The Inconsistent Nature of Meditation Retreats

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This chapter discusses the speaker's personal experiences with meditation retreats and the unpredictable outcomes of the practice. They explore the lack of consistent benefits from various retreats and the influence of personal issues and external environment on meditation. The chapter also delves into the pros and cons of having goals in meditation.

What's a good definition of meditation that cuts through all the dogma and differing methodology? What are the techniques, skills, and insights associated with meditation? How does meditation connect to religion and spirituality, and is meditation valuable without those components? And what is enlightenment?

Jeremy hails from Adelaide, Australia, and has a PhD in clinical psychology with a dissertation focused on the effects of self-compassion on social anxiety. During his PhD he became intensely interested in meditation, sitting several shorter retreats which eventually culminated in sitting longer retreats, including a 3-month retreat in Nepal. He is now working as a clinical psychology registrar as well as doing research work for both Flinders University and Spark Wave. His current meditation interest is the perplexing skill of nondual mindfulness. Email Jeremy at jeremy.david.stevenson@gmail.com.

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