Meditation is not relaxation but a systematic training of citta's fundamental capacities — attention, stability, clarity, and the ability to observe without reacting. Different practices produce measurably different effects: focused attention strengthens the capacity for sustained concentration, open monitoring develops meta-awareness, and loving-kindness extends the radius of care. The changes are not merely experiential but structural: the mind that meditates consistently is a different instrument than the one that does not.
Patan