How do you eventually understand something? 

Simple, it has to be observed for a long period of time. The more it is observed, described in its patterns and habits, the more it will be understood. This is the way science has reached all it’s knowledge so far. I think, If we observed ourselves constantly in what we think, feel and do, we would achieve an understanding of ourselves, which will lead us to more control of our impulses, or even bring us to an understanding of our fate.

Another method of understanding besides observation is self-inquiry. Some questions: who is this “I” that is separate? why is the “I’ in desire of that? who is this that is telling me all these things I have to do? who is judging and why, what does it want? 

Who Am I?

I define myself as a being of complex characters molded by experience, convenience and reward that express themselves relative to intervals in time and tend to be in constant flux with each other, being drifted by inner and outer circumstance.

But words could never build me up as I am in reality, because I am just interpreting myself, observing the behavior of my mind with my mind.

It will pass

A student went to his meditation teacher and said, “My meditation is horrible! I feel so distracted, or my legs ache, or I’m constantly falling asleep. It’s just horrible!”

“It will pass,” the teacher said matter-of-factly.

A week later, the student came back to his teacher. “My meditation is wonderful! I feel so aware, so peaceful, so alive! It’s just wonderful!’

“It will pass,” the teacher replied matter-of-factly. 

Meditation and Brain

Meditation reduces anxiety and depression. Magnetic resonance imaging shows that those who regularly meditate have cortical thickening in the prefrontal cortex. This thickening is especially notable in older practitioners, who showed significantly less age-related cortical thinning than those who don’t meditate. A robust prefrontal cortex helps inhibit negative emotions generated by the limbic system, the brain’s emotional center. Functional magnetic resonance imaging shows that depressed and  anxious people tend to have overactive limbic systems. Meditation can help build strong prefrontal cortices, which in turn can help modulate an overactive limbic system. These recent findings help explain clinical observation that meditation is beneficial for treating anxiety and depression.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/513997-what-does-meditation-do-to-the-brain/#ixzz2CXU7VcLu