If you are really intent upon developing yourself, your first step is to begin to make peace and find harmony in relationship to your world. The practice of ethics, morality, and "right relations" not only benefits other but, in the long run, also helps us create the causes for inner peace and wholeness that we long for. The stronger this first foundation, the more profound and fruitful will be our practice.

Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese sage and peacemaker whose example inspired Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., has reminded us often that the world is both wonderful and terrible. There is considerable injustice and tragic suffering. Making peace with the world is not to look away from these heartbreaking circumstances, but to have the courage to witness suffering with compassion and understanding. Only then will we have the insight necessary to respond with wisdom and effectiveness.

As a method of mental training, meditation has two goals; (1) the conscious cultivation of states of mind that enhance our well-being, and (2) the intentional transformation of mind states that block our understanding, power, and love.

When you think of "meditation," you may get a mental picture of a person sitting quietly with eyes closed, simply being in the moment.

However, there are thousands of meditation techniques from many different traditions, both ancient and modern.

As Joel and Michelle Levey describe in their classic book The Fine Arts of Relaxation, Concentration, and Meditation, most of these techniques can be classified as belonging to either one or a combination of these four categories of meditation:

All of these approaches to meditation are interrelated and mutually enhancing.

Perhaps one of them will appeal to a desire within you to develop your inner self.

"Choices in a meditator’s life are very simple:
Do those things that contribute to your awareness,
And refrain from those things that do not."
– Sujata