“Meditation is neither a journey in space not a journey in time, but an instantaneous awakening.”
Osho
What is Meditation?
Meditation is a state of no mind. Mind has to go and meditation just happens. Mind is like a highway. Traffic is constant. You have to go in the fields to see the traffic on the highway. Thoughts are always trafficking through the mind. We are in a state of non-meditation because we live in and with our mind. Meditation is like going and standing outside of the mind. Knowing and experiencing the purity of consciousness as it is being in meditation.
Question: I have been meditating for a long time. Nothing is happening.
Answer:
- Meditation should not be an obsession. It is not like wanting to have a car or wanting to win a tennis championship. I was obsessed with money before and now I am obsessed with meditation. Osho says that one should be loose and relaxed about meditation. Just be natural. Let meditation take its own sweet time and let that happen to you on its own. You cannot force it any way.
- It is not sure that nothing is happening. You wan instant result. Meditation is no instant coffee. It is a long process. Changes happen on a subtle level. Changes ought to reflect in your real life. However, if really nothing is showing, it may be time for you to change the technique.
How do I deal with thoughts?
This is an important question. Meditation does not deal with thoughts. The idea is to go beyond thoughts. The mind does not like it. It puts up a fight. The fight of mind can be of the following types:
- Do not do it: The mind tries to first give reasons of how there is no point doing meditation. The mind ought to be convinced about doing the meditation. Somehow, you have convinced the mind. The reasons are sound. You are now ready to do the meditation.
- Procrastination: Mind now tells you that it is ok to meditate. You can start it tomorrow. Be careful about this. Tomorrow never comes.
- Hijacking: Now you are there. You have convinced your mind that meditation is good for you and you are ready to do it. You sit down or lie down and start the meditation. The mind brings some beautiful related thoughts. You start thinking of how great it is. You will meditate regularly every day. Good thoughts flood your mind. Be careful about this hijacking. There is no point fighting the mind. Just be a witness. It is similar to driving on a highway. There will be traffic. Thoughts will come and go. Let it just transit. Become a witness. If you get hijacked, do not get disappointed. Just come back to ground zero and flow with the meditation.
- Projections: This brings imagery. Tara is said to have come to Buddha durng his final stages. If you have conserved enough energy and have passed the prior three points….this stage can appear. The image could be really close to reaity. I will leave this here.
So in short….let thoughts just transit. It is common to get hijacked. Just come back and start again. There is no point focusing on one thought.
Question: I am under stress. Will meditation help?
Stress reduction is an important part of meditation. However, I would like to discourage you or any one to meditate for this reason. This will be on my lowest list. Let stress reduction be a bye-product of meditation. What I mean is that there comes a point where you will have no stress. Mind will tell you that now you do not need meditation.
Question: When and how long should I meditate?
Krishna talks about abhyas yoga. Practice makes one perfect is an old saying. Dawn in morning and dusk (sandhya) is a good time. However, more important is if you do at same time and same place each time. It is as if the time and space waits for you. It is a good idea to meditate in a space that is secluded from your routine space (bedroom or living room). Meditating in a group is helpful. Combined effect is log rhythmic. You should also be careful of negative thoughts during group meditation. It can also drag other people’s thoughts.
Question: How do I deal with negative thoughts?
It is not good to have negative thoughts for a meditative person even in joke. The danger is that in right moment and time…..thoughts may materialize. So, please …please….do not entertain negative thoughts while meditating. Also, do not forget that effects of meditation last longer than you think.
The idea is to become a meditative person. The undercurrent ought to be there all the time. Scope and range of awareness gets wider and wider.
Nobody needs meditation. It is not a need. It is a luxury. It is an adventure. It is a journey into the unknown. It is a challenge to climb Mt. Everest. Meditating can be a challenge as well. Are you ready to take the challenge?
Sanskrit Roots:
Om: The seed vibration of everything, not enough can be said about it, other than the word itself.
Krim: vibration of creation, associated with brahma
Hrim: vibration of sustainance with Sun & Vishnu
Hum: vibration of dissolution and liberation associated with shiva
Dakshina means many things such as direction, sign, grace etc
Swaha is to offer, surrender
Kalika literally means the one who eats time, or the one who makes time disappear
