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Let us dissect these further so we may understand them at greater depth and clarity.

Paying Attention:

Attention is like your hand that reaches out and grabs that which you desire. It is somewhat of a limb we all possess that can be moved around at will, similar to a spotlight or torch-light that can be shone in any given direction, illuminating that which it is aimed at.

In the modern world most of us do not notice the movements of our attention and therefore have no ownership over it. The direction of our attention is dominantly dictated by external demands.

Sounds, lights, screens, bright colours, advertisements, women walking by in revealing clothing, these all draw on our attention. For many of us attention is continually pulled in various directions, hence the term scattered mind. 

Come to understand in this moment that you have something called attention that is either placed upon the words you read right now, or is lingering somewhere else. Your eyes are looking at the  words on this page, yet that does not mean your attention is on them too. 

Notice where your attention is right now and bring it to these words if it wasn’t here already. Do this both intently and intensely. 

Your ears may pick up the sound of your friend or family member as they speak to you, yet this does not mean that you are actually paying attention and listening to what is being said. Your limb of attention may be reaching for something elsewhere, be it a thought or some other external demand on the senses. 

This is the first thing to consider when practicing meditation. Attention is something you have, it is either scattered in various directions or channeled in one direction. A laser or beam is simply a focused beam of light rays. Consider this for a moment, the same light bulb illuminating your room right now, if focused into one single beam could cut through steel. This is the power of concentration.

Paying attention leads to concentration. We were all told in school to concentrate, to pay attention, but how do we actually do that? It begins with understanding first that you have a moveable spotlight of attention and then to know what you’re directing your attention towards. 

To The Present: 

This very moment. It is for this reason that active meditation is often mistaken for passive meditation. Lifting weights, climbing, dancing, playing the guitar or entering a flow state through any other means brings us into the moment. 

The moment is where we feel most at peace. Life shows us this through various experiences that we do not control yet may have happily stumbled across by accident. A wonderful sunset, an awe inspiring landscape, the beauty of a particular piece of music, these all bring us into the present moment. 

A moment is impossible to measure. It is so infinitesimally small that by the time I have said the word “moment,” the moment has passed and we are now into the next moment, and now this one, and now this one. 

Ever unfolding, the moment continually moves, never ceasing, never still, always passing. You may experience worry, thinking of some experience that may come in future, yet that thought is occurring right here and right now, even though its contents are of another perceived time. The same applies when thinking of the past. 

Thinking is happening right here and right now, and is therefore a gateway into the present moment if attention is shone in this direction. 

What else serves as a channel into the present moment? The sense organs hold the answer.

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Each of these seven primary paths can be used as the object of our attention during the practice of meditation. 

Choose one for your particular practice and avoid frequently switching between them. Come to understand what it means to pay attention to the present moment through each of these paths available to us all in each and every moment. 

These seven directions all lead to the present moment. The true value comes when one pays close attention to them in the meditation practice and then carries that attention to the seven channels out of the practice, in normal, daily, waking life. 

Being present in every day life is the mark of a good meditator. For many people tend to practice only for the period of sitting or laying still, to then abandon all presence cultivated when the timer goes off and the practice is over. 

The point of meditation is to present, not just when sitting but when living ones life! 

The moment is passing and ready for our attention all of the time, not just when we choose to sit and be attentive for a short while. 

Therefore, aim to be present in as much of your life as possible and you will experience the joy and peace that such a life can bring. 

With Intention:

Although we can practice in every waking moment, there is importance and utility in the more intense, time based practice. The clearer and more deep one’s intention, the more invested one is in the practice and therefore the more one benefits. 

The best example I can think of to illustrate this point is the islamic population. Anybody who is a practicing muslim will ignore all disruptions and potential distractions during prayer times. There is no answering the phone, no looking around, no moving the children out of the way or asking others to be quiet, there is only prayer. 

If people were to treat their meditation and concentration practice like we treat our prayers in Islam, there would be much greater depth achieved, peace reclaimed, productivity ensured and benefit carried forward. 

When you practice, practice with intention, with purpose, with meaning, with commitment. Treat your practice as though it is something important and sacred. For that is exactly what it is, and if you do not yet feel the sanctity of meditation you soon will, for the truest respite and quenching of spiritual thirst can be found nowhere else in the world but within one’s own inner-being. 

As Marcus Aurelius, stoic philosopher and Emperor of Rome said: 

"Nowhere can a man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul.”

A few months ago there was footage released on social media of people praying inside of a Turkish mosque when an earthquake suddenly hit. Amazingly each person remained completely still while the lights went out and the building shook. This is the level of devotion muslims have to their prayers (those who believe). Aim to have a similar level of discipline with your meditation practice. 

Interrupt your practice for no thing. Be intentional about what you do, apply this principle beyond meditation. Apply it to your work, your exercise, your presence as you listen to those close to you expressing themselves. Be intently present, for the sake of being present, for everything you do and experience is better from this place. 

It is through intent that meditation differs to simply sitting down quietly and daydreaming. You are aiming to be here, not there, now, not then. Make this intention clear immediately before your timed practice and keep it close, remembering frequently during your practice that you are doing this for training of the mind, not the passing of time. 

Maximise on every moment of your practice. There is an art in balancing a seriously not-serious attitude in meditation. 

Without Judgement:

Finally, a meditative state can not be attained if one’s mind is continually flooded with judgements.  Nor can one ever be at peace if the mind is dominated with judgements towards the self and others. 

Judgements are what make the mind a loud and unpleasant place to be. The mind by its nature judges all things, it is our responsibility to manage this well and clean up or head-space.

This is not done through arguing with our inner bully or attempting to out-think the thinker, it is done through bringing attention to our judgements and disengaging from all impulse to control, explore or fight with them. Disengaging in this way puts us in the position of the witness, who simply watches and witnesses without judgement. 

What is a judgement? It is your mind’s way of labelling everything it interacts with, including its own thoughts, so it may separate good from bad, wet from dry, hard from soft, light from dark and the other many dualities of this world. The mind does this so that it may make sense of the world and navigate safely.

Do not resent judgement, for judgement is in fact a gift. Without it we would not know a dog from a car, this would lead to difficulty in basic human operation. It is when judgement rules the mind that we must bring back order. The ruler must return, the witness, the conscious observer. 

The mind continually expresses its opinions within our mental dialogue, this does not cease unless one disengages, releases control and chooses instead not to judge but rather to observe the space of perception whether it be picking up thoughts, tastes, sights, sounds, sensations or smells. 

Do not attempt to control what you perceive, simply witness and observe instead. Do not judge or get wrapped up in your mind’s opinions about how pleasant or unpleasant, good or bad, liked or disliked a particular element of the moment may be, just observe.

For example when you make intention to pay attention to the present through your sense of hearing, you may notice the mind’s mental chatter going on in the thought-space. Perhaps it is simply speaking to itself, or expressing a dislike for the sound of the barking dog outside or whatever else may be pulling on the attention.

Attention is being pulled from hearing to thinking about hearing. You do not hear with your mind, you hear with your ears. Therefore place attention with full investment in your hearing of the moment, not your judgement of what you hear in the moment.

The same applies for all paths into the present. You do not see with your mind, you see with your eyes, therefore pay attention to what you see, not what you think of what you see. 

This is what it means to practice non-judgement. 

In an upcoming Mastery Letter continuing on from this part of the meditation series I will share an experience that taught me how to completely silence my mind in an instant. No, this is not an over-exaggeration, and I have no doubt that you will be successful in doing this too, for I have taught the technique to several others since it’s discovery and they have been amazed to find their mind blank at last. 

For now we are exploring the basics, therefore I wish not to complicate things for you. It is better this way. 

In summary, successful meditation has four main components: Paying attention, to the present, with intention, and without judgement. 

Note: Only through practice will you gain real understanding of what each of these means. If you think you can get away with reading and not putting int he time to practice, close this Mastery Letter now. I wish not to share with dark magicians and those who worship intellect.

I’m ‘Bad’ At Meditation…

I hear this statement too often and it saddens me, too many people are mistaken into believing that an often-drifting mind makes one a bad meditator.

A promise from me to you: The only bad meditators are those who do not have the willingness to practice at all. Some people (maybe you) believe that concentration can not be trained and quit too soon. They haven’t seen the rapid results they’re used to seeing in our dopamine intoxicated world and decide to release all efforts. 

Remember this, all good things take time. How could an ADHD, scattered mind like mine end up teaching meditation to others? Practice, persistency, and the willingness to struggle in order to get better over time. 

If you’re practicing, you’re doing great, regardless of how well you can concentrate and if you continue, you will improve. If a doctor has told you that you have ADHD and you use that as an excuse not to train your mind, know that absolutely anything is possible, and that ADHD is massively misunderstood. 

I am the living example of somebody who flipped the script. You are not a special case that is doomed for life. Unless you believe yourself to be. Continue reading if you believe you can train your mind to concentrate regardless of your past experience. If you do not believe and wish to play the victim, please stop reading here.

Concentration is a skill and for most of us does not come natural. I know for me personally it wasn’t the case. When I began attempting meditation, my concentration was atrocious. I remember sitting on the bus, attempting to read a book and finding myself having to read the same two lines over and over again, struggling to get the information to sink in.

Within a matter of moments my attention was drifting off into distraction. In the beginning this was frustrating, until I became more experienced with meditation and familiar with what it means to practice non-judgement. In witnessing just how scattered my mind was, I began to laugh. 

A scattered mind is but a state, it is not a fate. It is like being out of breath after exercise. You’re not going to be in an oxygen debt forever, it will pass and you will regulate your breathing soon enough. The scattered mind however, won’t regulate itself and requires intentional practice. 

If you tend to think sometimes that you are a bad meditator, here’s why you’re not. 

Imagine for a moment that you are riding a bike. Would you consider yourself a bad cyclist if you were unable to keep your wheels on a perfectly straight line for an entire one hundred metres? Think about that for a moment. Is it normal to expect your wheels to ebb and flow off the centre of  a straight line when cycling? Or do you cycle in perfect lines, as though you are cycling on rails? 

Of course, you do not cycle in a perfectly straight line, nor does anybody else. Just as a boat does not sail in direct straight lines, there are always deviations from the centred path, while the captain or cyclist readjusts through steering, ensuring movement continues in the desired general (not exact) direction. 

The path is wavy and that is how it is. It does not make you a bad meditator if your mind drifts when attempting to pay attention to your breathing. In fact, you might not believe this but in meditation you want your mind to drift away… 

Let me explain with the four step process that illustrates what a normal meditation practice looks like in experience. This is different to what we spoke of earlier, we answered the question “What is meditation?” Now we will make clear what to expect during your practice. 

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Firstly, you set the intent to pay attention to the present moment through any of the primary paths, ie. your sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, breath or thoughts. 

Next, inevitably after some moments (or minutes if you’re more practiced), the mind will drift away into judgement, mental chatter and daydreaming. This is called drifting. 

Following this, if you are practicing intently, you notice that you have drifted, perhaps wondering  how long you were gone for. 

Finally you choose to return to the object of meditation that was set at the beginning of the practice. 

These four steps are repeated over and over again in any meditation practice, regardless of how experienced a person is. The aim is to increase the time between paying attention to the present and drifting, while reducing the time between drifting and realising you’ve been drifting.

More experienced practitioners drift less frequently compared to beginners, lasting longer in bouts of concentration. This is normal and to be expected. As you continue to practice daily with consistency, increasing the duration of your practice over time, you will also begin to hold concentration for longer periods. 

It’s all about training the mind to be sharp, and keeping it that way. 

Sharpening The Mind 

Like a blade, the mind must be sharpened. A sharp mind is opposite to a scattered mind. Over time, after days or weeks of chopping meat and vegetables, a knife naturally loses its edge. One can either wait for the knife to become incredibly dull or keep up with sharpening on a daily basis, maintaining the edge for best functionality. 

They say that a blunt knife is more dangerous than a sharp one. For in being blunt it is prone to slip and disobey what it is you want it to do. Similarly, a scattered and blunt mind is dangerous, disobedient and likely to cause unnecessary suffering, conflict and struggle in our lives. 

Whenever you notice that you have been drifting away in unconscious thought, coming back to the present, the sword of your mind is sharpened a little. 

Each time you feel an impulse tempting you to divide attention, you score a point by choosing instead to resist and persist in concentration.

With each repetition your blade gets sharper, just as when you train your muscles in the gym or develop any other skill that takes practice and work. If you do not put in the reps, you will not grow and advance. 

Remember, a scattered mind does not make you a bad meditator. A scattered mind is but a signal for you to listen to and respond accordingly, coming back to your practice of meditation and reducing that which dulls the sword of the mind. 

Protecting The Sense Gateways 

Imagine taking a sharp, new knife and striking it with great force against hard, dense stones. This would rapidly dull and even damage the edge of the knife. Intense, instant gratification of the sense pleasures have the same effect on the sword of the mind. 

Protect your mind and its sharpness through refraining from and reducing intense, unnatural and sinful sense pleasuring as much as you possibly can. Adult media content, self-pleasuring, consuming junk-food and junk-content, abusing social media, excessive screen-time, drugs, alcohol and such things dull our blades. 

Anything that spikes dopamine rapidly is going to scatter (dull) the mind. Sharpening one’s blades to then only dull them through violent abuse shortly after would be considered foolish, yet so many of us do this. 

The five primary senses are gifts we have been given by our Creator. We can experience much of life’s beauty through them, yet when we allow our senses to command us through impulsive behaviour, craving and aversion, our mind becomes scattered and can not penetrate through the veil of illusion. 

What Is The Purpose Of Meditation?

A dull and scattered mind is impulsive life a dull blade. One moment you are cutting something then suddenly the knife slips, causing you to injure yourself. It is unpredictable, unreliable, and simply less effective at getting the desired job done. 

What is the job to be done? The mind’s basic functions are to perceive reality and solve problems. If the mind is scattered, blunt and neglected, it perceives reality inaccurately and attempts to solve problems through unintelligent means, often creating more problems in the process. 

You can read my previous Mastery Letter on impulsive behaviour here, which sheds a lot more light on how impulsive behaviour is dumb and unintelligent. 

When one perceives reality inaccurately this leads to unnecessary suffering. The mind is scattered, overthinking, overanalysing, indecisive, unfocused with no clear direction and has a tendency to get caught up in illusions through assumption, expectation or the attempt to control that which is out of one’s control (we will explore illusions in a future part of this series). 

Impulsive behaviour is simply unintelligent problem solving. The mind feels discomfort, unease or unpleasantness and presents potential solutions. A scattered mind seeks to solve problems as quickly as possible, regardless of whether or not that solution is effective. 

Convenience and speed are prioritised above effectiveness. A scattered, blunted mind thinks boredom, upset and mental/emotional stress are resolved through comfort eating, smoking, drugs, alcohol or other instantly gratifying behaviours. However, these poor-solutions only create more problems. 

Finding Peace & Reducing Unnecessary Suffering:

A sharp mind is both intelligent and accurate. It is able to perceive reality with clear vision, detaching from happenings and one’s personal preferences, thoughts or feelings about them, seeing reality for what it is and as it is as opposed to how one would prefer it to be. 

When it rains accept the moment for what it is, as it is. The more you wish for the moment to be different, the more miserable you become. This is called resistance which you will learn to be the root of all unnecessary suffering. 

You are fixed on your preference and blinded by it, failing to see the beauty and benefit the rain grants us and only seeing that which is unpleasant. Consider how that which you deem to be unpleasant or bad could in fact be a blessing in disguise. Only Allah knows His plan. 

Becoming Responsive vs. Reactive: 

In addition to releasing resistance and seeing reality more clearly, the sharpened mind is able to find more intelligent methods for solving problems. It is sharp enough to notice impulses arise in the moment (which are must quicker than thoughts) and not react to them but rather remaining centred and responding sensibly. 

For example, instead of becoming scattered in a heated interaction and causing unnecessary pain through emotionally reacting, one with a sharper, more trained mind can notice the impulse to react, yet not act upon it. It is in this moment that one can then take the necessary space for regaining a calm, centred state and re-engaging when ready. 

A sharper mind is less likely therefore to give in to cravings and the desire for quick fixes that usually lead to harm and pain in the long term, although they grant short term pleasure.

Focus, Concentration & Flow State:

With sharpness, one is also more able to focus and concentrate on important tasks, increasing the quality of one’s output and ensuring greater chances of success in personal and professional life. 

In the flow state, productivity and creativity are maximised. Your greatest work will be done not through thinking but rather through being. Meditation allows one to access a state of deep, focused flow which encourages the best possible levels of performance. 

This applies to all forms of activity from writing, to athletics, to driving, climbing, shooting and whatever other activity it might be that requires focus. 

I have nothing to sell you, nor am I trying to convince you that meditation is something you should be doing. However, “Is it not clear now that there is no area of life that does not benefit from a regular meditation practice?" And remember, when your mind says things like “meditation is not for me” or “I’m bad at meditation”, you’re simply missing the point. 

Patience, Gratitude & Positive Virtue:

You’re supposed to find it difficult and you’re not supposed to have laser like, cyborg concentration during your first practice. 

You must sharpen your mind over time with consistent repetition and within a few weeks you will experience the pleasantness and improvement a sharpened mind brings. Any practice that requires persistent efforts will increase you in patience. 

Patience is not to only to be ok with the slow pace of things. It is to accept things as they are, releasing resistance and giving up escape. In the next part of this series I will share more on resistance and how to let go of it.

When you learn to let go of the impulse to judge or label each moment and instead begin to witness it as it is with acceptance, you can not help but feel grateful for what is here. 

Beyond the pessimistic, negatively biased labelling the mind is so unconsciously used to operating in, the blessings of the moment become more apparent when the mind is more sharp.

One can penetrate into what was once seen as bad and draw from deep within it something that is good. 

When attention is placed here in the present moment life is experienced with greater intensity. Beauty if therefore magnified, colours and sounds are amplified making one more awe-inspired and God-conscious through the appreciation and wonder of all creation. 

There are many reasons why one might choose to make meditation an integral aspect of daily life. Some of these I am sure I do not yet know. Meditation has helped me to:

• Experience levels of inner peace I would never have considered possible
• Make better choices that I am proud of (I used to be an extreme sugar and weed addict)
• Increase general focus (especially in higher pressure situations)
• Lighten my heart with virtues like patience, gratitude, appreciation and wonder

Your First Practice

Here is your first practice. I’m going to start you off with what I suggest for any of my meditation students. This has worked well for them so I am confident it will work for you also. 

This practice is gong to be extremely simple, do not let its simplicity be mistaken for lack of utility. 

The only thing you will need for this practice is a candle and something to light the candle with. 

Let’s get started. 

Candle Flame Awareness: 

1. Sit in a comfortable posture on a cushion or on a chair. Take some moments to fidget around and get comfortable. 

2. Light your candle and place it in front of you at a distance where you can look at the flame with ease. If you’re sitting in a chair you may wish to hold the candle in your hands so that it is not too far from your gaze. 

3. Set a time for three minutes to begin with. Less is always better in the beginning, we want to minimise excuses and prioritise consistency over intensity. 

4. Rest your eyes upon the candle flame and apply what I have shared with you so far. Pay attention, to your sight, intently upon the candle, disengaging from any judgements, analysis, labelling or mental chatter. 

5. See with your eyes, not with you mind. Let your eyes be placed gently on the candle flame. Focus only on your breath and the candle. 

6. Maintain stillness of the eyes, do not react to the impulse of looking around, placing more attention on either sight or breath depending on what feels most anchoring into the present moment. 

7. You will inevitably drift off into thoughts, yet resting your eyes on one fixed point will ensure you come back to your senses quickly. When you notice that you have drifted say “drifting” in your mind, bring yourself back to the breath and the candle, knowing that you have just gained one point and sharpened the mind a little bit.

Each time you return to the present you gain a point (there is no need to count points, this is just to make your way of measuring success is sensible). Let these ‘returnings’ be your measure of success. Keep your eyes centred on the candle flame as best as you possibly can, for the eyes have a profound connection to concentration. 

“Scattered eyes, scattered mind.” - Usman Ali

8. When the timer goes off, finish your practice and more presence into your acts going forward. Do not let the practice end with the timer, let the daily-life practice begin when the timed practice ends. 

Week by week, increase the duration of your practice by two minutes or so. Trust the process and once the habit is properly established in your nervous system, you will be practicing for fifteen minutes or more every day. 

By that time, your mind will be much sharper and I will have released further letters in this series, providing you with additional techniques. 

Remember, the best time for practicing is after physical activity. Meditation is the yin to the yang of exercise. Movement followed by stillness has a profound effect. 

If you do not exercise (which you definitely should be), I recommend you still practice meditation anyway. Whatever the case, make sure to get your practice in daily. 

Note: I have noticed over the years that if meditation is not included in my morning routine, it will seldom be done later on in the day. Make meditation (best after movement) a non-negotiable component to your morning routine. If you don’t have a morning routine I suggest downloading the free habit tracker template I made recently. You can get it here. (Insert link)

I Was Obsessed

When I first began practicing meditation I became obsessed with being present in the moment. I believe that’s why I developed so quickly and learned so well. 

I did not learn from reading books or attending courses, yet the principles I learned through lectures on buddhist philosophy helped in forming the foundation of a more eastern mentality. I learned how to meditate through obsessing over being present, watching vigilantly for the drifting mind and observing myself as a study all day long. 

The number of opportunities for learning in this realm are infinite. Each and every moment is a chance for practice, however you will only have access to the opportunities you are looking for and willing to see. Sometimes you might simply prefer ignorance and unconsciousness over being present and honest with yourself. 

I am not suggesting that you obsess over being present in every moment like I did, that is not for everyone (or maybe it is for you). Just know that the more you desire to be present in your life, the more you wish to increase your self-awareness and proximity to the truth, the better your practice will become and the sharper your mind will be made. 

It’s all about the why rather than the what. If you can see how meditation improves your life after practicing for fourteen days consistently, and you taste the benefits not only in your self but in your relationships, your work, your happiness, your enjoyment of life and quality of experience, surely you will desire more. 

There is little discipline required when meditation becomes something you enjoy. Before you get there you must first try, and try again, and yet again until you taste the pleasantness of inner-peace that nothing else has brought you before.

This is one of the few cases where more is indeed better. With more presence, more peace, and more practice, you will have less anxiety, suffering and impulsive tendencies. 

Those who are greatest at what they do do not attribute their success to skill or talent but rather to an obsession with becoming the best.  Of course there is no best meditator, but there is indeed a war between the conscious and the unconscious. Play to win, or suffer more. 

Using Stabilisers

In the beginning when practicing a new skill, stabilisers are useful for initial growth and development. Just like when learning how to ride a bike, a child may use stabilising wheels as a support, allowing for the practice of pedalling without having to apply too much attention on balance. 

Similarly, in meditation we can do the same, and that is why I suggest you begin practicing with a candle. The candle is a stabiliser for your attention, it helps to keep your eyes centred on a single point with little deviation. In the beginning you might find it too difficult to manage your own attention, especially with the eye-lids closed over. 

As you begin to feel more comfortable and familiar with the practice, I would invite you to remove the candle and begin practicing with your eyes gently closed, using no stabilisers.

I must warn you of growing too dependent on crutches. This is very common in fact. The majority of people who practice meditation are using stabilisers excessively. Once the technique is grasped, it is time to let go of the supporting wheels and begin riding by yourself. 

Consider how a stabiliser serves initially as a support yet becomes a hinderance when traversing more advanced terrain. You can not explore freely and fully while using stabilisers. 

Without removing the stabilisers you can’t learn how to properly centre your attention and dissolve into the present moment similar to how one can not properly ride a bike without removing the additional learning wheels. 

Music is the main stabiliser I am referring to when regarding the practice of meditation. Many people (and maybe you also) like to create a pleasant, calm environment with relaxing music. Nature sounds are a great tool and so are healing sound frequencies, there is no doubt about that, but the danger of making these a core aspect of your practice is that without them, you are powerless and likely to excuse your practice.

“I can’t practice right now, I don’t have my music”. This is not practice, this is dependency.

The same can be for the candle, which is why I encourage you to let go of the candle after seven to fourteen days of consistent practice, moving then to the closed eye practice which is far more resourceful, effective and available anywhere, any time. 

You’ll know when you have grown dependent on a particular stabiliser when excuses are being made in moments where you do not have access to it.

The same applies for guided meditations, and even psychedelics which I have not used so much. Psychedelics sharpen rapidly sharpen the mind, allowing for penetration into deep levels of the unconscious mind. It is not you doing this through your own sharpness of mind but rather it is being done for you. 

If however you find such things useful, I will not argue with you, however I will warn you that without a regular meditation practice, familiarity with the concept of surrender and the ability to release resistance in any moment, psychedelics can lead to more harm than healing. 

Some find themselves using psychedelics like any other substance. Craving and continually going back for more, attempting to recreate an experience yet ultimately feeling disappointed, at best. 

Be mindful of which stabilisers you use and do not grow attached to them. 

To Conclude

This has been a sufficient introduction to the practice of meditation. The Master Guide to Meditation will be released in parts, so keep reading upcoming Mastery Letters and keep an eye out for the next part of this series. 

First we began by clarifying that you, I and all other people have a personal responsibility over our human faculties, with no exception for the mind and our mental health. 

If you’re suffering with a scattered, restless or chronically worried mind I do not suggest the route of prescribed meditation. If I (someone with an ADHD like mind) can become well versed in the practice and learn to concentrate intensely without pills or vice, so can you. 

You must take responsibility for what is within your control and accept that peace and virtue do not come easily, for if they did they would not be so desired. 

We defined the clear difference between the active and the passive practice. These two modes of meditation although they compliment each other, should not be confused with one another. Active meditation requires activity such as movement or some task that requires concentration and commitment. The passive practice is to be inactive, still and observant of the mind’s thoughts and judgements (not engaged in them). 

There are four components to a successful meditation practice. Paying attention, to the present, with intention, without judgement. 

There are seven primary paths to the present moment. Those being the five senses, breath and thought. One can practice meditation anywhere and any time by simply setting a clear intention to pay attention to one of these, without entertaining judgements and remaining as non-personal as possible in observation.

Drifting into unconscious thought frequently does not mean you’re a bad meditator. You must learn to measure your success not on how long concentration can be maintained, but whether or not you notice that you have drifted and how quickly you are able to return to your object of meditation. 

The primary purpose of meditation is the sharpen one’s mind and increase one’s consciousness to the point where one can detach from and move beyond one’s own limited perception. A scattered mind is both inaccurate in perception and ineffective in creating solutions. A sharpened mind however is opposite and can see reality through a much clearer lens while choosing sensible and effective responses to the challenges that life inevitably brings.

Begin your daily practice with the candle awareness technique, resting you attention on a candle flame and your breath, allowing thoughts to come and go, releasing any attempt to control thoughts but just observing them instead. 

During your practice, there are no pleasant or unpleasant thoughts, sounds, smells, tastes, sensations and sights. Only happenings that come and go, as all things do. Pleasant and pleasant preferences are dualistic labels created by the mind. These pull us away from the present and blind our perception of reality. 

Release judgement and allow happenings to flow without resistance. Pay more attention to what your eyes see or how your breath moves and feels and opposed to what your mind thinks about them.

The more you desire to remain in the present moment in and out of practice, the better you will pick up a deeper understanding on meditation and it’s purpose. Just like all things, the more serious you are about getting better, the better you will get. 

I invite you to take your meditation practice as serious as we take our prayers in islam. There are no days off. The prayers are non-negotiable. Do the same with meditation and ensure that it remains an integral part of your morning routine, for without this you will likely miss practice and fail to make time later in the day. 

Finally, use stabilisers with caution. The candle is a stabiliser for your attention and is best used only for the first initial two weeks and then on rare occasion afterwards. The same applies to music, guided meditations and the need to practice in a perfectly quiet, controlled space. 

Be weary of growing attached to and dependant on these assisting tools. Continuing to use them for too long will stunt your growth and prevent the sharpening of your concentration.

The fewer dependencies the better. Overuse of music, depending on a quiet space and relying on the candle is like playing a game on easy mode. Easy mode is for the timid. 

Dare to walk the more difficult path, for it is far more rewarding. The only control we have in this life is that over our own minds. Meditation is training for life, which continually presents us with circumstances when control is out of our hands. 

With that being said I thank you as always for reading until the end of this letter. 

May you be well, use what you have learned here to either begin or reignite your regular, daily, morning mediation practice. 

Leave excuses and commit a consistent practice. 

You’ve got this!

Keep reading so you don’t miss part 2.

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And if this was any way useful to you, take a moment to share it with somebody it might help. 

Until next time. 

Stay sharp. 

Usman

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