Progress
How can we tell if we are making progress along this path of meditation?
We are quick to judge our experiences, and there is no need for me to encourage this. You and I must make a continual effort to stop labeling what happens as 'good' or 'bad', especially when we give ourselves the space and time (such as during formal meditation practice) to apply this effort. There are no 'good' or 'bad' experiences or thoughts that come up during meditation, or any other time. There is no right or wrong way to feel.
It is how we meet these thoughts and feelings that matters most: Mindfulness allows us to witness, as well as experience, whatever comes up, without grasping on to it and without sending it packing. We observe, and partake, without getting caught in the undertow.
The real measure of progress in meditation is not what happens on the cushion, but what happens off the cushion. Two or three weeks is not enough to make a huge difference, but over the years, we can look back and ask, "Have I become kinder, gentler, wiser? Has this process made me a better person? Am I happier, in the true sense of selfless joy?"
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