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We do not practice meditation to gain admiration from anyone. Rather, we practice to contribute to peace in the world.

Sayadaw U Pandita, In This Very Life (page 1, first sentence)

How does meditation contribute to peace in the world?

Peace in the world begins within ourselves, not outside of us. Peace and tranquility within ourselves begin with the weakening of three very basic, reactive forces in the mind: attraction, rejection and distortion – also known as desire, hatred and delusion or stupidity. We want things, we don’t want them or we ‘think something of it.’

This weakening, thanks to meditation, creates space in the mind. Space that allows us to make choices in our speaking and acting. We can increasingly allow our speech and actions to be governed by the rational consideration: what I do not want done to me, I will not do to another.

That is morality. Meditation, inner growth, gives our speaking and acting an elementary moral basis. Morality is not a pious religious or political talk that we allow to be dictated to us. It comes from within. In moral behavior our connection with other beings manifests itself.

The most important external factor in this inner growth is good friendship, with someone who is showing the way.

The Buddha (623 – 543 BC) was such a good friend, Mahasi Sayadaw (1904 – 1982) was such a good friend, Sayadaw U Pandita (1921 – 2016) was such a good friend, his senior students (m/f) are such good friends.

Going this way inward, we are able to become our own best friend (m/f). Then we are able to inspire others and to share our purity with them. Starting with ourselves in such a way, we can contribute to peace in the world.

A warm welcome on this website!