"If every 8 years old in the world is taught meditation, we will eliminate violence within one generation." - Dalai Lama
Identifying yourself with the mind you give it a great power over you. The famous Descartes’ statement «I think therefore I am» in fact is the most basic error of the humanity – we are not the ones who think. But if you try to stop thinking it will barely last more than 1-2 seconds and then you are lost again in a flood of thoughts.
Your innermost sense of who you are is inseparable from stillness between your ears, but you can’t reach it on fingers click – it needs practicing like any other new skill. And here comes a concept heard by everyone, but interpreted in a wrong way by 70% of them – meditation.
The majority of the world, especially Western people, at the word «meditation» is visualizing some yogi sitting with his legs crossed and endlessly singing «OMMM». Having neither idea of what yoga is nor experience in meditation people are confused to start because they mistakenly believe these two things are obligatory inseparable (well, actually they are, but it doesn’t mean that for meditation you have to go on headstands). First time when I asked my guru to teach me meditation she smiled: «You can’t learn how to meditate. Everyone meditates in his own way». What the hell is meditation then?
«Meditation is rest, absolute rest, a full stop to all activity – physical, mental, emotional. When you are in such a deep rest that nothing stirs in you, when all action as such ceases – as if you are fast asleep yet awake – you come to know who you are. Suddenly the window opens. It cannot be opened by effort because effort creates tension – and tension is the cause of our whole misery. Hence this is something very fundamental to be understood that meditation is not effort». Osho
There are many different techniques for getting to this state: mantra meditation, chaotic breathing, focused attention, antar mouna – google gives you thousands links, manuals and videos about the subject. All of them work, you can try different ways to find something right to you. But personally I recommend you to start with simple practice called witnessing.
Just observe the flow of mind, don’t try to stop it, don’t fight your thoughts – just let them come and go out. You can do it wherever and almost whenever you want – in transport, while walking outside or washing up or taking a bath. It will create a state of detachment and help you to de-identify yourself with the thinker. Gradually the gaps between your thoughts will enlarge and you will be able to notice the inner silence. At these moments you won’t be thinking. You are aware, but not thinking.
Your consciousness is arising.
This Friday, February 20th, I will tell you how thoughts and breathe are connected and will provide it with breath techniques.
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