Meditation has been around for 4000 years! From the Buddhist perspective meditation reflects the Pali word bhavana that stands for cultivation. Cultivation of what? The present moment. What is the present moment? What you choose it to be!
When one hears the word meditation what instantly comes to mind is someone sitting in an upright position with their eyes closed trying to become awakened. Is meditation just focused awareness and concentration. I view meditation as “Mindfulness with Training Wheels.”
Although one is cultivating awareness what inevitably will arise is a distraction such as a thought, emotion or physical sensation. Our mind will inevitably wander and the critical aspect is what do you do with it. How will one be in relationship with the sensation until one returns to the chosen object of attention. It is easy to say just go back to the breath but it is not that simple. Our thoughts are often one of self-criticism and judgment. We identify with the sense of self that we believe is having the thought and is responsible for what we perceive as happening. We claim ownership for the awareness that knows what is being experienced.
Concentration Meditation involves focused awareness and inevitably insight into what one is experiencing as the mind wanders. Mindfulness at its core consists of these two components of meta-awareness, to know what you know, and insight, discernment into the true nature of reality.
The great value in a formal sitting practice of meditation is that it allows one to practice mindfulness in a controlled setting. We have the time and privacy to practice mindfulness with what our minds are creating without distraction. We are creating the foundation to practice mindfulness in our lived life as it is in real time moment to moment once we get off the cushion.
by Dr. Phil Blustein
November 7, 2025