On the surface, meditation is so simple, but somehow through that simplicity a lot of learning happens • we notice how our minds work, how we operate • it’s like inviting a mirror to help us see our potentials and our challenges much more clearly • meditation is like pure science: it is simply investigating without an agenda • post-meditation is like applied science: it is taking what we’ve learned in meditation, mixing it with our daily life, and seeing what comes back at us • at a fundamental level meditation is about coming back into balance and harmony • when our minds are confused and distracted, we lose our balance at every level — physical, mental and emotional • an unbalanced mind is either too wishy-washy or too frozen and fixed; it is marked by anxiety, heaviness, solidity, and inflexibility • through the practice of meditation our minds are brought back into balance • a balanced mind is not too firm or too soft; it is marked by harmony, agility, honesty, sincerity, and confidence • by cultivating the ability to notice when our minds go off in an unbalanced way, we are also cultivating the ability to bring our minds back to the present moment experience, which is what meditation is all about