As a continuation of a previous post about me being a Secular Buddhist, I wanted to outline what meditation is and why it is so important to me.

So… Let’s address the first part of the question… “What is meditation about?”

Well, according to Wikipedia, meditation is defined as…

“… a practice where an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing their mind on a particular object, thought or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm state.”

Meditation is the means of stopping the never-ending chatter in my mind through being still, quiet and in the present moment.

For me, the desired result is a feeling of being more calm, relaxed and at peace with myself and the world around me.

The main point to realise with meditation is that you don’t get to your desired result straight away, you need to be patient with it. It takes a lot of consistent practise (the operative word being “consistent”) to achieve the desired result that you would be looking for.

However, there is a plus side to being patient and putting in the practise. The very act of practising meditation (whether you think you’re good at it or not) is just as important.

Giving meditation a go and integrating it in your life’s journey is its own reward.

Another great thing about meditation is that it can be practised by religious and non-religious people alike. This shows the versatile, and inclusive nature of meditation.

You see, meditation is for everyone and for an atheist like myself that is a good thing.

And now for the second part of the question… “Why is meditation so important to me?”

Well, right now, we live in a non-stop 24/7 world where no-one takes a break from it all and because of this, we have all become unwilling participants in a perpetual game of catch up to which there are no winners and no end in sight.

Meditation allows me to step off the treadmill and to take a break from the race. This encourages me to be a human “being” rather than a human “doing.” It allows me to be calmer, more relaxed, more at peace, less anxious and feel happier as a result of doing it.

We all need some time out every once in a while and meditation will give all of us that gift at any time that we choose to practise it.

With that in mind, imagine a world where everybody was calm, relaxed and at peace with themselves and with everyone else?

What kind of a world do you think we would we be living in? I don’t know about you, but it’s definitely a world I’d like to be living in

Anyways, if you’ve ever considered the possibility of meditation being a regular part of your daily life you should let me know so we can chat about it. I’d love to know your thoughts on the matter.

In the meantime, be still and enjoy the silence.

Peace,

Corey 🙂

According to renowned Zen Buddhist and interpreter of Chinese and Indian philosophies to the West, Alan Watts (1915-1973), the correlation between life and music is a closely knit and intertwining one.

Through his lectures and his vast audio archive, he was known for his ability to unravel the complexities of life for the layperson through his eloquence and humour.

A series of videos created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park were made from some of Alan’s famous audio recordings. The one I’ve included below is for one of the videos that has resonated with me the most.

It’s simply called Life and Music. Enjoy.

Some timely life lessons from Alan Watts. Let me know what you think.

Peace,

Corey 🙂

Since the mid nineties I have had a very keen interest in studying meditation. Around that time I was exposed to a number of philosophies of mainly the new age kind through the bands I was in and through the company I kept.

This created a healthy environment of wonderment and questioning about what life is about and what makes human beings (especially me as I point the finger inwards) do the things that they do.

Out of all the books I read, the people I had spoken to and the philosophies I was exposed to, it turns out that for me, Buddhism was the only thing that really made sense.

Now, there were periods of time where I was right into the study and other times where I had let it lapse but if I was ever asked what religion I adhered to, I would answer Buddhism. However, there was always one thing that confused me about Buddhism and my relationship to it.

I have never seen Buddhism as a religion but more of a method of living.

Now, some schools of Buddhism seem to have a more religious or doctrinal approach to them while others not so but all I wanted to do at the end of the day was practise this method of living without any of the superstitious or religious overtones.

It wasn’t until very recently however, that I discovered that my “Buddhism without the religion” actually has a name… Secular Buddhism.

Now when asked about my religion (mainly through other religious people who knock at my door from time to time) I can reply “I don’t have one, but I am a Secular Buddhist” (much to the amusement or confusion of the questioner). According to Wikipedia, Secular Buddhism is

“… a broad term for an emerging form of Buddhism and secular spirituality that is based on humanist, skeptical, and/or agnostic values, as well as pragmatism and (often) naturalism, rather than religious (or more specifically supernatural or paranormal) beliefs.”

It’s also referred to as Western Buddhism or Buddhist Atheism. Once I found a name for my rediscovered path, everything else just started to make sense.

Therefore, my Buddhist study would be of a secular nature and my meditation and mindfulness study would come from the disciplined Zen Buddhist tradition of Japan.

In future posts, I’ll be writing about what I discover on this particular path but in the meantime I’m just happy to “be” in this very moment.

Peace,

Corey 🙂

For anyone who is visiting this site and reading this blog for the very first time, I extend the warmest of welcomes to you.

It’s my goal to keep you coming back for more. More content about my life and the songwriting, music business and home recording components of it.

However, for those of you who have known me either personally or from afar over the years, you’ll see yet another attempt from me to start up Corey Stewart Online only to have it disappear from the internet under the guise of being “under construction” or whatever excuse I can come up with.

I’m not intending to make this post sound like a total beat up on myself however, I am telling the truth here.

I’ve stopped and started many times with my websites and with each version of Corey Stewart Online (and other blogs) created, I’ve crossed my fingers and hoped that this would be the last time that I wipe the online slate clean and start again.

So, what makes this time any different? Nothing really, but I am however, much more motivated than I have been in the past and this is the reason why.

Mara, my partner (and muse) for fifteen years and my wife for almost six, passed away on November 22nd, 2020 and from that moment on, my life irreversibly changed.

Whereas before I was a perfectionist, always willing to wipe the slate clean and start again in the hope that next time around whatever I was working on would be perfect, I am now not so hung up on perfection.

Whereas before I was a control freak, getting upset if the slightest deviation of my planned day was to be experienced, I am now not so hung up on control.

Whereas before I was ultra-competitive to the point of being jealous, not finding the joy in the success of others over my own endeavours, I am now not so hung up on competition.

And what has been the driver of this change?

It’s the fact that life is far, far too short to engage in these empty emotional activities that don’t get you anywhere except a one way ticket to misery and suffering.

As for Corey Stewart Online… Well, this blog is my way of addressing the famous quote from Socrates.

“An unexamined life is not worth living.”

Two of the main things that Mara taught me was to first of all, embrace life with both hands and secondly, to treat other the way that they would want to be treated.

She did this just by living her life and it was an absolute joy to be around her when she was in full Mara mode.

Being in full Mara mode meant that Mara was 100% in the moment, just by being herself. She knew what being her meant because she lived an examined life.

Whereas me, I was still living on autopilot.

I want to live my life in full Mara mode too which means I need to stop living on autopilot and examine, embrace and explore what it really means to be ME.

Hence starting up Corey Stewart Online again but this time I’m not coming at this from a place of ego, I’m coming at this from a place of learning… About myself.

So, if you’re a first time visitor to Corey Stewart Online and first time reader of this blog and you’re still here… Just know that there’s a lot of history attached to this site but at the end of the day, I think we’re going to get along just fine.

For those of you that know me either personally or from afar… Thank you for sticking by me and this time around, I wont let you down.

And Mara, wherever you are… The memories of you that I hold dear will not be in vain. It is now the driving force behind everything that I do.

Peace,

Corey