, and appreciate them for their unique benefits, but in this discussion I intend to dig to the root of the problem.

I have learned to bring states of calm and peace into my life by refining the attention. And this is not a claim that my life is one unending tapestry of peace, but I do enjoy it in noticeably larger quantities as I deepen my devotion to the truth. I suppose ‘my truth’.

By devoting myself to the observation of breath I’ve been able to command greater control over my mental faculty. As I committed to the sensation over the mentation, I began to increase the periods of awareness that were free of any real attachment to thoughts.

What that means is this: although thoughts would still enter the mind, they were not clung to. They are simply allowed to enter and to leave without clinging or judgment. This also meant greater periods of awareness rooted in the physical sensations and not subject to thoughts. So, to summarize, the practice of meditation allowed me to enjoy longer periods of awareness that were rooted in the present moment, as opposed to a thought, and even when thoughts did arise, they quickly left.

This state of non-clinging allows for great clarity of mind because the ego mind is not attached to specific judgments and positions. It also allows for a lightness of the heart that experiences the joy of life without intention. It becomes easier to live in my joy when I am not attached to the outcomes of my efforts.

It is in the moments of sitting still that I learn how to exercise my power in the world.

I am a more confident performer, a better listener, a more compassionate friend, a more direct communicator, a more focused employee, and a greater servant of god because of the practice of sitting still.

I am able to draw on a deeper power because of the mental training I have done.

And this is the irony I spoke of. That feats that inspire awe and wonder, are arrived at by a mental toughness that is imperceptible. I am suggesting that our ability to control the inner world directly affects our ability to influence the outer world.

The illusion that meditation is a passive practice can be done with. It is a very intense trial in which we confront deeper and deeper layers of ourselves in order to relieve them of duty. It is a journey inwards which helps us tap into an innate strength. It is akin to working out the body, this work out for the mind.

Ultimately, I have come to understand the mind as a tool and not the builder.

The ability to react to your world from a place of stillness means greater control of the outcome. If you are triggered by certain events that happen, and respond from places of emotional intensity, yes, you can exert great force, but it will be a roller coaster of a life without stability. There will be many periods of confusion and restlessness.

Primarily I have come to value peace above almost everything else. It seems like an incredibly worthy goal to share that with the world. To encourage people towards lives filled with harmony and acceptance. Laughter and a deep-seated joy that is not dependent on the external world.