Transforming Your Personality through Meditation: A Long-term Process

While meditation can indeed help improve your personality, it is important to understand that this is a gradual and long-term process. It may take up to 15 years or more to start noticing significant changes. This is because meditation involves rewiring the brain, altering established thought patterns and habits that have accumulated over a lifetime.

The Goal of Meditation: Replacing Old Habits with New Ones

The primary goal of meditation is not to achieve instant focus but to develop a new habit of bringing your focus back to the present moment whenever it wanders. In the early stages, it is common for the mind to wander most of the time. However, as you practice, you will begin to notice when your thoughts drift and gently bring your focus back. The key is not to be frustrated by these wandering thoughts but to be pleased that you noticed and brought your focus back, even temporarily.

[Bhante Sathi's Perspective]

“The practice of meditation is about creating a new habit of pulling your focus back and being pleased when you notice this and bring it back. Over time, this new habit will replace old habitual patterns of mind wandering. The brain is a powerful tool, and through consistent effort, we can train it to function in more beneficial ways.”

Meditation and Personal Transformation

Buddha himself described the benefits of meditation as profound and transformative. He stated, ‘I have gained nothing, but I have lost anger, anxiety, depression, insecurity, and the fear of old age and death. ’ Meditation is not just about achieving temporary fixes but is a journey towards personal transformation. This transformation affects your character deeply, making you more aware of your own thoughts, words, and actions.

Meditation enhances self-awareness and self-control, which in turn improve your personality. As you practice mindfulness, you begin to see your own arrogance and antagonism fade away. Your mind becomes still, and your life begins to smooth out. Meditation helps reduce tension, fear, and worry, and slowly but surely, it moderates passion and restlessness, leading to a more harmonious and fulfilling life.

Understanding the Benefits of Meditation

Meditation sharpens not only your concentration and thinking but also your intuition and thought precision. As you delve deeper into the practice, you begin to understand the underlying motives and mechanics of your subconscious. This heightened awareness leads to a clearer, more direct understanding of the world around you, free from prejudice and illusion. Such profound insights can be life-changing and are only truly appreciated by those who experience them for themselves.

In “Mindfulness in Plain English,” Venerable H. Gunaratana Mahathera explains that the true value of meditation lies in personal transformation. The person who goes into a meditation session is not the same person who emerges. The practice sensitizes you, making you deeply aware of your own thoughts, words, and deeds.

While the benefits of meditation are numerous, they are not always immediate. It takes time to reveal their full potential. However, the journey itself is rewarding. By learning to meditate properly and committing to the practice, you can see for yourself the changes that meditation can bring to your personality and well-being. The promise of a smoother and more peaceful life through meditation is worth the effort if you are willing to embark on this transformative journey.