The Tibetan word for meditation translates roughly to “familiarize”. The project of meditation is not to achieve a certain blissful state. It’s to become conscious of our true nature and to then familiarize ourselves with it.

Usually the meditator, even if he has reached enlightenment, will still encounter situations or emotions that will trigger contraction and confusion, leading to suffering.

Familiarization allows him increasingly to avoid such regression. My teacher Loch Kelly uses the mantra: “train to remain and learn to return” to instill this intentionality in his students.