MEDITATION-is the practice of experiencing existence without the engagement of the 

        thinking mind. In this era of the ubiquitous screen, where we  receive                                  stimulation nearly non-stop during all of our waking hours, we have lost many of the

        opportunities to simply sit in silence. And due to the demands of commerce, the

        importance of sitting in silence has been obliterated.

        The practice of disengaging from the steady chatter of our internal dialog slowly

        introduces us to that aspect of our existence which is pure awareness. Not                          judgemental, not attached to the unknowable future or the irretrievable past, but

        immersed fully in the present moment. It is from this perspective that one starts              to understand that we are not our thoughts, but rather we are beings that have 

        thoughts.

        In this place we are all the same. Simple consciousness, without the miriad divisions 

        that the mind creates to set us apart from those around us. Some of these divisions 

        may be valid and useful, but a quieted mind robs many of them of their power and      

        urgency. And knowing that we are not our thoughts gives us the tools to become 

        much more expansive and flexible creatures. Our identities are not tied to ideas 

        that float around in our heads, but rather to the quiet observer that is hidden in 

        each one of us.