Meditation for world peace is a tall order and we may well ask “Am I qualified to do that?” The answer is yes. The Body/Mind wants peace, balance, and order. Therefore the task for us is to have personal peace/balance. Meditation is a great way to achieve this.

You may say “I cannot meditate, when I try my mind starts to chatter, this thought comes up, that thought comes up, and I lose focus. I just can’t empty my mind.” Tibetan monks will tell you that the natural mind is constantly in motion, that is what it does. If we think outside of ourselves, we are told by these monks as well as by scientists, nothing is solid, not even the physical. There is vast space and it is not empty. Between you and the chair there is space. There is space between the monkey mind chatter.

Let’s begin with sitting up straight, head level on the spine, hands resting on the legs. Whatever thought comes to mind acknowledge it, then let it go, do not follow it. Refocus on the ’empty’ space between. Again, it is a natural process for the mind to bring up thoughts and one decompresses from a stressful day by acknowledging thought and letting go. You may also do this by focusing on the breath in two ways, and in each process acknowledge the thought and let it go. First breathe in for three to five seconds, hold for the same amount of time, then breathe out exhaling for three to five seconds. Do this for five minutes and build up to a longer time frame. Secondly, you may do the inhale/exhale breathing to the count of seven. When thoughts come in, acknowledge them and release them. Do not follow. Go back to your breathing. The more you do this the easier meditation will become. So start with three to five minutes and build up to a length that seems comfortable. Have you achieved an inner peace? Are you relaxed?

A variation on this is achieved with starting the breathing and after a time, move the focus to the heart. Within the heart, find the inner flame (heart light). Follow the pulsing light. Focus on it. Release any thoughts that appear. Do not follow them. Are you relaxed? Have you found that inner peace? Now expand that heart light throughout the body. Release the thoughts. When you come to a dark spot, organ, or other space, expand the heart light into that area until it glows. Sit in this heart light space until you are relaxed and have inner peace.

Now that you have achieved that inner peace expand it to include family or friends. With those you know who are under stress you may ask “What would it feel like if they were not under that stress, but were peaceful.” You are separating yourself while connected to them. You may use your peaceful heart light, sending it out to that friend or family member. Focus on surrounding them with the peace you feel. When thoughts come, yours or theirs, acknowledge them and release them. Do not engage or follow them. When your heart light connects with their heart light, feel it expanding into all areas of the family member’s or friend’s body. You are able to distinguish your energies from theirs with detachment, and you will not take on their stresses, but will share peace.

What about world peace? That is a larger issue. There are many things going on in the world. Issues of all sizes and conflicts are occurring every second. Considering that there are seven billion people in the world today, hundreds of different countries, and different cultural and religious beliefs, it may seem an impossible task to focus one’s meditation on. Don’t go there. What are the issues, the conflicts? As with the other meditations, ask what world peace would feel like. When you have that feeling or response hold on to it, remember it.

Find your inner peace through the process you have developed. Connect with the family/friends grid, then move out to the world grid. Remember to acknowledge and release all thoughts. Do not hold on to or follow them. Remain focused on world peace. Focus on your heart light, open your chest and release it into the world grid that you have created. Again, release all thoughts and fill all the dark spaces with your detached heart light, connecting energetically with seven billion heart lights. Now remember the question you asked yourself, ‘What would world peace feel like’? When you recognize that feeling, do not analyze it. Is it real? Am I there? Just acknowledge the feeling, relax into it, and let it be. Hold this feeling as long as you are led to, then release that energy of peace and detach from it.

There are many levels of meditation and many variations. This is one way you can expand on this process.