Step 11

 

Seek through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understand God, meditating with the Seven Factors of Enlightenment while we patiently remain in the moment.

 

In the original 11th step, we were instructed to pray and meditate. This step of the 12 After 12 seeks to deepen that suggestion of meditation by providing more descriptive guidelines for developing this practice. Meditation is becoming more widely acknowledged as a key component to understanding the way the mind works. As we sit with ourselves, we see more clearly own thought patterns and emotional reactions. 

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Through the act of meditation, we become increasingly more aware of who we are and the ways in which we operate. By sitting with ourselves, we are able to read our own story. With each breath and passing moment, the content of our being arises. What we do with these images, feelings, and emotions, discloses our ingrained reactionary tendencies. The longer we sit and simply witness the phenomenon of the mind, the more skillful we become at navigating these patterns. 

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In this step, it’s imperative that we acknowledge the Seven Factors of Enlightenment. Through the understanding and utilization of these seven factors we create the conditions for enlightenment to take place. By meditating with Mindfulness, Investigation, Effort, Joy, Tranquility, Concentration, and Equanimity we begin to bear witness to the ascension of our own enlightenment.