We have tendency in a materialistic culture to take the Dharma into our mind at an intellectual level but we have to put the Buddha’s teachings into the context of the deeply spiritual culture within which he taught.  There was an inherent sense of being connected to something sacred in his day and this was woven into the architecture of people’s minds. Through practice, we recognise that this is a profoundly conscious universe and we are all deeply connected to each other. Meditation helps us to connect to the sacred nature of life beyond an intellectual understanding.