There is a wealth of science-based research that proves the benefits of meditation. Greater mental and emotional health, decreased blood pressure, stress and anxiety reduction, and an overall increase in feelings of well being are just a few. I heard a story many years ago that struck me as the most cogent response to this question of why meditate, which was posed by a young student to the Buddhist teacher Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. When asked why we meditate, he replied that the reason we meditate, is so that when the world pulls the rug out from under you, you have a ground to stand on.

There is a basic ground, a field that we begin to become of aware of through meditation. For the conceptual mind this can be a difficult metaphor because it is not a solid ground that our physical feet can stomp around on. It is solid in the sense that it is ever-present and always supporting us. Our capacity to anchor in this field, stabilize our awareness in this basic ground becomes like the strong deep roots of a tree. The storms of life will blow, ripping off leaves, breaking branches or even bending the trunk of the tree, but it doesn’t die. It can recover and bloom again if it has a solid root system. In my life, the practice of meditation has given me roots in this groundless ground and allowed me to weather many storms, and not only survive but thrive. There was also a point when meditation became a way of living and being and a path of authentic transformation, as opposed to a separate practice that provided momentary relief.

– by Kathy Fellows-Moss