A lot of people think they can’t meditate. But the truth is, meditation is not something you ‘do’. You can only let meditation happen to you. The moment you try to ‘do’ it, you miss it. So, the next question
that comes up is, who qualifies for meditation?
Meditation can happen to seven types of people.
First, those who are miserable in life. Meditation doesn’t mean having a mind without thoughts or worries; even if your mind is filled with thoughts, meditation can still happen to you.
Second are those who seek success in their profession, in their career, in life. They, too, can meditate. Meditation sharpens clarity and brings skillfulness in action, which is essential for success.
The third category of people are those who want to enhance their skills and improve their attention span. Meditation calms the mind, and a calm mind has a greater capacity to receive knowledge.
The fourth are those who feel they are already successful. Meditation helps you remain grounded and balanced even when everything seems to be going well.
The fifth are those who think they are very wise, and those who know meditation is already happening to them. When knowledge matures, it naturally settles into silence.
The sixth type are those who feel lonely. Meditation brings you back to yourself, where you discover you are never truly alone.
And the seventh are those who are curious about themselves, about life, about creation. Curiosity without meditation gives rise to anxiety, and curiosity with meditation gives intelligence.
An inquisitive mind wants to meditate. An intelligent mind wants to meditate. And even those who think they are not intelligent, but want intelligence, can meditate. So, virtually, there is no category of people left untouched by meditation.
When people think of meditation, they think it is about imagining something, visualising, or concentrating very hard. That is where we go wrong. Meditation is simply emptying out. It sounds simple, but it is not always easy, because the mind is holding on to so much—desires, passions, memories, moods.
Many people say, “My mind is too restless. I have too many thoughts.” Even then, meditation can happen. Meditation does not mean you must go to the Himalayas or sit in isolation. It is not about escaping life.
When you are fully present and fully relaxed at the same time, then meditation is happening to you. Usually, when we are present, we are tense. And when we are too relaxed, we fall asleep. Meditation is that rare state where you are relaxed yet alert.
The goal of all meditation is very simple—to be yourself. Just to be.
In our childhood, we have all lived in this state of love, compassion, awareness, and liveliness. But as we grow, we get conditioned and lose these finer qualities of life. Letting go, deconditioning the mind of these impressions we have gathered, is the real secret.
Many people believe you must get rid of all desires to meditate. I take a different view. You may have desires and passions in life. All you need to do is, keep them aside for a while, when you sit for meditation. You don’t fight them. You don’t suppress them. You simply rest.
When this inner harmony dawns, it creates an uplifting energy, not just within you, but around you. And that is why meditation is not only personal; it is deeply universal.
The author is a humanitarian leader, spiritual teacher and an ambassador of peace. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
