How To Overcome Disturbances In Meditation

The goal of meditation is to achieve peace of mind with the help of concentration. It is a good thing before doing meditation. Understand from this that it is not just an activity which you have to do. It is somewhat a matter of feeling of existence as it is. Instead of meditating, let us say that we have to pay attention.

Concentrate on the things, actions, changes and events that happen both inside and outside of us. What thoughts arise in our minds? All we have to do is to distinguish between right and wrong. One has not to do anything by becoming a player, but by becoming a spectator, recording all the events.

Think of it this way — when you visit a cinema hall to see a movie, you forget the whole world and focus only on the pictures. Only then can you quietly enjoy the movie. You put your mobile on silent mode while watching a movie.

You do the same thing while watching a game in the stadium or at home sitting in the living room. You have to adopt the same technique for meditation.

Put your nervous system in silent mode. Do not think about anything like day-world, work-relationship, business, education, health. You have to use your body and senses only for one task, which is self-contemplation and analysis.

Meditation is your natural state of consciousness. It is a technique for training the mind to obtain mental and emotional peace. You can achieve this state using a variety of meditation techniques.

Some techniques work for some people, while a different set will work for others. In the end, they all have the same goal; to calm the mind. It has the potential to lead them to a happy life; mentally, physically and emotionally.

Here is a part of a conversation between a Guru and a disciple on overcoming disturbances in meditation:

The question of a disciple is about the disturbances occurring during meditation. The disciple explained all his problems.

Swami: When disturbances come, do you know that it is a disturbance?

Disciple: Yes.

Swami: Who knows? Do you know?

Disciple: Yes.

Swami: That one who experiences the disturbance, is it disturbed?

Disciple: No.

Swami: Well, because you have been practising for a long time that is why you know it is not disturbed. Many people may become irritated and believe that they are bothered at times, but not always, and then again, they will be at peace at other times. Thus, they experience so many confusing conditions.

It is wrong thinking, as the knower of the disturbance is not disturbed. Since the knower of the distraction was there before it came.

Who noticed the disturbance? The one who was already there before it came? And the knower of the trouble will still be there when it is gone. So the unsettlement is not something that sticks to the knower. It comes up in your awareness, in the light of your realisation.

It comes up in your light and, it is recognised there as a disturbance. You can also observe the commotion vanishing from the light. Thus, light is always free of mental storms. Instead of saying that light is free of disturbance, you should say that you are free of agitation.

Were you free of the disturbance before it appeared there? Are you free of the unrest after it is gone?

Disciple: Yes

Swami: Now follow carefully; when the disturbance is there, you are aware of it at that moment, right?

Disciple: Yes

Swami: Is the awareness disturbed that is aware of it? Is the consciousness of the person disturbed? Who is aware of it?

Disciple: No

Swami: You are not disturbed. Even if the darkest clouds come and cover the earth with darkness and make the sky invisible, is the sky affected? It is not affected. Similarly, if there are no clouds, the sky is not affected. Identically, you the awareness can never be troubled in any disturbances. What happens is we have a feeling disturbance should not come.

When you experience a disturbance and try to chase it, it will catch you. Since your mind is disturbed and surrounded by negativities, many layers of impurities will cover it.

Then, you will start wandering everywhere in search of truth to make it serene. You will start reading books, attending seminars, watching videos, start working on deep breathing and so forth.

When you find that there is no change in the condition of your mind even after going through these tedious activities, you must realise that you are the same witness consciousness. Only a self-conscious and unselfish guru who is the master of these skills can guide you to the right path. As far as your nature is concerned, you are the omnipresent awareness.

Imagine that you use Vedic literature, meditation and deep breathing to calm your restless mind. But, you are the same consciousness ever-present in all human beings. Then, how many of them will you calm down and control?

You will find several minds in this world that are psychologically unstable. Do you possess the power to go out and soothe the nerves of everyone?

Disciple: No.

Swami: Can the enlightenment radiating through these minds be a distorted consciousness?

Disciple: No.

Swami: Does the sky or sunlight in a filthy pot become dirty?

Disciple: No.

Swami: Does a sky or sunlight reflecting in the holy waters of River Ganga (The Ganges) become holy?

Disciple: No.

Swami: They are pure and untouchable in both cases. So are we, the unchanging and ever shining consciousness.

So, is it of significant support, especially when the mind is engrossed in a disturbance? Since there is always a sense of alertness when the mind is agitated.

Alertness is an appropriate term.

Disciple: Yeah, right.

As a result, no material thing can deceive me in any manner. Maybe I can phrase it that way, and I will be able to see the reality there.

Right! Then, there will obviously be peace.

So that desire is no longer rising. Then there is a period of bliss. There is something that keeps me awake, right? I am not sure if I am still missing something.

Swami: Suffering is making that.

Disciple: Okay

Swami: When your true nature possesses that pure consciousness, that pure being and holiness, it is always available to you, but you do not think about it constantly.

Take an example of a founder of the company. If someone asks him, “Sir, what is your name?” How would he reply? He would say, “I am the founder.” That is his identity and always available to him. Need not dwell upon the name all the time.

Similarly, your identity as a pure being, pure consciousness or Atman is always available to you and your nature. That luminosity is eternally available to you.

You do not have to think about it continuously. Although, the mind gets entangled due to the miseries of its past conditions. Or receive hammering from the outside world in the present situations.

That suffering reminds you of your true nature and indicates to ease upon the peace. Thus, it is the adversity that alerts you to the constant awareness of the Atman. You should never keep on thinking about oneness with God, Brahman or Atman. It is a kind of a mantra you repeat unnecessarily.

Atman is “never not here.” It is omnipresence — it was before your physical existence, still today and will be there forever. Thus, there will never be a time that consciousness is not present. It is always available there whenever you need it.

Once a disciple asked his guru, “Sir, are you divine?” The guru replied yes. Then he asked differently, “But guruji, are you aware of your divine nature?” Then, the guruji replied, no, my child.

How can I fulfil my responsibilities to humanity if I keep reminding myself in this manner? But it is there whenever I need it.

One sage explained this matter with a funny example in a straightforward way. Consciousness is like your favourite pillow. You can enjoy and get relaxed by putting your head on it whenever you wish.