Meditation Begins With Awareness

When meditating try to recognise your current thoughts. It's manageable—even when we become foggy, we can still identify our fogginess. Observe yourself carefully and be aware.

This is very important for beginners. We are unable to identify our thoughts clearly and at times we may find ourselves unable to meditate well. The more experience we gain the more we realise that we must be diligent and intelligent in our approach and need many supportive factors, such as faith, renunciation, and compassion; otherwise, meditation will be difficult.

We will recognise how precious the preliminary practices and mind-training teachings are. The preliminaries are vital for meditators. Just like seeds do not sprout and produce a crop without the right conditions—the season, water, and fertilization—meditation alone will not work; we also need the supportive conditions of faith, renunciation, etc.

Usually, we sit there being carried away by the flow of our thoughts, unable to free ourselves from them, so our meditation doesn't progress well. Whenever you meditate, you need to recognise: "What am I thinking? What am I doing?" Apply this awareness when you are walking or eating. Or when receiving teachings. Try to be aware of your experience; your thoughts, what you are hearing, seeing, whether you are paying attention. When you are listening, “listenting” is your current thought. Learn to recognise your current thought and remember to maintain awareness. This will guide you in the right direction of meditation.

16th April, 2025, Thrangu Sekhar Retreat Centre, Nepal