The first goal of meditation is to become mindful. There is nothing mysterious about this, it is simply the act of quieting the mind so that you can be aware of what is happening here and now. It is the process of ridding yourself of the dozens or hundreds of thoughts that race through the mind just at the edge of the consciousness mind. These thoughts are not always in the conscious mind but they are close enough to create a background noise that distracts you from the moment. As you meditate you bring each of these thoughts into the conscious mind and the conscious mind melts each of these thoughts away leaving the mind a quieter and more tranquil place. Over a period of time there is just the moment that you are dwelling in. There is the feeling of hunger if you happen to be hungry. There is the smell of the food that you are preparing the sight of the food on the plate and the feelings of cessation as you eat the food being aware of each bite and each act of consumption. The benefits of mindfulness meditation are many. They include but are not limited to enjoyment of the simple things of life, better performance at work and at school, more enjoyment of sports and games, more enjoyment of interpersonal relationships. All these benefits are due to the increased ability to concentrate and focus on the moment. Mindfulness meditation calms and focuses the mind but there is more. You can go deeper!
Without the noise of your mind distracting you things change. Of course you will be able to be more focused on the situation at hand and this can and does translate into more satisfaction in daily life. One benefit that it brings is this. Without the noise blocking it you will notice a sort of ever present sense of joy or well being. This is the bodies natural state. To enter the first Jhana state of meditation you simply need to take your focus away from your breath and put it on the this sense of well being. You will find this immersing and joyful. It is like taking a lovely, long, luxurious bath of lavender and lilac. It is not something you have to make yourself do. This is the first Jhana state there are eight altogether. The first four are called the material Jhanas. They are of this world but just on the edge of this reality sort of like the thoughts on the edge of your conscious mind. The last four Jhanas are the immaterial Jhanas and are of a altogether different reality.
For myself I entered the first Jhana years ago quite by accident when I lost track of time while on a walk through the woods. I remember looking up into the trees arching over the path and seeing the light flowing through the leaves and I remember thinking that it was like seeping sunlight flowing through stained glass windows in a cathedral. That was the last thought I had for 40 or 45 minutes. I remember standing there tears flowing down my face at the wonder and joy of life. I was not really thinking of wonder and joy but I felt a deep sense of joyfulness of well being. I did not know how long I was standing there till I got back to my car and looked at my watch and realized that a 40 minute walk had taken almost an hour and a half to complete and I realized that I had been standing there for 4o minutes or so. It felt like moments only. Back then I thought I had had a deep experience of god. I did not realize that this sort of experience is within the ability of any man or woman willing to take the time to practice and get good enough at concentrating the mind to enter this state.
My feelings of being "favored" by god led to arrogance and self deceit that led to years of suffering and pain. I have worked through the pain and suffering that I caused my self and others and I realize now I am very close to being able to enter this first Jhana state that I stumbled into all of those years ago. I will write more later about my progress.
