Meditation is Programming The Mind

To be clear: meditation is not about sitting on a cushion and getting all chilled out and happy by repeatedly reciting a mantra, or counting one's breaths. Meditation, proper, is about programming and reprogramming your Mind and brain.

Meditation is teaching yourself mental discipline, teaching your brain to do what it's told. At first it is like trying to train a cat; then like trying to train a dog; eventually your mind becomes as obedient as a well-trained horse.

Calming the mind is a step along the way: if your Mind isn't calm, then the chances of it doing what it's told are minimal. Watching your breath is an exercise in two things: training your Mind to be calm, and training it to pay attention. Meditation on a mantra can do a number of things: one is that the mantra dominates your Mind and its thoughts, inhibiting it from doing anything else; another is that those syllables might have meaning connected to them, such as the Six Paramitas to the six syllables of OM MA NI PE ME HUM. Whatever OM means to you, will be reinforced every time you recite the syllable OM, the more intensively you focus when reciting it, the more strongly it gets burned in.

Trying to spread a comprehensive understanding of much of Buddhism across those six syllables means that, in sitting and reciting it hundreds of times each morning, your burn that 'much of Buddhism' into your brain efficiently. Recalling the mantra becomes effortless; then recalling the meaning attached to them almost effortless too; and structuring things in this way, one can recall much of the teachings of Buddhism with ease.

Something similar happens with the verses of the Dhammapada: the verses themselves do not tell the whole story; the short stories attach to each verse then add some meaning; and then through diligent study one can attach much more meaning, understanding, thought and discipline to the verses. In this way, you program your brain with a system of discipline and ethics that will serve you well, and help you do your bit to make the world a better place for those around you.

Something similar can be done with some well-chosen Bible passages, especially the Sermon on the Mount amongst other passages. Having those verses burned into your Mind will serve you well (whether you are Christian, Buddhist, something else, or nothing at all).

As Easwaran translates verse 233 of the Dhammapada says: "train your Mind in love". While one may argue about the accuracy of his translation, I do love the sentiment of this choice of words. If you follow Jesus, then "train your Mind in love" is not an optional extra; if you follow the Buddha, then "train your Mind in love" is not an optional extra; indeed we should all take the position that "train your Mind in love" is never an optional extra, no matter what one's personal beliefs are.