Buddhist meditation was an activity in which a particular instructor named Dipa Ma had an aura that exuded knowledge of the ineffable. It was almost as if one was almost touched her love and light. This was not always the case. She was fourteen when she married, as was the tradition in India, and she suffered terribly when her husband and two of her three children died unexpectedly. Her agony lasted for years before she realized she had no choice but to act or die. She enrolled in a Buddhist monastery in Burma, where she soon advanced to advanced stages of concentration and spiritual attainment.
She was asked what was on her mind later in life, after she had become a teacher with this exceptional quality of presence. “Concentration, lovingkindness, and peace,” she said simply. That is what there is to it.”
Imagine the entire consciousness consisting solely of "concentration, lovingkindness, and harmony." Much of us wish we could be like that. Much of us want to be positive, caring, and friendly people who are a joy to be around. Much of us wish we learned how to remain still, how to maintain our core even as life throws us the most serious storms. This is the profound explanation why people visit temples, synagogues, and mediation centers, and it may also be the unspoken wish of those who visit a therapist's office—to locate the focus inside.
The divine truth is represented by the core inside, which is a spatial metaphor for it. It is this that binds us together and prevents us from disintegrating. In terms of location, it's at the level of the heart in the middle of the chest. This can be beneficial at times. However, the real core can be found everywhere.
In terms of time, the core inside is a phase. It's your constant mindfulness as you try to bring cool, accepting focus to what's going on in the present moment, without battling, suffering, or judging. Finding and keeping the middle is the ability to live profoundly and truly, with limitless harmony and pleasure, regardless of external circumstances.
It's realizing that, when everything changes, peace can't be contained in everything or anywhere. Peace is the source of all knowledge.
If you're curious if that's really realistic for you, that's fine. You're taking things seriously and admitting your need to be in the middle. It can appear impossible to live in the middle all of the time. It can seem to be completely out of your reach. Nonetheless, the Buddha and other wonderful teachers believe it is possible. You've got this.
We all have Buddha nature; we all share in the spiritual spark, no matter how concealed or obscured our potential for peace might be at times. As a result, it is possible for each of us to learn to be the calm one in the middle of a hurricane. It's possible that that's our own essence, not something we're striving to do to ourselves artificially. However, in order to understand our true self, we must learn to see things differently and break down the barriers that hide who and what we really are. When we can do so, we can see the peace and knowledge that has always been there, although hidden under layers of ignorance and conditioning. We learn to locate and maintain our inner hub.
You may also want to read more about Mindfulness Meditation and Healing here.
