Why Meditation is overrated

from loincloths to leotards yoga studios claim to have the answer

This has always puzzled me.

I have sat in on a number of meditation classes and i barely have the physical dexterity to sit in one spot for too long.

I next find that when i close my eyes and listen to the instructions asking me to clear my mind of all thoughts and focus on my third eye. My mind enivtably wanders….

Yoga classes all over the West assume that with our busy hectic lives, that we can simply erase all our thoughts. I doubt that is actually what is hapenning when i open my eyes and peer around my fellow class members, wondering whether they have achieved “inner bliss” or more likley deluded into thinking that.

I think everyone is trying their best. But the idea of Meditation makes sense when your mind is calm and has no thoughts to start with.

Take this this test. Close your eyes. And observes your thoughts. And count how many different thoughts wander “in” and wander “out” of your mind.

Our lives are burdened with the heavy weight of life: Wife, Girfriend, Relationship, Family, Death, Mother, Brother, Sister, Work, Job, Career, Money, Sex, Television, Jealousy, your next Holiday, new shoes, New Car…. the list goes on…

These thoughts come from our desires. As long as we have desires then our mind will wander.

I will postulate, as long as you have desires, your mind will wander — and therefore Meditation is a pointless deluded exercise.

Krishna said it best -

नास्ति बुद्धिरयुक्तस्य न चायुक्तास्य भावना ।
न चाभावयतः शन्तिरशान्तस्य कुतः सुखम् ॥ २।६६॥

nāsti buddhirayuktasya na cāyuktāsya bhāvanā |
na cābhāvayataḥ śantiraśāntasya kutaḥ sukham || Ch2|V.66 ||

There is neither knowledge nor meditation for the unsteady and to the unmeditative there is no peace; to the peaceless how can there be hapiness?