Meditation
Meditation is an umbrella term which includes many different types of practice and does not belong to any one religion or culture. These practices can vary widely from trance like or hypnotic states, visualisation, chanting of mantra, sound and dance to mindfulness and awareness practice. It has been practiced for thousands of years by people all over the world. It has many benefits and can be experienced by anyone regardless of race, gender or age. At Deeper Being, our primary focus is on mindfulness and compassion meditation, taught from both a western secular perspective as well as from a more traditional Buddhist view.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a practice of becoming aware of the present moment with acceptance of it just as it is. We spend a considerable amount of time thinking about events that have happened in the past or about what may happen in the future, which can lead to feelings of anxiety, stress or depression. By bringing attention into the present moment, we can begin to let go of these thoughts and experience moments just as they really are. This leads to feelings of connection and a greater sense of wellbeing. Click here to read more about mindfulness practice and how it can help.
Compassion
Compassion in our society is often understood to mean having sympathy with someone or doing a good deed for them. But what is meant by compassion in the mindfulness sense, is the ability to hold an open and non-judgemental space for suffering; our own and that of others. Compassion is innate, but is often blocked by our fear. Therefore, compassion training is not about becoming more compassionate, but about removing the blocks that stand in the way of our compassionate heart being able to shine out into the world. Compassion is at the heart of what we offer at Deeper Being. Click here to find out more.
Buddhism
Both mindfulness and compassion can be practiced in their own right from an entirely secular paradigm, to bring about feelings of happiness, joy tranquillity and connectedness. When practised in a Buddhist context however, the aim of mindfulness is to become aware of the states of mind that cause suffering, this is known as insight. Once one can see clearly, it is possible to bring about complete cessation of suffering as described in the Buddha's primary teaching of the four noble truths. This is known as enlightenment. You can read more about the Buddhist training path our classes offer here.