Tuesday, May 12 2026

Tuesday, May 12 2026

Did you know that an experience repeated over and over again changes and reshapes our brain? That’s what a ballerina or a pianist or an Olympic swimmer does. Practice. Practice. Practice. Brain rewires itself in response to anything that is practiced over and over again. This is called “neuroplasticity.” Such an experience expands parts of brain and leaves lingering neural marks on it. 

Previously “neuroplasticity” was thought to occur only in children. In 1990’s intensive research showed that adult brain can also rewire itself. This finding challenged a long-standing dogma. The new discovery offered a scientific basis for how repeated training could create lasting mental traits in any field including contemplative practices such as meditation.

The aim of our Meditation and Journaling Practice is to cultivate wholesome mental states and weaken unwholesome ones. And also to develop insights into the nature of consciousness by observing the mind directly and repeatedly. In doing so we eliminate the unhealthy habits such as greed, hatred, jealousy, sluggishness and self-centeredness. Eventually they are replaced by healthy mental states such as awareness, self-compassion, kindness and wisdom. 

While immersed in one-pointed concentration (as in meditation) or changing unwholesome feelings and thoughts into words (as in journaling), our unhealthy states are cleared but they can emerge as strong as ever when the practice is stopped. In addition, when repeated practice is stabilized it gives us confidence, clears the mind and opens the heart.  “The true mark of a meditator is that they have disciplined their mind by freeing it from negative emotions,” says the Dalai Lama, “What matters is not the joyous and peaceful highs on our path but who we live our daily lives.”