<aside> 🚧 This page is a work in progress. What's currently here is essentially a dot-point outline of some of my intentions.

Each of these 'Stages' in the Meditation feature category will generally be a branching series of pages consisting of resource recommendations, and content appropriate for the interest/receptivity levels of those who sit in those stages.

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1. First*,* you're going to need to understand the concept of Contemplative Fitness.
2. Second, you're going to need to understand how Buddhism is tied up in all this, since it’s impossible to avoid for those of you who would prefer to.
   • Meditation and Buddhism are inextricably linked, and we'll probably need to address some misconceptions you might have there from the outset.
   • I’ve covered all of this and more in this post here, which you should read next:
     • [WIP] Here's the deal with Buddhism
3. Third, you're going to need to be open to the idea that there's a penultimate goal here - a mental phenomenon widely known in Western society as [WIP] Enlightenment (it's a thing).

Point #3 is probably fair to call a controversial topic, so:

Be practical about all this

Remember from Stage 1 - Getting Interested :

Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless.

While it may all be well and good that some guy (me) is telling you how practical and tangible this all is, direct experience is everything. It just so happens that all these 'practical' outcomes are inherently subjective and experiential, so one of the many hurdles is in fact just accepting the end goal ([WIP] Enlightenment (it's a thing)) exists at all, and is worth working towards.

Objectively I would say that it does [exist], and it is [worth pursuing] - but that's something you'll either need to convince yourself of, or take on faith.

Practically, I would recommend you do neither of these things, and just leave that door ajar. It's probably just easiest to forget about the idea of enlightenment at all. Whether it does or it doesn't exist, there are other more relevant and immediate reasons to meditate.

Focus instead on what's immediately in front of you. There are many other reasons to meditate that are divorced from this final goal, so it's much easier to focus on the short-term reasons and 'more believable' outcomes for now, leaving yourself open to the possibility of setting sights on other goals further down the track.

For what it's worth, it's a whole thing in Buddhism's own path to overcome doubt about all that - and it's very advanced trait! It's essentially expected of even the most hardcore and long-term practitioners (renunciates - monks, nuns) to naturally harbour doubts of this kind. It's because of this that most experiential stuff in meditations is considered by many to be essentially a taboo topic, even by most advanced practitioners, because trying to convince or discuss with others is by and large a futile effort.

<aside> 💬 Confused? Curious? Intrigued? Let's have a conversation in the comments down below. Believe it or not I like talking about this stuff - could you tell?

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