Written meditation

We read many books during our life. The type of reading we do varies with the topic, our interest in it, and the situation. Sometime we just want to pass the time while waiting for something else. Holiday and travel reading are just some examples. On some occasions, we are very focused and concentrated on the text. The book is so good that we do not see or hear the world around us. Time flies when we "wake up" from the book's fascinating world. This state of concentration is meditating. Our mind is not wandering around but focusing on the text for long periods of time.

Our reading style is different when we study. We need to focus and concentrate in order to understand the context. It is more of a struggle than when we read a good fiction novel. Our mind tries to slip off from the concentration required for learning something new; reading in this way is work, like any other serious thinking processes.

When we study, we use the text and words as pure means to penetrate and realize the idea and concept illustrated by the words. We want to gain insight and learn the idea the author is trying to present and transfer to us via words. What we actually do is we use the text as our meditation tool. It is our guide and map to help us to reach the concept and thinking of the writer. Our concentration is in seeking to catch and reflect the thought object produced by the author. Some texts are easy for us to understand—we gain the insight and realize the meaning. Often, we have difficulties reproducing and reflecting the thinking, especially with subjects unfamiliar to us. We need to work hard to expand our mind in order to understand something new, unknown, to us.

We are able to learn and gain insight without firsthand experience. However, this does not mean that we should not actively strive forward for the insight. Pure mechanical reading does not provide us with anything. We simply mimic and repeat the mantra of the text without catching the concept and the idea transferred by the text. In other words, we might gain some knowledge but definitely not any wisdom. But wisdom can be achieved and realized from written materials. This is an excellent way of gaining insight. It only requires that we are open and willing to learn and are persistent: nothing comes without personal responsibility and effort. The most important component is our personal desire and humble attitude toward learning more about ourselves. With practice, we get better and our meditation technique improves as well.