Yes, it's really a very important part of the Eightfold Way. I can't think of any lineage that does not have sitting meditation as central to the path. Traditions vary in terms of meditation methods and recommended length of time, but it is always present.

Sitting meditation gives us a controlled environment in which to discover the luminosity at the heart of our awareness. It doesn't often feel like that at the beginning, because we are dealing so much with our thoughts. But even then, by looking at where our mind goes, what occupies it, we learn about its layers and energies. It is like being a scientist of our own mind.

That's why it is so important not to judge a meditation. Examine it but don't judge it. Examine it as a means of understanding your own mind, but don't judge its worthiness. Just do it!


Lisa Erickson, Buddhism Editor
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