Testimonial: Meditate with a Monk
I recently had the opportunity for the first time to attend our monthly meditation program, Meditate with a Monk: Blissful Tuesdays, and it’s quickly become one of my favorite programs. The appeal of the program is simple. Many people experience the world as a stressful place full of strife, division, and pain. What if you could, with a change of perspective, find instead a place full of love, unity, and peace? That is precisely what the monks from the Buddha Meditation Center of Washington, DC, on the first Tuesday evening of each month, have been helping us discover for the past several years. I would like to take some time today to share a bit of that experience with you.
The program began with an explanation of the practice of meditation, exploring the history, the relevance to daily life, and even its place in modern medicine. Bhante (an honorific used to address Buddhist monks) took an eminently practical approach, eschewing the purely religious connotation that many people associate with Buddhist monks in favor of a more grounded style that can appeal to everyone. Broadly speaking, there are two styles of meditation that he teaches: one which focuses on the breath, calming and reducing negative emotions, and one that focuses on introspection, seeking understanding and empathy for yourself and others.
The first meditation practice started with an example of stress and anger. He highlighted the experience of driving through rush hour traffic in the DC metro area, a frustrating experience even for a monk. Bhante continued to explain how holding on to that anger only serves to build tension in both our minds and bodies, before launching into the practice itself. We learned how to breath deeply, focus on different parts of the body, and slowly release built-up tension. The level of relaxation I felt after the first practice was unlike anything I have felt in a long time.
Reducing your stress, anger, and negative emotions is an excellent first step, but the monks believe that we need to intentionally replace those emotions with love, kindness, and empathy. Unlike the first practice, which was focused on the body, this second practice was a more cerebral experience, instead focusing on moments in our lives where we felt love, then extending that love outward. I found this meditation to be a bit more challenging than the first, but it was very rewarding. It ended with a chant, wishing an end to suffering for our neighbors, our fellow countrymen, and the rest of the world. We also had a chance to ask questions, which were all answered patiently and thoroughly.
Overall, the Meditate with a Monk program was a unique experience for me, and it is one I would recommend to all members of our community. You can register to attend by clicking here. I wish you all a wonderful week full of love, kindness, and peace!
