Meditation
Meditation is a 24-hour phenomenon, a natural one. One cannot practice it. So if you try to practice meditation it will be a failure. When you sit for meditation, the mind that says ‘I should meditate properly’ is a disturbance. Disturbance to what? The Silence… which is the state of Mediation!!
If you see a signboard that says ‘Sleeping taught here’ wouldn’t you laugh? Similarly, if you see a place that says ‘Meditation taught here’ it should elicit the same laugh. Both are the same.
Meditation is not a practice. But people keep on practicing. Meditation is not an activity. Meditation is Rest, like sleeping. Sleeping is nothing but a rest. If you drop all other things, let’s say the ‘rest’ of the things, you will come to rest! Meditation is a 24-hour phenomenon, a natural one. One cannot practice it. So if you try to practice meditation it will be a failure. Because you are doing something. Consciously you start doing something. When you do something unconsciously it won’t trouble you. But whatever you do consciously is the problem; I have done this; so I expect these things. In Meditation, consciously you are doing. Whatever you do consciously, you expect something to happen. This rule holds good for all other things. If you consciously do something the right way, your expectation can be met. But as far as Meditation is concerned, if you do it consciously, by the same law you will expect something but it will not happen. You will become a psycho-patient.
Fundamentals of Meditation
We have to understand the fundamentals of meditation. Meditation is not an activity. It cannot be done. Then why do people, even spiritual Masters ask disciples to do Meditation? Mahaprabu also asks, have you done meditation? To make you understand that at some point when you keep on trying to meditate, at some point you yourself will know that it cannot be done. When you consciously understand that it cannot be done, what will you do? You will stop it. When you stop it, you are in Meditation. This is a kind of mad game. No other way. All other activities if you start doing them, they will multiply and go on. But meditation if you do it as an activity it will not multiply, it will not give any reply!
Even if you understand through my words, if you are able to accept my words that Meditation is not an activity and it cannot be done, your mind will not listen to it. Again it will go on trying Meditation. Because in all other things, consciously you are doing. The mind is doing. Automatically in this also the same habit will come. You will forget my words that Meditation is not an activity, it cannot be done. Automatically your mind will engage you in meditation. Unconsciously it is engaging you. But you will reach a point where consciously you will understand that it just cannot be done. Since you consciously understand, at that point you will not do anything. That conscious non-doing is called Meditation.
Then since through your experience, you are able to understand when Meditation is happening, under what circumstances it is happening; when you are able to understand all these things consciously, then you will allow or create an inner and outer atmosphere so that those non-doing moments will occur again and again. You will create an ambiance for that, as you are having the knowledge and experience of what Meditation is. From there you are growing. Then that space, the duration will expand. You will be very happy. It will be astonishing. You will be astonished that we have not done anything but something is happening!
Doing vs. Happening
For the first time, you will understand the difference between doing and happening. Then by having a clear understanding of the difference between these two, whatever needs to happen you will allow it; whatever needs to be done you will do it. Happening is not in our hands. Doing is in our hands. Since we don’t have this understanding, we are trying for the happening and we are not trying for the doing. We are creating a very big complexity for ourselves. Then we say life is so complex!
But life is really very simple. This understanding is needed. This understanding happens by experience. To get sense you have to cross through nonsenses. To get the right sense we have to pass through so many nonsenses. Nonsense is just the previous stage in the course of evolution to get to sense. So, all complexities are happening because of this first complexity. As we don’t know the difference between doing and happening, we are trying to do whatever is happening. We are not trying to do whatever can be done. We are wasting energy, material, etc. Finally, frustration is the result. So those who experience tremendous frustration, that is the first criterion to attain enlightenment! So wherever you are frustrated in your mind, you think of that as a blessing. Just like you move from nonsense to sense you will move from Frustration to Celebration.
Like sleeping; When we create the right atmosphere for sleep to happen, then automatically sleep will come. Like this, if you create the right atmosphere, both inner and outer, then meditation will happen. As your mind is in stupidity and nonsense it will not allow you to create the right atmosphere. It will create a good atmosphere for its survival, for the survival of ignorance. Based on ignorance whatever situation you create is not going to give you light. When someone is in darkness, when they have NO idea about light; only they know darkness and they are living in darkness. There how can they think about light? Somebody in a darkroom says I am going to find light. Yes, he will find light, but that will just be another darkness. Simply he will give it a name called light. In the darkroom, to the left it is dark, to my right it is Light. So, those in ignorance cannot think about intelligence by themselves. Intelligence is also a happening. It will happen, that’s all. The sun has to come. Then you will see, Oh, this is light. Only at that time can you know the difference between light and darkness. Similarly, when intelligence comes, darkness will go. Then you will have the experience of these two phenomena. You will keep yourself according to the natural system. When ignorance comes you will be alert. When intelligence comes you will be happy and celebrate. When the sun is up, the mother allows the children to play happily. When it becomes dark she brings them inside to protect them. Then you will go beyond these two and be the witness.
Creating the right atmosphere for Meditation
SC: But, I cannot create the conditions/atmosphere for meditation, because if I did so it would be my mind doing it!
Mahaprabu: Yes, you cannot. Since you cannot do it, you have to depend on the Master. Depending on the Master is Surrender. As we move from ignorance to intelligence we have to go from dependence to independence. If you are in Surrender, then the Master is able to create the right situation for it to happen. You cannot create it. For sleep you know very well, so you can create the right atmosphere. The one who knows about it alone can create it. So the Master creates the right atmosphere in which you can experience Meditation that is happening. But for that, your knowledge, your intelligence (which is nothing but ignorance and you have given it the name intelligence) all these won’t allow you to fully depend on your Master. Hence the struggle. If you are always in the struggle, slowly one day the Master will win. But most people when they find a struggle, they say I came here to come out of my struggles, so let me stay alone or leave. That is dangerous. You won’t have struggles but you wouldn’t progress either. So, since your intelligence gets in the way you won’t accept the Master’s words totally. The Master will create some situations where this happens. The struggle will be high. A quarrel will happen inside you. So the struggle will definitely be there but the person who is able to survive, able to continue will win the battle. Even in a real battle, who wins? The one who keeps up with the struggle without giving up correct? When you are in the struggle, slowly, definitely you will see growth. Without struggle, there cannot be growth.
When you sit for meditation, the mind that says ‘I should meditate properly’ is a disturbance. Disturbance to what? The Silence… which is the state of Mediation!!
When you are not meditating, after some point the mind will start nagging. ‘You need to meditate. You are not meditating enough..’ This is also a disturbance to the Silence. It is also caused by the same mind.
Accepting the mind’s demand to meditate (in both situations) is like giving half of the dark room, the name ‘Light’. It is the mind that is creating a feeling called ‘I am meditating’.
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