Now is a good time for you to begin or continue your insight meditation training. You are suffering needlessly because of the push and pull of life but there is a way out. First of all take note of the fact that things are rarely as good or as bad as you think they are. Are you aware of the tendency of the mind to attach to an idea, concept or phenomenon? When the Buddha described the four noble truths for us, he pointed out the truth of suffering with which we are all familiar, but he also explained that attachment is the cause of that suffering.
By attachment, here, we mean the failure of the mind to move on from a particular experience. When things are good, we enjoy ourselves and we never want the good feelings to end. When they finally do, because nothing can last forever, naturally we are disappointed. But, that disappointment is enhanced because we have not trained the mind to move on to the next experience. Similarly, when things are bad, we get obsessed with that bad feeling looking for a way to get rid of it. In fact, so deep is our obsession that it remains even after the bad experience has long passed.
Now let’s get back to why you need to start or continue your meditation practice. There is more than just suffering and cause. There is also an end to the suffering and a path that leads there. The path is to train the mind to be in the present moment. But this training takes effort and practice. When you join us for a meditation retreat, we show you a precise method for how to train the mind not to attach and we give you exercises to practice that method. We also know how to check to make sure that your practice is progressing correctly. That way you to will be on the path to understand and experience the four noble truths for yourself.