Despite all its popularity, today very few of us truly know what mediation is. However meditation is just not concentration, it is not just postures or breathing or it is not mental effort either; meditation is defined as taking a moment to sit quietly or to ponder. It is a state of profound, deep peace that occurs when the mind is calm and higher level of awareness. This enables us to fulfill our true human potential.
Meditation is being with one goal to slow down and eventually completely stop the incessant activity of our minds. It is normally very difficult to stop our minds all together. In reality, meditation is a state of thoughtless awareness. It is not an act of doing – it’s a state of awareness. We either in this state or we are not, regardless of what we are doing in life. Truly, a man can be in meditation
while doing his day’s labor as another man can be very far from meditation while sitting in a lotus posture.
What meditation is not?
Concentration
Concentration is an effort to fix the attention on a particular object or idea for a long period of time. The techniques used in isualization are another type of concentration.
Loss of control
Sounds, voices, colours and involuntary movements have nothing to do with meditation or spirituality. These are symptoms of loss of awareness and loss of control over some parts of us.
Exercises
Exercises, such as postures and breathing, do not constitute meditation. They may help establish some balance if under the guidance of a true master (a realized soul). Their practice without a true spiritual goal only leads to an imbalance in the right channel.
Mental effort
Thoughtless awareness is achieved through the raising of the Kundalini. To get rid of blockages that prevent her ascent, we use the hands and introspection but never mental effort (e.g., the continuous repetition of “I must stop thinking”).
How meditation helps
Research shows that an ability to resist mind play will improve your relationships, increase your dependability, and raise your performance. If you can resist your urges to mind play, you can make better, more thoughtful decisions. You can be more intentional about what you say and how you say it. You can think about the outcome of your actions before following through on them.
Our ability to resist an impulse determines our success in learning a new behavior or changing an old habit. It’s probably the single most important skill for our growth and development.
Add Comment