Meditation as natural goodness and the meditation on equalizing self and others

In my previous article on “Does doing good make you happier?” I draw a distinction between what I called “willed goodness” and “natural goodness”. In this article I want to look a little bit at how meditation is naturally good or virtuous. If we are defining virtue or goodness as an activity, we could say that it is any activity that leads us to an experience of happiness and peace. Meditation is a naturally good or virtuous activity because:
1) When we engage in meditation we make more space in our mind. With more space in our mind, we naturally develop a connection, conscious or otherwise with the deeper soul or spiritual levels of who we are. So in this sense we can say that meditation is naturally good because it acts like a window to a deeper, more profound and peaceful awareness of who we truly are.
2) When we make more space in our mind, we naturally become aware of and sensitive to how our actions of body speech and mind affect ourself and others. Because of this we will naturally start to modify our behaviour in order to bring it into line with this new found sensitivity.
3) Because we have more space in our mind we also have more room for concern and consideration for others. In a perpetually busy mind there is never any room for the ‘I’’s of others, because our whole moment to moment experience is taken up with busy thoughts about ourself, and with emotions relating to these thoughts. With a perpetually busy mind it is very difficult to be consistently unselfish even if we want to be, because the dynamic of our mind is such that egoic self concern is always the aspect of our consciousness that is making the most noise. When we meditate, there are fewer thoughts, more space, and so it is literally easier for us to take in the perspectives of others and to include them in our circle of concern.
So, these are some of the reasons why meditation is naturally and effortlessly a good of virtuous activity. That is not to say that it is always easy and effortless, rather it is saying that the process of meditation in itself is naturally good.

The meditation on equalizing self and others.
We can also use specific meditations that include conceptual content in order to help us develop more space in our mind in a way that is complementary to simply calming and reducing the thoughts in our mind. One such technique that I learned during my time in Tibetan Buddhism is called the meditation on equalizing self and others. It is quite simple, and the basic reasoning can be summarized as follows:

“In the same way that I always wish to be happy and free from all forms of suffering, so do all other living beings without exception. Regardless of whether they are large or small, regardless of their level of intelligence, regardless of shape or species, all creatures are all basically the same in this regard. Considering all living beings from this perspective, I can see that we are all fundamentally equal in this basic wish, and because of this I now determine to cherish all living beings equally with myself.”

If we consider the above level of reasoning and see its validity, we can develop a powerful determination to try and cherish others in the same way that we cherish ourself. This determination is a very helpful factor in keeping our own problems in perspective. Because we are aware that everyone, human or animal has similar problems, this prevents our mind from becoming neurotically preoccupied with our own personal problems. We have a bigger, more stable perspective from which to view what is happening to us in our life.
In quiet contemplation we can visualize other people or creatures, and practise including them in our circle of awareness, trying to see things from their point of view, and take their perspectives into account. When we are out and about in our daily life, we can try and be as conscious as possible of the other living beings whom we are sharing our space with (whether it be the other people in the train carriage, or the creatures around us in a forest), and take them into account in any activity that we may engage in.

Simple sitting meditation on equalizing self and others
If you contemplate the points in the above section, you can see quite clearly the validity of making the effort to cherish others equally with yourself. Once you have convinced yourself of the validity of this, you can then just sit quietly and turn your attention to your breathing. As you breathe in you can mentally recite “I will cherish others” and then as you breathe out “equally with myself”. Use the breathing in this way to consolidate your determination. As you use the breathing to calm your mind, you are also affirming the determination to cherish others equally with yourself, and allowing it to lodge deeply in your subconscious mind.
Do this for as long as you wish or for as long as feels comfortable before relaxing and brining the meditation to a close.

Read article by Toby on natural intelligence and natural dignity on the Mentalfitnessnow.com site

© Toby Ouvry 2010, please to not reproduce without permission.