Meditation Demystified: You do not Meditate. It happens.
In this age of online gibberish, ‘meditation’ is a term that is misused and misunderstood more than the idea of American capitalism. And as a result, it has been practiced in more wrong ways than the right ones for decades by the western world.
I am going to debunk the mysteries surrounding the practice in this article and discuss what meditation is not, what it is, and how to practice it.
But before we delve into the details of meditation, let us have a look at the history of meditation.
A Brief History of Meditation
Meditation has been around for centuries and there is no way of pinpointing exactly where it originated. It is believed to be practiced in ancient India and China and more recently it has become the fancy of the Western world.
India
The oldest recorded proof of meditation is depicted in wall paintings found in the Indian subcontinent, dating from approximately 5,000 to 3,500 BCE, which portray individuals seated in meditative positions with partially closed eyes.
Although, the oldest written proof of the practice was found in the records from India dating back to around 1500 BCE, which mention the practice of Dhyāna, a training of the mind and is commonly known as meditation. These records are mainly from the Hindu traditions of Vedantism and describe different meditation practices from ancient India.
But it is important to understand that the Vedas were memorized and transmitted orally for several centuries before they made it to the written form. So the practice of meditation can be as old as humanity itself.
China and Japan
Later, in the 6th century BCE, a prince named Siddhartha Gautama renounced the world and became Buddha, the enlightened one. Buddha created a set of practices based on Dhyāna and it came to be known as Buddhist meditation.
Over the next several centuries, Buddhism spread all over Asia from the territories of modern-day Afghanistan to Mongolia and from Indonesia to Japan. Along with Buddhism Dhyāna eventually spread to other parts of Asia primarily in ancient China where it was called Chán.
Later a 7th-century Japanese monk Dosho traveled to China, learned the art of meditation, and brought it back to Japan where it was called Zen or the “sitting meditation”.
Western World
In modern times, during the 19th century, Western interest in Eastern religions and meditation practices began to grow significantly due to the effects of colonialism, as well as advancements in transportation and communication.
Initially, this interest was primarily limited to scholars and missionaries. However, by the late 19th century, artists and spiritual seekers in the West had also become interested in Eastern philosophy.
It was not until the mid-20th century, however, that meditation gained widespread popularity in the West. During this time, meditation masters from the East began to visit the West to share their knowledge with interested students. Many Western students also traveled to countries like India, Thailand, and Burma to train with masters in mindfulness and awareness practices.
What Meditation IS NOT
Since the late 19th century, meditation practices of the East have got a hold over the Western world and it has become more and more popular in recent times as a way of reducing stress, improving physical and mental health, and achieving a sense of inner peace.
Most Westerners consider the practice of meditation as difficult and time-consuming since it requires hours of sitting in silence doing nothing as a means of achieving a goal.
Well, it sounds counterintuitive. To achieve a goal by doing nothing. Sitting in silence, waiting for something to happen.
But the truth is, meditation is not about achieving a goal at all, either physical or psychological. Meditation is not goal-oriented. It is not a means to an end. Meditation is the end.
What do you mean when you say, “I meditated for an hour today.”? Do YOU really meditate? Is there a YOU when the state of meditation happens?
Meditation is not something we do, it is not an action. There is no ‘I’ in meditation. It is a way to remain in the present, observe the flow of the mind, and feel oneness with the whole of existence.
One of my favorite spiritual leaders is Eckhart Tolle who says: “The essence of meditation is not something we do; rather, it is simply to be, fully present and aligned with life in the moment.”
Meditation is not about emptying your mind, but about becoming more aware of the thoughts and feelings that are already there. Meditation is not something you do, it’s something that happens when you create the conditions for it to happen.
Instead of trying to suppress thoughts or emotions, meditation encourages you to observe them with curiosity and non-judgment. It’s about learning to be with yourself and your experience, not about trying to change it.
What Meditation IS
According to ancient Vedic sages of India, our true essence is Atman, which is our deepest Self. When we forget this and don’t recognize it, we become trapped in constant suffering. The only way to end this suffering is through knowledge of our Self, and meditation is the key to gaining this knowledge. During meditation, our awareness rises and connects with the universal Consciousness of Atman, allowing us to experience an expansion of consciousness and supreme happiness, which brings the ultimate fulfillment in life.
In my studies of meditation, I have read far and wide, and I have found Alan Watts (thank goodness), a British speaker and author who has most successfully interpreted the meaning of meditation for the Western audience. Let’s see what he has to say about the practice:
“Meditation is the discovery that the point of life is always arrived at in the immediate moment. And therefore, if you meditate for an ulterior motive — that is to say, to improve your mind, to improve your character, to be more efficient in life — you’ve got your eye on the future and you are not meditating!”
Simply put, the goal of meditation is to have no goals, at least for a while, and see what happens. Meditation is to become aware of yourself and live in the present, the here and now. Once you understand the idea of meditation then you can reach a state of meditation wherever you are, either in a monastery or on a busy street in New York.
Though, at first, it requires much practice to attain that state of mind. Therefore, there are several techniques of meditation such as sitting meditation (or the Zazen), mindfulness meditation, mantra meditation, transcendental meditation, Vipassana, and all other varieties of it. All of these techniques are the means of attaining that state of mind and must be dropped once they have played their part. Instead, most people cling to those techniques and forget about the big picture.
As Thich Nhat Hanh, the renowned spiritual master, says: “The raft is used to cross the river. It isn’t to be carried around on your shoulders. The finger which points at the moon isn’t the moon itself.”
How to Achieve the State of Mindfulness
As we have seen there are several meditation techniques we can use to achieve that state. If you are a beginner at meditation, you must read this article which lists the benefits of mindfulness and ways to prepare your mind for reaping those benefits.
If you are already accustomed to the idea and have been practicing different techniques for a while now, I would suggest you go with the sitting meditation, which should not be preferred if you are a beginner at this.
How to Practice Sitting Meditation
You can sit in a comfortable position with your legs folded on the floor or you can even sit on a raised cushion with crossed legs if you are not used to sitting on the floor. Whatever way you sit remember that the important thing is to remain in the present. No goals. No past. No future. Only the here and now.
While you’re at it you can use the breathing meditation where you need to observe your breathing. You don’t have to make a task of breathing. It happens naturally. As you observe your breathing it will become deeper without any effort.
During this time, your mind will be full of thoughts, like the sounds you hear all around you. Instead of trying to control your thoughts, let them come and go without judging them or giving them meaning.
Just like how outside noises come and go, thoughts come and go too. You can watch them without getting too involved in them.
With practice, you’ll start to notice that everything happening around you is just happening and you’re just watching it all.
You can start by setting aside a few minutes each day to sit in silence and observe your thoughts and feelings. After a few weeks of doing this, you will find it extremely beneficial physically as well as mentally.
As far as the goal of meditation is concerned, Tolle states, “The aim of meditation is that it eventually becomes your normal state of consciousness.”
Benefits of Meditation according to Science
- Meditation has been widely researched and has been found to positively impact various aspects of physical and mental health. Research studies have found that regular meditation practice can lead to reductions in stress, anxiety, and depression, and improvements in sleep, immune function, and cardiovascular health.
- Meditation has been found to increase activity in the brain’s default mode network (DMN), which is associated with self-referential thinking and mind-wandering. This suggests that meditation may help to reduce mind-wandering and increase self-awareness.
- Meditation has been found to increase gray matter density in the hippocampus, an area of the brain that is important for learning and memory. This suggests that meditation may help to improve memory and cognitive function.
- Research studies have also found that meditation can lead to increased empathy, compassion, and emotional regulation.
Last Thoughts
Lastly, meditation is not a religious practice, nor it requires you to change your religion. Rather, it is an exercise beneficial for the body and the mind. In this fast-paced digital age, it would be a rebellion to sit and do nothing. The demands of instant gratification have distorted our sense of reality and robbed us of our human virtues of patience and persistence. Meditation is the answer to this predicament of the technological society we have created. Remember that meditation is a lifelong journey, not a destination.
References
- Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full catastrophe living: Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness. New York: Delacorte Press.
- Tolle, E. (1997). The power of now: A guide to spiritual enlightenment. Novato, CA: New World Library.
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