Ask The Master: 06 Feb 2008

What is the right way to approach meditation?

Good question.

First of all, approach it with sincerity.

I am not asking you to believe or disbelieve in meditation. I don't ask you to have faith. I ask you to have trust.

Faith is a readymade belief in something. Trust is simply the openness to experiment.

So give meditation a chance. Keep an open mind. Be enthusiastic, be prepared for something mind-blowing to happen!

Secondly, approach with optimism.

The state of bliss is not something reserved for yogis and sannyasis!

Bliss is a perfectly realizable goal for you -- even if you are completely unfamiliar with meditation.

I tell you, there is no such thing as being qualified for meditation.

Once a man approached the great spiritual master Ramana Maharshi and asked him, Bhagavan, am I qualified for the spiritual life?

Ramana answered him with a question, Are you alive?

The man was startled. Yes, of course!

That is enough, Ramana replied. You already have the necessary qualification for spirituality.

Simply being alive qualified you for spirituality!

When the Divine does not impose any restrictions on you, why are you imposing restrictions on yourself? Be clear of this before you start: you have a definite goal, and you are definitely going to get there.

Thirdly, be playful!

Meditation is one big adventure. In fact, it is the biggest experiment of your life. To become serious about meditation is to miss the whole point. Spirituality is not serious business. Meditation is all about realizing that life nothing but leela, Divine play. So what is there to be serious about?

Celebrate meditation. Simply enjoy!

Fourthly, have patience.

The Divine is not going to jump on you during your very first meditation sitting!

Don't start worrying about results the moment you start meditation.

A small story:

Three monkeys once found a ripe, juicy mango. Like all monkeys, they fought over the mango for a while. Then, for some reason, they had a moment of clarity, a moment of intelligence. They decided to do something intelligent instead. Instead of eating the mango right away, they decided to sow the mango. Once the mango seed sprouted and grew into a tree, there would be enough and more mangoes for all three of them. Each of the monkeys decided to take up one part of the task of caring for the plant.
The first monkey said, I will water the plant everyday!
The second monkey said, I will keep the soil healthy and rich, add fertilizers and ensure that the plant grows well.
The third monkey said, I will guard the plant carefully and protect it from harsh weather and animals.
One month passed, then two, then three. There was no sign of any plant growing out of the seed!
So the three monkeys called an urgent meeting to discuss roles and performances.
The first monkey declared, As promised, I have been watering the seed every single day!
The second monkey cried, As promised, I have been adding fertilizer and making the soil rich.
The third monkey said, As promised, I have been guarding the seed so carefully! Not only that, I have been taking the seed out every single day to check whether it has sprouted or not!

So don't start expecting miracles in the very first session! Give the process of meditation some time to grow inside you. If you are greedy for instant results, you are actually preventing the process from settling down in your system, you are blocking the whole process. Have patience!

Fifthly, enjoy solitude.

Maintain an inward-turning state as far as possible. Remain alone, remain in silence for some time every day. Give yourself a chance to experience your inner environment. When meditation becomes part of you, this state will flower naturally. But for beginners, you will need to consciously maintain this state.

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This excerpt has been taken from the book: "Meditation is for You" -- an introduction to the science and art of meditation