Meditation IS pleasure

I've been meditating for decades, but I have recently come to view it differently.  I now view meditation as an indulgence for the senses, a source of pleasure,  like laying on the beach, watching a campfire, or sipping hot cocoa.

I used to think of meditation as more of a task, something I did because it was good for me.  It is good for me.  There's plenty of evidence of the benefits of meditation for health, emotions, and mindfulness.  But I never thought of it as indulging myself.  The "this is good for me" thought was often so strong that it brought along with it such thoughts as, "Am I doing it right?"

Among other things, the book Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment urges readers to fill their lives with pleasures.  The author defines pleasures as activities that bring joy through the senses.  Joy through the senses.  Meditation mostly involves getting pleasure through the senses, whether one is concentrating on one's breath, a candle, music, or nature.  So meditation must also be pleasure.

As proof that even Buddha saw meditation this way, consider excerpts from the best known "sutra" (teaching) of Buddha regarding meditation on one's breath.  The following excerpts are from a translation of this sutra in the book Breathe, You Are Alive: The Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing

"Breathing in, I calm my body.  Breathing out, I calm my body. . . . Breathing in, I feel joyful . . . Breathing in, I feel happy . . . Breathing in, I liberate my mind . . ."

It's true there are other Buddhist teachings that describe meditating on one's emotions,even if the feelings are painful, even if one is grieving.  Also, other teachings suggest that, if you see a dead animal, you should seize the opportunity to meditate on your own mortality.  These meditations are helpful.  They help you work through grief and help you cherish every moment of life.  But these meditations are not pleasurable.

Most meditations, though, are pleasant.  Most of the time, you aren't grieving.  Instead, you are tuning into something gorgeous, something that--if you really manage to tune in--feels as good as any guilty pleasure.