What Does Meditation Do?

What is the purpose of meditation? In my experience, the primary purpose of meditation is to quiet the mind. This is simple at first glance but becomes very nuanced the more you explore it. If you try to meditate or perform any activity with some degree of discomfort to it, the mind will try to convince you why you should not do this. Probably most of the time we follow this instruction without realizing it. Meditation allows you to recognize that this instruction is happening in the first place. This recognition is a very important first step along the path that meditation will lead you. When you recognize this instruction for what it is - programing designed to help you avoid discomfort you can choose to follow it, not follow it or dismiss it with your meaningful word (see How To Meditate). Quieting the mind brings forth many benefits that I will discuss in a future post.