110 Delgado Street Suite D, Santa Fe NM 87501
Freedom from racism and social injustice through the practice of meditation.
To eliminate the fear, ignorance and conditioning that fuel racism and social injustice within the individual as well as in relationships, families, communities, and the world at large.
Deep inquiry into ourselves to illuminate and heal the root beliefs that lead to racist behavior and social injustice; practice of various meditation techniques to learn to cultivate an awareness and compassion to support such internal change.
1- The Way In – Meditation
Life continually presents us with the challenges of change. The flow of life can seem difficult because even when living a mindful life, we may still have fears, such as that we will age and we will die. If we have not developed the skills to bring mind and body into harmony, it can feel impossible to see the way out of the difficulties created by life's transitions. Meditation can provide the way in, to a place of deep balance within ourselves that can support us in such challenging times.
For thousands of years meditation has helped people reduce stress and anxiety, manage anger, and mitigate physical pain. In recent years, controlled scientific studies have documented the benefits of meditation as a means to improve the quality of our lives by reducing stress and promoting healing. Meditation also helps us gain self-awareness and insight in very direct and powerful ways. Although meditation has been a part of many religious and spiritual traditions, its benefits have not generally been made readily available to certain segments of the population, such as people of color, substance abusers, and single parents. Our Institute is committed to making the benefits of meditation easily and widely accessible to people from such under-served populations.
2- The Way Through – Accepting and Loving Ourselves
Meditation practice helps us cultivate the kind of concentration and tranquility that can lead to greater insight. For example, as we develop clearer perspectives on habitual patterns that do not serve us, we also gain compassionate understanding of such behaviors, many of which are typically rooted in childhood development, family dynamics, and cultural influences. In this way, we begin to understand how we unintentionally perpetuate suffering and become motivated to change. The practice of meditation thus provides the way through and beyond our often-limited view of ourselves, allowing us to accept and love ourselves more deeply.
To encourage this process, our meditation retreats offer teachings in a supportive environment of kindness. Through practice and deep inquiry, participants gain valuable skills for processing and releasing life's difficulties. These include problem solving skills, positive parenting skills, and the ability to break addictions and reduce criminal behaviors. In this way, we work toward healing ourselves from the inside out.
3 - The Way Out – Accepting and Loving Others
Through cultivating a mindful awareness we are able to access deeper levels of wisdom and compassion. From such clarity we begin to appreciate our unity with all other beings, inspiring us to extend our compassion out toward others. This practice helps us to understand and heal the seeds of prejudice within ourselves, thereby contributing to the healing of racism and social injustice in our society. Meditation thus helps provide a way out of both personal suffering and suffering on community and global levels. As skilled meditation practitioners, we begin to exemplify the practice through our daily life, such as becoming models of wise reflection. For instance, we may recognize certain injustices and be able to consider a skillful response. A further benefit arises from our practice as feelings of joy, tranquility, and compassion begin to emanate from our character and affect those around us. The practice of meditation becomes a transformative process for self and others, one that motivates us to continue a daily practice on the path toward freedom.
"The truth is we are not yet free; we have merely achieved the freedom to be free".
— Nelson Mandela
Life Transition Meditation Center
110 Delgado Street Suite D, Santa Fe NM 87501 US, +1.5059824183
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