Does Meditation Really Alleviate Suffering?

[EDITED TRANSCRIPT OF THE VIDEO TALK “DOES MEDITATION REALLY ALLEVIATE SUFFERING?” JANUARY 17, 2026]

[VIDEO AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rkAxKQL-Gg]

[VIDEO AVAILABLE ON THE CONSCIOUS PATHWAYS WEBSITE RESOURCE LIBRARY: https://www.consciouspathways.net/latest]

Hello there. Welcome. Happy 2026. Happy New Year. So, the New Year is beginning. Maybe you've returned back from holidays. Maybe you've had a great vacation. Maybe you're ready to get back into work. You're ready to get back into the swing of things into life. Maybe you're not. Maybe you're looking forward to this year and all the things it's going to bring. Maybe you're not. Maybe you're happy with where your life is right now and very content and satisfied. Maybe you're not.

In this talk, I'd like to discuss something that maybe you haven't been exposed to, if you like, about meditation. You see, often meditation is presented as a cure all, as a quick fix, as something that really works to alleviate suffering. So, what we're going to look at in this talk today is “Does meditation really alleviate suffering?”

In these talks, I like to bring you practical information, things that I've learned over the many years that I've studied Comparative Religion and also in my own meditation practice. Practical advice. practical advice that you could find useful, and I hope you do.

So, does meditation alleviate suffering? Why don't we start with a story? You know, stories are a really great way to let the truth of something sink in. They're one step removed from our life. So, we can hear the truth in the story and then we can apply it to our life if we wish. So, here's the story. I'll keep it very simple.

“Once there was a man who was a prince. He was born into a life of privilege and wealth and comfort and beauty. The father of this prince said to the prince's attendants, "My son must never see outside the palace compound. Never let him out of the palace compound. He must not see old age, sickness, death, suffering. I do not wish this for my son. So, do not let him outside the palace compound, which is full of beauty and wealth and privilege. Somehow, the prince managed to get out of the palace compound and he saw the reality of suffering, death, old age, poverty, misery. And during that short time, he decided, ‘I want to find a way out of suffering. And I want to help others find a way out of suffering, too.’ And so, he went back to the palace compound for a very short time and then he left it completely and dedicated years of his life to the process of meditation and realization. This prince's name was Siddhartha, and he later became known as the Buddha, as the enlightened one.”

Sit with it for a moment. Let it sink in. So, suffering. Suffering. Can meditation alleviate suffering? The short answer from my years of meditation and my own life, if I'm being 100% authentic and honest with you—which is what I will always strive to do in these talks—the short answer is “No.” Meditation will not alleviate suffering. There will still be difficulties. This may be the death of a loved one. It could be problems with alcohol or drugs. It could be relationship issues. It could be an accident. It could be an extended illness. It could be any number of things. But the reality of life is that these things happen. And so, the minute we want our life to be easy and smooth and free of those things, that in itself is suffering.

So, meditation in itself cannot alleviate the suffering that happens here. But what it can do is it can help us navigate these sufferings a little easier. Let me give you an example. Let's say you're anxious. You have anxiety. You feel you don't measure up somehow. And there's this rising sense of dread and panic that comes up as a result. I've had this in my own life from time to time. When this dread comes up, when this fear comes up, when this not feeling good enough comes up, just take a moment. Just pause for a moment. Breathe with me now. Just breathe in. And breathe out. And breathe in. And breathe out. And breathe in. and breathe out. Just let yourself settle. Let yourself settle.

The mind is meant to be busy. And believe me, nowadays the mind is so busy! Social media, or turn on the news, look at what's happening in the world. The mind is so busy. But by just stopping and following the breath, which is a traditional spiritual practice in many of the world's meditation traditions, if you just follow the breath, the technique of watching your breath without doing anything to it, just watching as it comes in and as it goes out, as it comes in and as it goes out, it will tell you much about your inner world.

If the breath is like this, choppy and short, there's likely to be stress, excitement, or anxiety. If the breath is like this, exhalation more than inhalation, it's likely that you're drawn out to the senses: you're drawn out to the outside world. If the breath is more like this, more inhalation than exhalation, it's likely that your awareness is drawn inward: drawn inward to your inner world rather than the external world. If the breath is like this, even—even inhalation, even exhalation— it's likely that you're in a space of equanimity. So, watch the breath and let it teach you about what your state is at any given time.

Now, how does this relate to suffering? Well, when we watch the breath, we come into equanimity. It naturally happens. I could read you scripture after scripture on the breath. There are thousands and thousands and thousands of words in the scriptures about the breath. But remember that scriptures are about your experience. They're about your inner experience. So why not experience it directly? Why not go directly to your breath? And sure, if you want to read the scriptures or study it, fine. But start with your own internal experience. The breath has much to teach you.

Let me give you an example. Quite some time ago, my father was seriously ill. I found out when I was living in an ashram in India, and I just got there and I got a phone call and it was from my brother and he said, “If you want to see dad alive again you should probably get on a plane.” So, I made the necessary arrangements and I flew from India to New Zealand. And then when I got off the plane, I said to my family, "Take me to the hospital." And I went to the intensive care unit where my father was. And I sat next to his bed and I observed the breath. Did it alleviate the suffering that was going on then? Not necessarily. No. But did it open up presence, equanimity? Stillness to make things easier? Yes, it did. Yes, it did for me, and I hope for my dad and for the other people around all going through their own suffering.

Now my dad pulled through that time and then later there were a lot more health journeys with him. But the reason I'm sharing that story with you is whenever you're going through difficulties—say you might be having trouble in your relationship, in your job, there might be stuff going on for you, you might be struggling with alcohol or some sort of substance, you might have received some very bad news—whatever goes on for you, understand the breath is always there for you. It's always there. It's been there from the beginning. It'll be with you to the end. So, just remember to breathe. But not only that, remember to be aware of your breathing. Be aware of your breathing. Let's breathe again. Just be aware of your breath. Settle into the breath a little bit. Settle into the breath. and continue to be aware of your breath for the rest of this talk. Just be aware of your breath.

You know, I remember maybe a few years ago I was working with this lady teaching her meditation and I recommended to her breath awareness, and the next time we met she said, "Oh, it's so easy. Are you going to give me some more of that really easy breath awareness?" And I kind of chuckled to myself because breath awareness is actually a huge spiritual practice, which can take you very deep into your own being, and it takes some time. So, I looked at her and I said, "Well, I'll give you the practice as long as you understand that it might be simple, it might be easy, but it's also incredibly powerful. It can take you deep within yourself; so, whenever there's suffering, you can take a step back, or you can be present, or you can offer your best to the situation.

Often the most powerful teachings are the most simple. You don't have to have some pristine holy person in front of you telling you how special a practice is. The breath is yours. It belongs to you. It's always been with you. And the good news is that it's incredibly powerful, incredibly beneficial. All you have to do is turn to it. And if you forget, that's okay. When you forget, remind yourself to remember. And then just become aware of the breath again as it goes in and as it goes out.

So, breath, meditation, suffering. Can meditation alleviate suffering? Suffering is part of being here. It's part of being a human being. It's part of the mystery. It's part of the majesty, if you like, of being alive. It's part of it. Is it easy? No. No. Should we try and run from it and escape it? Well, we could try, but in my own experience, that will be kind of futile because it's part of our life. Suffering is there. But can meditation help us navigate skilfully life, including all the sufferings that come with it, and of course, the joys as well? Let's not forget the joys. The joys are there. The joy, the beauty, the pleasure, the connection, the laughter, that's there, too. So, it's not all suffering.

So, once again, can meditation alleviate suffering? No. Can it help us navigate suffering more skilfully and therefore have a more enriching experience of life and the many colours that life is? Yes!

I hope you found this talk useful. That's the reason I do them. So, I hope you find it useful. I hope you find something in here that you can work with, that you can practice. I wish you all the best for 2026. Have a wonderful, wonderful exploration of this New Year. When sufferings come, may you remember the breath. Because remember, whatever happens in joy or in suffering: The breath comes in and the breath goes out. The breath comes in and the breath goes out. The breath comes in and the breath goes out.