The Way of Meditation Blog
Bringing Ancient Wisdom Into The Modern World
Ultimately All Meditation Is For Discovering Your True Self
Chad Foreman • May 20, 2019
Discovering Your True Self.
Ultimately all meditation is for discovering your true self. All relative meditation training is all a lead-up to the great leap into your true self, the union with the truth of your being. Once all doubt has been resolved, one is ready to accept and see one’s ultimate identity as simple, lucid and complete. Your actual nature is perfect empty awareness, naturally imbued with wisdom, love and harmony.
There is nothing that can harm it and nothing that can improve it, because it is formless and boundless; all experiences, both ‘good’ and ‘bad’, have at their base this perfect empty awareness and, in reality, all experiences are never separate from it in any way.
All appearances are the luminous display of empty awareness. A primordial unity appearing as a symphony of possibility. Our true self has been known by many names throughout different times and cultures, but as a simple meditator it is not necessary to speculate or intellectualise about the indescribable; it is the Way of Meditation to just let it be and rest in natural presence.
There is nothing that can harm it and nothing that can improve it, because it is formless and boundless; all experiences, both ‘good’ and ‘bad’, have at their base this perfect empty awareness and, in reality, all experiences are never separate from it in any way.
All appearances are the luminous display of empty awareness. A primordial unity appearing as a symphony of possibility. Our true self has been known by many names throughout different times and cultures, but as a simple meditator it is not necessary to speculate or intellectualise about the indescribable; it is the Way of Meditation to just let it be and rest in natural presence.
It is only a journey because we have left our real home, therefore it’s a journey back home to our real selves.
We start our journey rooted in our false identities and, through meditation training, we keep going and keep going to the treasure that has always been waiting within.
“Meditation, then, is bringing the mind home, to our true self.”
The easiest and most effective path to spiritual awakening is effortless presence. Just Being. Not moving from natural presence of awareness. Not seeking. Not objectifying. Not fabricating any states of mind. Stop all effort altogether and rest. Rest in the great natural peace of awareness and be your authentic self.
As Meditation Master Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche advises:
“Banish all hope and fear and rest in the unshakable certainty that the eternal simplicity of awareness is itself all that needs to be done to be an Awakened Being. That is the Perfect Way of Meditation, in which peace, love and wisdom will flourish without effort.”
If our natural state is already perfect and complete, why practice meditation at all? The key is that recognition of our true nature of Pure Presence is utterly indispensable. If you do not know who you really are, it won’t benefit you in the slightest. In fact, because your ego’s self-image and actions are a vicious cycle of self-reinforcing perceptions and habits, you can exist endlessly within ignorance and turmoil constantly seeking peace and fulfilment elsewhere.
Without meditation, contemplation, and looking within, you may never know your ultimate identity. Your true nature is always the same whether you realise it or not; the difference is, it only benefits your life if you recognise it and stabilise within it.
Therefore your natural state is found by just resting, letting go of any effort to try and attain something extra and just being yourself ‘as you are’. In some meditation traditions they say enlightenment is found in our ordinary mind right now as it is. Nothing to add, nothing to remove just naturally perfect right here, right now. What a relief.
We start our journey rooted in our false identities and, through meditation training, we keep going and keep going to the treasure that has always been waiting within.
“Meditation, then, is bringing the mind home, to our true self.”
The easiest and most effective path to spiritual awakening is effortless presence. Just Being. Not moving from natural presence of awareness. Not seeking. Not objectifying. Not fabricating any states of mind. Stop all effort altogether and rest. Rest in the great natural peace of awareness and be your authentic self.
As Meditation Master Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche advises:
“Banish all hope and fear and rest in the unshakable certainty that the eternal simplicity of awareness is itself all that needs to be done to be an Awakened Being. That is the Perfect Way of Meditation, in which peace, love and wisdom will flourish without effort.”
If our natural state is already perfect and complete, why practice meditation at all? The key is that recognition of our true nature of Pure Presence is utterly indispensable. If you do not know who you really are, it won’t benefit you in the slightest. In fact, because your ego’s self-image and actions are a vicious cycle of self-reinforcing perceptions and habits, you can exist endlessly within ignorance and turmoil constantly seeking peace and fulfilment elsewhere.
Without meditation, contemplation, and looking within, you may never know your ultimate identity. Your true nature is always the same whether you realise it or not; the difference is, it only benefits your life if you recognise it and stabilise within it.
Therefore your natural state is found by just resting, letting go of any effort to try and attain something extra and just being yourself ‘as you are’. In some meditation traditions they say enlightenment is found in our ordinary mind right now as it is. Nothing to add, nothing to remove just naturally perfect right here, right now. What a relief.
Written by Chad Foreman
Chad Foreman is the founder of The Way of Meditation, has been teaching meditation since 2003, determined to bring authentic meditation practices into the lives of millions of people in the modern world. Chad is a former Buddhist monk who spent 6 years living in a retreat hut studying and practicing meditation full time and has now has over twenty years’ experience teaching meditation. Chad holds regular Meditation Retreats on the Sunshine Coast Australia, has Online Meditation Coaching, delivers three online programs - The 21 Day Meditation Challenge to help guide people gradually from the basics of mindfulness and relaxation to profound states of awareness. Breath-work to help manage stress and go deeper into meditation and The Bliss of Inner Fire which is a Buddhist tantric method for purifying energy blocks and contacting the clear light of bliss. You can also now get Chad's free e-book Insights Along the Way.
Get A FREE
Guided Meditation Series
with Chad Foreman
In today’s fast-paced world, the mind often races, driven by the demands of work, family, and personal ambitions. Meditation is commonly seen as a practice to calm the mind, foster inner peace, and connect with deeper aspects of existence. Yet, one crucial element often overlooked is the state of the body, particularly the nervous system. Relaxing the nervous system isn’t just a preparatory step; it is foundational for unlocking the deeper states of awareness and tranquility that meditation promises. Drawing insights from my journey and teachings, we will explore why this is so vital and how it transforms the meditative experience.
Drawing its inspiration from sky-gazing meditation, sky wisdom is the wisdom of emptiness – of an open mind connected with vast space and infinite possibilities. It is seeing that the true nature of reality is beyond words and concepts
Equanimity is such a central theme to Buddhist meditation practice because it exemplifies the philosophy of the middle way taught by the historical Buddha which is the path to enlightenment.
and is also a practical expression of non-duality.
How to get the balance right between making effort in meditation and being effortless and what exactly are they.
A framework for understanding how breath-work can purify different layers of your being bringing you into complete alignment and full awakening
A fascinating look at what the scientific research has to say about meditation and the effects it has on the brain and the human condition.
TAKE THE NEXT STEP
Take The 21 Day Meditation Challenge
Get A FREE Series
of Guided Meditations
with Chad Foreman
Email: chad@thewayofmeditation.com.au
The Way Of Meditation
Site Map