In meditation practice, our spiritual objective is to overcome all kinds of suffering by training the mind to rest firmly in the present moment. On an individual level we are not seeking validation or acceptance from the outside but rather cultivating our own inner acceptance. Conversely, our worldly objective is outward looking: we are seeking social, economic and cultural reconciliation in our local communities.
Many of our friends and neighbours suffer because they have encountered extreme suffering in the world whether it is sexism, racism, poverty, war or some form of physical, sexual or psychological abuse. A practitioner of insight meditation removes him or herself from the after effects of these experiences by raising the mind above them. He or she does so no by engaging with unfortunate memories but by observing them and gaining insight into their nature as suffering, impermanent and not under our control.
In other words, as long as we are still angry about another person’s or group’s behaviour, that person or group still has power over us –- we are not free from their grasp and influence. That is why it is so important to learn how to practice insight meditation. When we practice meditation we are training the mind, through repeatedly paying attention to what we are doing and thinking, not to attach to the things in the world that we like or don’t like but rather to overcome them.
This does not mean that we deny the suffering in the world. It means we discover creative new ways to succeed despite obstacles. When we make this into a habit, we can finally let go of the past and embrace an unconditional happiness, which is the mark of spiritual and social progress.