The Understanding that can Aid Meditation
Friends,
There have been a lot of threads on meditation here and here I would like to present something concrete and useful for people who desire to meditate.
The title explains my approach towards this. Even in this first thread, a sincere student would be able to get some useful clues!
Lets take a simple case study. Lets say I sit down with a mala for japa. And then start chanting a mantra which was given to me by my guru. Lets say , even as I chant the mantra, my mind does not stay with the mantra. So It goes away from the mantra and I bring it back to the mantra... This cycle goes on.
Lets now try to analyze this scenario to see if we can get some useful clues. If I present this problem to a modern day guru , he would say "You lack practice/ You need concentration etc" ... and that is absolute nonsense. Let me first explain why and then we will together see the solution to it. We do not lack concentration:- the mind functions in a certain way: when we are interested in something, mind is automatically concentrated and when we are not interested in something mind is not concentrated. This is a simple law of our mind. We have to recognize this. That's a simple law. When we are taught that we lack concentration etc, that's pure nonsense in the name of religion. It creates inferiority complex in the people who cannot do it and superiority complex in the person who can do it - and both are dangerous. There is nothing wrong with you, if you cannot concentrate on a mantra ... it just means you find it boring and that's OK!
So when the mind is moving about everywhere sans the mantra on which I have decided to concentrate ... it just shows that my interest is elsewhere.
Do we see this ?
If we like to watch a movie , we need not be told to concentrate on the movie! Please see. This is simple fact as it stands. When my mind wants to be elsewhere, but I am here ... that's called distraction.
so why is "This[japa or meditation]" not interesting while "That[something else] is interesting" ?
Friends , let me here note a point: a relative once told me "I hate movies" and I told her "someone hates meditation while you hate movies... how is it different ? The first person would suffer when placed in a meditation session while you suffer if you are placed in movie!! "!! Life, friends, is really strange ... if you love meditation... it will present you with situations that wont allow you to meditate and tease you. If you love partying etc ... life will tease you by presenting situations where you cannot go for what you want ! So that's life! A truly meditative person is not someone who has carved out a place or activity in which he is in joy. A truly meditative person is someone who is in perpetual joy irrespective of what circumstances life places him in. This is true liberation. So lets not think that a person who loves to meditate is superior in some way.
I hope I have succeeded in conveying some useful thoughts. In my next session we will together explore some more ideas which can be very useful aids in our spiritual journey.
Love!
Silence
Come up, O Lions, and shake off the delusion that you are a sheep
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