When a public middle school in San Francisco
implemented meditation time, truancy and suspension rates went down,
college admission rates went up, and the most incredible thing is that the
number of students there feeling “happy” became the highest in the city. Even
though this school is incredibly rough, and exists in a world where bullets fly
on a daily basis, after providing 15 minutes of Quiet Time twice every day, a
variety of changes became apparent, and now their attendance rate has gone up
to 98%.
Following their example and having trialed offering
meditation time, neighbouring schools have had similar results!
Only in the hippie mecca of California can you throw
around a word like “meditation” in a public school, which has the principle of
the separation of church and state. But, if you look at their pamphlets that
say “Please feel completely free to try implementing this in your school”, they
say QT is ok even without meditation. They can quietly
read a book, or draw – there's no compulsion to “meditate”. But, twice a day at
school, they enter into silence, separate from the usual hustle and bustle and
share in that quiet time. Phones, txts, music, videos...they stop everything
and both teachers and students quietly turn to face themselves.
The various effects of meditation
are being scientifically proven. Wouldn't it be great to make it a daily habit
starting from when we're kids? I've been meditating for about 15 years now, but
if I’d been doing it with other kids, like at this school, my life might have
been different... But, even if you're a grown-up, it's not too late!
My meditation is about deepening my connection with
the Heavens (the universe, God, Buddha, a higher power). Thanks to just 15
minutes of meditation in the morning and at night, little by little, my fears
have been melting away. What I’m really grateful for is that, despite
everything that happens in life, I can feel that “no matter what happens, it's
ok”. Even in situations
where my brain tells me things are not ok, at the depths of my soul, I feel –
no, it is ok. There’s no rational explanation, but an inner knowing, for which
I am grateful.
When you're at peace, your intuition gets sharper and
your capabilities and creativity shine through better. It's time where the
ability to receive unforeseen insights fills the quiet calm. For those middle
school students in San Francisco, perhaps it’s because their anxiety abated and
the power that they’d had all along then sprang forth that their attendance and
their grades both went up. Meditation stills feelings of anxiousness and brings
us peace. One high school student recalled that before he started
meditation, he was always angry and he would be picking fights, not caring
about anyone. But now he's mellowed out so much, that he gets told by his
friends that the guy he was then, he's a different person.
With 30 minutes of meditation a day, students will
change, schools will change, society will change. Anyone anywhere can do it.
You don't need any tools and it doesn't cost a thing. Meditation time is a gift
from Heaven, given to all of us equally. May the day soon come when the
children of the world can receive this gift.
[You can find the original post 「瞑想の時間」という贈り物 here.]
