Why We Meditate

A woman asks why we meditate, describing their practice of focusing on the breath to quiet the mind and watch thoughts without engagement. Rupert explains that focusing on the breath provides temporary relief by taking attention away from distressing thoughts and feelings. However, the approach at his retreats aims for permanent relief and lasting peace by continually tracing attention back through layers of experience – from body to breath to thoughts to feelings – without allowing attention to rest on any object. Eventually, attention ceases to be directed towards anything and returns to its source: the presence of awareness. This is what we long for above all – peace, joy, and love – which are the very nature of awareness. When asked why meditation feels like work, Rupert uses the King Lear/John Smith metaphor to explain that we’ve given ourselves so fully to being a separate self that returning to our true nature requires effort to counter that momentum, though this effort diminishes over time as the pull of experience weakens.

From event 09 - 16 March, 2025 Seven-Day Retreat at Mercy Center, 9–16 March 2025

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