Skilful Mental States: The Benefits of Meditation

It came to me recently that I hadn’t actually written a down-the-middle article on the benefits of meditation yet. I reflected that I had thought of it, but passed on the idea because I am conscious that everybody else has already done one, so why bother rewriting the wheel, so to speak? However, I am also currently working on a members area for Meditate with Fletch, and an article like this would be a good resource for meditators of all levels. So I thought why not, it’s about time. But of course I also wanted to write something a bit different… 

The thing is, there are a bunch of different outcomes of daily meditation and these are very varied, and importantly, are extremely practitioner-specific. The effect one method of meditation has on one person can be dramatically different to the same method on another person. This is because the emotional and mental baggage that one person brings to meditation is entirely different to what the next person brings, so the outcomes will naturally be different. It's all about the difference in the stories we tell ourselves–mine is different to yours, which is different to the next person. So while I could list the beneficial outcomes of meditation and write a paragraph on each (like those listed in the slide below from my course), this sort of information isn’t always that useful, and can just feel like a regurgitation of something already written somewhere else. There will be no exam at the end of this, so I see no need to lecture as if there was. 

What is perhaps more interesting (and maybe more enlightening) is to think about meditation not as a linear process that achieves X, Y and Z results, but as a fundamental shifting of our frame of reference and way of approaching the world–a shifting from what we call “unskilful” to “skilful mental states". This shifting is what opens the Pandora’s box of possible mental, emotional, physical and spiritual outcomes of regular practice. I would even argue that to understand meditation in this way is actually the point of it–it’s a view that itself encourages the kind of opening to experience that meditation promotes. It’s not about prescribing outcomes, it’s about allowing practitioner-specific personal development to unfold. Contrast this with reading a list and setting up the expectation of a result, which is of course an act of pulling the rug out from under your own feet–expectation, after all, is the arch enemy of meditation. 

So I want to use this article as a way of exploring a few skilful mental states and showing the pathway by which they act. But before we dive into that, let’s define exactly what a skilful mental state is. A skilful mental state is any state of mind or mental event, like a view, emotion, feeling or thought that sets up positive outcomes for the holder. Specifically, in a Buddhist context, it's any state of mind that leads toward liberation (enlightenment) through insight, awareness and the shedding of mistaken views that keep one stuck in the cycles of suffering. An unskilful mental state does the opposite and keeps us bound to our mistaken views, beliefs and actions, and so bound to repeat our pain-generating mistakes over and over, potentially for lifetimes. Ever wondered why you keep making the same mistake over and over? You’re stuck in an unskilful mental state.

We need to understand that at every point in our life, every moment, we are employing a skilful or unskilful reference point, and this has a result of either pushing us toward liberation–and so a complete vanquishing of all emotional, mental and spiritual pain–or away from it. Contrast anger (unskilful) with acceptance (skilful), the different outcomes of taking these attitudes around with us are obvious. 

What’s important to reflect on here is that you are in control. The Buddha famously said, “Experience is preceded by mind, produced by mind and led by mind”. What this means is that you are in control of your life through the state of your own mind. If you are angry that will be reflected back at you. If you are forgiving, that attitude will lead your experience of the world. We like to play victim and think that life is happening to us, but actually, we are not innocent bystanders when it comes to the mess that surrounds us–we made it by dwelling in unskilful mental states. Of course, this also means we have the power to change it, and this comes through the mastery of mind that meditation promotes. 

Some benefits of meditation, for the exam later...

Skilful Mental States

Concentration

The first skilful mental state we should explore is that of concentration, one-pointedness. Concentration (Samadhi in Pali) is trained through practices that employ focussed attention, such as the Mindfulness of Breathing (Anapanasati) exercise, and is the skilful mental state that results in many of the positive physical health outcomes in the slide above. During samadhi meditation we focus on a single focal point, such as our breath or a mantra and simply try to experience it without any judgement or expectation. When we deviate we refocus and try again. The ‘goal’, if there is one, is to stay focussed on the thing for longer and longer, thereby developing our capacity for concentration. 

The immediate result of greater concentration is less distraction, and the byproduct of less distraction is less stress and anxiety. Because our attention isn’t being constantly tugged away we become less affected by the storms around us, so less stressed. Concentration is the antidote to stress, and a reduction of stress is the precursor to the laundry list of possible positive physical health outcomes of meditation. 

When we are stressed, cortisol and adrenaline are released into the blood stream, and these hormones are implicated in a host of undesirable health consequences. Getting our stress under control can have huge benefits for our lives. Reducing stress:

• Lowers blood pressure and reduces resting heart rate (so improves cardiovascular health and reduces risk of cardiovascular disease).

• Lowers inflammation. Cortisol and adrenaline are both inflammatory and chronic inflammation is implicated in arthritis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, some cancers, Alzheimer’s disease & cognitive decline, irritable bowel syndrome and even depression, to name a few.

• Allows better immune function. Those hormones also suppress our immune response. It’s even been shown that meditators have significantly stronger flu vaccine responses than non-meditators

• Improves sleep! 

• Reduces muscle tension and chronic pain. Meditation has been shown to be a more effective pain relief than opioids in some cases. 

• Improves respiratory function through encouraging deeper and longer breathing. 

• Slows aging by increasing telomerase activity. Telomerase is an enzyme associated with longer life–it allows cells to continually replicate. Our friend, stress and its hormones, is again the culprit.

Sounds pretty good, right? Who would have thought so many benefits could come from just concentrating more? Every one of those bullet points has at least one peer-reviewed scientific study that backs it up.   

Presence

The next skilful mental state to explore is that of awareness or presence (Sati in Pali), now synonymous with mindfulness itself. Any meditation that focuses on direct, in-the-moment experience, such as bodily sensations, trains us to be present. Of course, we tend to think that we are already present all the time. What do you mean by not present, Fletch? Well, when was the last time you forgot where you put your keys, or phone? Or when was the last time you were surprised how long you just spent scrolling on your phone? Or when did you last get into a big argument that you really didn't want to? These are all examples of being not present. Don’t remember? Point proven. I would suggest that most of us spend around 99% of our waking moments on autopilot, not present, just being a passenger in our own lives.

The shift from non-presence to presence is a seismic one, and can result in massive steps forward in our journey to liberation.  When we are present we generate self-awareness and we see more clearly how we are thinking and acting. This self-awareness encourages personal growth by helping us to see why we are the way we are. When we see our mistaken behaviours, views and beliefs we can’t help but want to change them, it’s only human. This deep seeing brings new understanding, and this will eventually lead to acceptance. Acceptance equals letting go, and letting go is crucial for any sort of emotional or spiritual progression because the spiritual path–the path of personal development–is actually a path of shedding our baggage. Self awareness equals growth. It’s inevitable.   

Presence is also the key to the neuroplasticity we so desire for things like reducing addictive behaviours and the self-critical thoughts often associated with depression. By becoming acquainted with our tendencies and triggers (because we see them more clearly) and by training equanimity (non-reactivity) towards them, we allow earlier upstream control of our actions because see ourselves being triggered before it even happens. This seeing allows us to control our circumstances and how we feel by taking ourselves away from the trigger.

Now remember that cycle of suffering I referenced earlier? This is a cycle of action-reaction, and it’s a cycle of non-presence that is reinforced by non-presence. The Buddhists say it’s a cycle that is destined to continue for innumerous lifetimes until you finally wake up. The beautiful thing is that when we abide in the antidote–presence–there is no action possible that does not free us of this cycle. I’ll repeat that because it’s important. When we are present, there is no action that we are capable of making that does not lead to our liberation. When we are present it is impossible to make a mistake. Thich Nhat Hanh has a wonderful passage in this book The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching that I always read during session one of my six week course: 

“When we are mindful, touching deeply the present moment, the fruits are always [emphasis added] understanding, acceptance, love and the desire to relieve suffering and bring joy.”

Skilful action is always in the present moment. All non-present thoughts and actions are, dramatically or acutely, unskilful. 

And here’s my opportunity for a side story that demonstrates another outcome of greater presence… When I started daily meditation the first result I noticed outside of the immediate release from depression during my practice was increased memory. It took about three months but it was very noticeable. It was the early days of working on Ichiban (my boat and house) in a yard in Te Atatu, West Auckland. I had tools laying around everywhere. Like anyone who has misplaced their keys, I often searched for impact drivers, screws and pieces of boat that I knew I had put down somewhere but wasn’t sure where. We all know the feeling. It was so strange, I remember it vividly, one day I just stopped losing things. I didn’t feel like any change had occurred, but it obviously had, and I very seldom lose things these days. I put it down to being more aware of the things that I was doing as I was doing them and being more present in my body and in my eyes when I would put things down. It was such a simple shift but it had huge impacts on my life. I have a lot of confidence in my memory these days.  

Metta

The last skilful mental state that I’d like to explore here can be broadly characterised as Metta. Metta, in this sense, is a word that represents the most fundamental positive feeling, and is the most fundamental skilful mental state. All other liberation-provoking mental states–happiness, joy, compassion, gratitude, forgiveness, love, etc–stem from Metta. When we are present and expressing all the good things that Thich Nhat Hanh talked about above, we are expressing Metta–our capacity to care, love and cherish our existence. We train Metta by practicing the Metta Bhavana (Loving-Kindness meditation) and by doing this, we increase our capacity to express these helpful states of mind. Practicing Metta can be thought of as increasing the amplitude of our mindful response. And of course, if you’re putting out more love, more gratitude, more joy into the world, the results will be directed straight back at you. 

   

Metta, it is also taught, is one of the constituents of fundamental reality. We won’t open that full can of worms right now, but suffice to say that the reality you perceive as true in everyday waking life, according to Buddhism, is a complete fabrication–a re-presentation of the true nature of reality as conceived through the limited lens that the identification with Self imposes on our perception. As I say, unpacking all that might need a whole blog post in itself, but the Buddha, and those who have achieved sublime liberation after him, have taught that Metta, love, is one of the few things that is still present in experience once all the shedding of baggage has been done. When people like Paul McCartney (most likely psychedelically inspired, of course - there’s another post in that too) say things like “All you need is love”, this is an arrow pointing directly to what the Buddha taught. I now like to think of practicing Metta as aligning oneself to the true nature of the universe, and this greater alignment allows for–or even demands–higher expression of the qualities of Metta, thereby reducing intra- and interpersonal suffering in the world. 

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So where does all this leave us? If you were hoping for a tidy bullet-point list of meditation’s benefits, I’m sorry-not-sorry to disappoint. The truth is much more dynamic, and in actuality, these three skilful mental states–concentration, presence, and Metta–are all part of each other and reinforce each other in their own right. Concentration strengthens presence by quieting the noise. Presence deepens concentration by returning us, again and again, to our direct experience. Metta arises naturally when we are truly present and unscattered, and in turn, it softens our disposition, making both presence and concentration easier to access. Skilful mental states, because they are leading to liberation, will amplify each other in a snowball of positive reinforcement. 

Bear in mind also, these three skilful mental states are not the exhaustive list. It's starts to get dense when we talk about the one hundred and something skilful and 50-odd unskilful mental states. Once again, see my slide below (and forgive me for not attempting the thesis on this post).

Maybe the most important thing to understand about the benefits of meditation is that they don’t arrive in neat packages or on predictable timelines. They emerge from a shift in the way we relate to life, and that shift depends on a lot of things, including your baggage, your effort, your perspective, and the other elements of your story. You don’t meditate to become calm, or to be less anxious, or to sleep better–though those things might happen. You meditate to change the reference point of your experience, and when that changes, everything else follows. 

So when coming to meditation it doesn’t actually make much sense to ask, “What do I get from it?” All this question does is set up an expectation, and expectation is a trap that will ensnare you in suffering. It's better to ask, “What can I become?” This question encourages the shedding of mistaken views and unskilful mental states, and allows the unfolding of a deeper, richer and more peaceful way of being.

Some skilful mental states and what they lead to.

Further reading if you want cold, hard facts...

• Black, D. S., Slavich, G. M., & Wirth, M. M. (2015). Mindfulness meditation and the immune system: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1373(1), 13–24. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.12998

• Bower, J. E., & Irwin, M. R. (2016). Mind–body therapies and control of inflammatory biology: A descriptive review. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 51, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2015.06.012

• Creswell, J. D., Lindsay, E. K., Villalba, D. K., & Chin, B. (2019). Mindfulness training and physical health: Mechanisms and outcomes. Psychosomatic Medicine, 81(3), 224–232. https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000000675

• Davidson, R. J., Kabat-Zinn, J., Schumacher, J., et al. (2003). Alterations in brain and immune function produced by mindfulness meditation. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65(4), 564–570. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.PSY.0000077505.67574.E3

• Epel, E., Daubenmier, J., Moskowitz, J. T., Folkman, S., & Blackburn, E. (2009). Can meditation slow rate of cellular aging? Cognitive stress, mindfulness, and telomeres. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1172(1), 34–53. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04414.x

• Goyal, M., Singh, S., Sibinga, E. M. S., et al. (2014). Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Internal Medicine, 174(3), 357–368. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.13018

• Hoge, E. A., Bui, E., Marques, L., et al. (2013). Randomized controlled trial of mindfulness meditation for generalized anxiety disorder: Effects on anxiety and stress reactivity. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 74(8), 786–792. https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.12m08083

• Jacobs, T. L., Epel, E. S., Lin, J., et al. (2011). Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 36(5), 664–681. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2010.09.010

• Kwak, S. G., Choi, J. Y., Jung, H. S., & Lee, J. H. (2022). Effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction for physical and psychological health in patients with chronic diseases: A meta-analysis. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 46, 101512. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2022.101512

• Lengacher, C. A., Reich, R. R., Paterson, C. L., et al. (2016). The effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on objective and subjective sleep parameters in women with breast cancer: A randomized controlled trial. Psycho-Oncology, 25(10), 1197–1205. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.3966

• MacCoon, D. G., MacLean, K. A., Davidson, R. J., et al. (2012). The effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on sleep disturbance: A systematic review. Explore, 8(4), 237–242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2012.06.001

• Marshall, R. S., Agarwal, R., & Dugas, L. R. (2023). Mindfulness meditation and cardiovascular health: A review of recent literature. Current Cardiology Reports, 25(2), 18–25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11886-023-01773-z

• Morone, N. E., Greco, C. M., & Weiner, D. K. (2008). Mindfulness meditation for the treatment of chronic low back pain in older adults: A randomized controlled pilot study. Pain, 134(3), 310–319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pain.2007.04.038

• Pace, T. W. W., Negi, L. T., Adame, D. D., et al. (2009). Effect of compassion meditation on neuroendocrine, innate immune and behavioral responses to psychosocial stress. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 34(1), 87–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2008.08.011

• Rosenkranz, M. A., Davidson, R. J., MacCoon, D. G., et al. (2013). A comparison of mindfulness-based stress reduction and an active control in modulation of neurogenic inflammation. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 27(1), 174–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2012.10.013

• Schellenberg, M. E., Dewald-Kaufmann, J. F., & Groeger, J. A. (2021). Mindfulness meditation and objective measures of sleep: A meta-analytic review. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 55, 101379. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2020.101379

• Tolahunase, M., Sagar, R., & Dada, R. (2017). Impact of yoga and meditation on cellular aging in apparently healthy individuals: A prospective, open-label single-arm exploratory study. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, 2017, 7928981. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/7928981