Listening: Meditation

Most people did not have the opportunity to see this movie, which is really good. I love this scene!

I. Work in pairs:

1. Do you like to meditate? Why (not)?
2. Why do you think people like to meditate? Do they like it or do they need it?
3. Would you change your life completely to find peace of mind even if it meant that you would have to leave all your family and friends behind and move to a monastery in a foreign country? Explain it.

Inspired by 

http://www.newlifethaifoundation.com/program/meditation/

Why people meditate:

We meditate in order to cultivate awareness. Rather than being lost in thoughts, emotions, desires, we wish to be aware of them. We train ourselves to be non-reactive. Meditation allows us to observe our thoughts without having to jump on board, we don’t have to get lost in all these stories. We can feel our emotions fully without having to turn them into a whole story. Thoughts are just thoughts. Feelings are just feelings. Urges are just urges, nothing more.  As our mind becomes clear and balanced there will be more space for positive and creative thinking. We will no longer be slaves of our desires and cravings, as through meditation we learn to observe and let go.

II. Consequences of meditation. Do you agree or disagree with these statements? Are they true to you? Explain it.

- Meditation relieves overall stress. It can lighten the load of a busy day and relieve your physical and emotional stress through relaxation.

- It helps you look young by getting rid of all that stress that can add wrinkles to your face and make you ill. 

- It helps you make better choices for yourself. Meditation helps you to cultivate awareness of your own patterns and behaviors. As you begin to pay attention to yourself and your life, you start to notice the small choices you make each day –and how those choices add up to the sum total of who you are and what you do in life. 

- It helps you heal your relationships. When you cultivate presence, you not only truly listen to others, but you give them the freedom to be who they are without our limiting prejudices and judgments getting in the way.

- Meditation cultivates clarity. This sense of clarity and focus actually allows you to get more done in less time without drama.

- It helps you curb pointless worrying.  Meditation helps you to get real and tune in to the present moment, the only place where peace resides. Inner peace is a choice, and it's always here, now.

- The greatest gift that meditation can give is the awareness that despite the seeming chaos, despite life not going how you think it ought to, when you step back and experience the joy of just being, you come to the realization that all is perfect, right now.

III. Watch the movie segment and talk about why the main character decided to change his life. How do you think meditation will help him? Would it help you?

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - LISTENING