Written by Rebecca D’Onofrio

As we progress along the path of learning meditation, we come to realize how many people are suffering immensely, battered by non-stop distraction, intrusive thoughts, intense emotions, self-hatred, ignorance, and on the list goes.

We can see this suffering so clearly because we understand how we, too, have suffered in similar ways. We’ve fought and grappled with our own mind, attempting to rid ourselves of the pain it causes. We have even tried using meditation practice itself as a tool to fight our mind, hoping the promise of enlightenment will eradicate us of ourselves once and for all.

But it is only when we stop this fighting that meditation actually starts to work on us. At a certain point, we tire of the self-aggression, and the thick fog of aversion naturally dissipates. We begin to experience the mind with more freshness, clarity, ease, and even friendliness.

We start to comprehend karma, not just the concept of it, but how it plays out in our lived experience. We see there are infinite causes and conditions impacting how we think, feel, and act in any given moment. This leads to an understanding of our interconnection with our environment and all beings. We start to understand the faultlessness we all share for being so misled and confused, and beyond that confusion, we can taste the beauty and richness of what it is to be human and alive. From here, a deep sense of joy, gratitude, and love radiates from the heart and we are moved to take action as we see others who suffer similarly.

This movement of the heart — the reason why we teach meditation — is compassion. Compassion is what moves us to support and guide others through this often murky and challenging journey of coming home to our true nature, free of the suffering caused by misunderstanding who we really are and how our experience actually is.

We can’t take this journey alone. For thousands of years, meditation teachers have been needed, and they will continue to be necessary for thousands more. A teacher’s wisdom and knowledge can help us progress along the path and avoid unnecessary or dangerous pitfalls, since our ego can hijack the meditative process and reinforce its own delusions and negativity. As students, we often aren’t aware when this occurs; but a skilled teacher can recognize when this is happening and help a student navigate the obstacles that inevitably arise as one begins to get to know their mind. 

For me, there is no other service that is more profound and meaningful than teaching meditation. There is no joy quite like getting to witness a student move beyond self-fixation and hatred, and finally start to love and appreciate who they are. Even more joyful is when that same student is moved through their own compassionate heart to begin teaching as well.