It saddens me when people tell me they have tried meditation but it just doesn’t work for them.
I can understand why they feel that way, because I still remember my own frustration when I started learning meditation close to thirty years ago.
Every book talked about quieting the mind, but my @#$%&! mind simply wouldn’t shut up.
It saddens me to hear of the problems people experience trying to meditate because I know just how powerful and beneficial meditation is.
So let me in on a big “secret” that will blow your mind and make meditation much easier, no matter how busy your mind is.
I call it a secret because hardly anybody seems to teach this even though it is probably the most important breakthrough in understanding meditation.
Alright, alright, tell me already I hear your mind shouting.
Ok, here goes. Pay attention or you may miss this “golden nugget”.
The first part of the secret is that you cannot still your mind directly.
If you tell your mind to be quiet you will fail.
But, but, but, … isn’t that what meditation is all about? Stilling the mind? Inner peace and all that?
Well, yes, but it is all about how you get there.
The direct approach will fail.
The second part of the secret is that your mind can be busy as @#$%&! and you can still be meditating.
Have I blown your mind yet?
Yes, that’s right your mind does not have to be quiet for you to be meditating.
As a matter of fact, unless you have been meditating for years I can pretty much guarantee that your mind will be active while you are meditating.
The third part of the secret is that there are only two conditions that are necessary for you to be in a meditative state.
First, your mind needs to be concentrating. There are many different focal points you can choose to concentrate on (mantra, mandala, candle flame, breath, etc) but there must be concentration.
“Without concentration there is no meditation.”
The second prerequisite is that you must not get caught up in your thoughts. If you are truly concentrating on something other than your thoughts than this is really a given but it is important to spell this out.
As long as you are watching or observing your thoughts rather than being caught up in them you are in a meditative state.
As soon as you get caught up in your thoughts meditation has stopped.
The amount of mental activity (how busy your mind is) does not determine whether you are in a meditative state.
As you meditate more frequently and your meditative experience deepens your mind will automatically become calmer.
So, if you can concentrate you can meditate, no matter how busy your mind is.
Blessings on your journey.