I’m a Buddhist monk. Meditation has given me wisdom, resilience and emotional balance

December 21 marks World Meditation Day in the U.S. To find out how the centuries-old practice can help shape your wellbeing and mindset, Amber Raiken spoke to Bhante Saranapala, a Toronto-based monk and mindfulness and meditation teacher.

Bhante Saranapala started his monastic life when he was 10 years old and has been practicing Buddhism ever since. Now 53, the Toronto-based monk leads weekly meditation sessions and monthly retreats to help others with their mental health through mindfulness.

For Saranapala, every meditation — morning and night — is guided by the Buddhist goal of Nirvana. As taught by the Buddha, Nirvana represents the highest state of enlightenment in Buddhism, marking the end of an individual’s suffering.

“Meditation has to be done based on the foundation of morality. We practice meditation to purify the mind, because our actions can be rooted in negative emotions,” he tells The Independent. “Meditation gives us the wisdom to see things as they are, and we realize the fact that everything is impermanent. We realize painful things may not be under our control.”

Although Saranapala is a practicing Buddhist, he emphasizes that anyone can follow the religion’s meditations, as long as they are done mindfully. Beyond sitting with his legs crossed, a core part of his practice is training himself to breathe slowly and silently. He explains that when life feels overwhelming — whether due to stress, grief, or depression — meditation helps prevent us from reacting impulsively.

“You are being kind to yourself. You're calming your body and mind. You're letting go of what's bothering you,” he says. “And once you remain calm and stable at the same time, it becomes contagious. Your calm presence also helps the people around you.”

Bhante Saranapala, a Buddhist monk based in Toronto, Canada, tells ‘The Independent’: ‘Meditation has to be done based on the foundation of morality’ (Courtesy of Bhante Saranapala)

California resident George Wiegand didn’t begin exploring meditation until his early thirties. Guided by his spiritual teacher, Wiegand studies Tibetan Buddhism — a branch of Mahayana Buddhism that preserves the religion’s original philosophies from India. Tibetan Buddhism also emphasizes the teachings of the Dalai Lama, which focus on kindness and compassion.

For the past 40 years, Wiegand has lived and volunteered at the Tibetan Nyingma Meditation Center in Cazadero, California, dedicating an hour each day to meditation — a practice he approaches with a deeply analytical mindset.

“There's always a mental component and learning through meditation what my contribution is to my perceptions, to my way of relating to objects, and also the things in my mind,” he tells The Independent. “The Tibetans have a tradition called calm abiding meditation, where you sit, watch, and you just let everything be, whether you are attracted to something or you’re indifferent. It leads to clear seeing of what’s actually happening in my mind and body.”

George Wiegand has been volunteering at a meditation retreat in California for 40 years (Courtesy of George Wiegand)

More Americans are putting their trust in meditation practices. According to The National Health Interview Survey, which is conducted annually by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of adults who meditated more than doubled between 2002 and 2022, from 7.5 to 17.3 percent.

As for its benefits, a 2018 study published in the journal Behavioural Brain Research, found that brief, daily meditation enhanced memory, mood, and emotional regulation in non-experienced meditators. The Mayo Clinic argues that even a few minutes of meditation a day can lessen feelings of anxiety and stress and improve your patience levels.

Saranapala says meditation helps him think more clearly, giving him a calmer mind, sharper concentration, and greater self-awareness in his daily life. He adds that he sleeps better at night and starts each day with more energy — and far less fear and anxiety.

“I have an emotional balance and no stress. I have stronger resilience,” he says. “Meditation also helped me improve my relationships because I’m listening better and communicating more mindfully. I have no resentment or hostility for anyone, and am living life with meaning and direction.”

For Saranapala, meditation doesn’t end when a session is over — it carries into every moment of the day. Whether he’s browsing a grocery store or talking with a friend, he says he tries to stay fully present, anchored in what’s happening around him. Without that mindfulness, he warns, negative thoughts can quietly slip in. Think of sitting in traffic while you’re already running late, irritation mounting at a red light — a small moment where the mind, left unchecked, can quickly spiral.

Wiegand, who’s been studying Tibetan Buddhism for 40 years, says he’s ‘found peace and happiness’ in himself because of meditation (Courtesy of George Wiegand)

“Sometimes you feel like yelling because of this, and you have no control of that. You are giving an emotional reaction to what’s happening in your environment,” he says. “With mindfulness, you have an ‘aha’ moment, and realize you were just behaving this way out of anger. The moment you notice you're angry, you can stop the anger from growing. It stops right there.”

Wiegand says meditation is often misunderstood as a feel-good self-help tool — something to smooth over mistakes before you rush back to daily life. For him, it’s the slower, more demanding work of confronting the nature of reality itself.

“When I have the tools, I don't need to look outside for happiness so much. We know either ourselves or others that have had everything that you could possibly want, and still are not happy,” he explains. “Buddhism is about looking inside for peace and happiness. We’re not trying to get anything, we’re uncovering what’s already there. We're trying to get in touch with the mind itself, with awareness itself. And it's a slow process.”