"yogaś citta vṛtti nirodhaḥ"
Patanjali yoga sutra 1.2
Ultimately Meditation is not a verb. It is a noun. It is the state of being. We are already that state. However our mind clouds it from being experienced. So if it treated as a verb or action then once the action stops we would go back to the clouding. So that is why it should be permanent state.
When we think, we are not what we are. When we meditate we realize what we are. So meditation is a discovery of truth. It doesn't create anything new , but it establishes what is.
What we see as meditation everywhere is a discipline.A discipline is a verb. So many people mistake that the act of it is what meditation is. For e.g. when we ask someone what is meditation ?. She would reply " It is one in which we sit in a straight pose and close our eyes and observe our own mind". This is the discipline. This should not be confused with the state of being.There are many disciplines which all call the action meditation. The reason why this is not what meditation is the understanding that even people who dont sit and meditate are meditating. When you experience your true being you are meditating.
Initially meditation is a state which is experienced by an action. We condition ourselves to create favorable situation for the state of being to be realized. Later on it doesn't require any particular action. It just becomes your state. The idea of any meditation is still your activities so that your true nature is revealed. Activities include your sensory perception, your thoughts, emotions, feelings sensations etc.All these are movement. All moments needs to cease. So it is a kind of undoing, not doing. If mind's doing is thinking , we try to undo that. If indriyas perceive the outside world, we undo that. So a total undoing of all activities is what it is.
Meditation is all about silence. Silence in the complete sense of the word. Mind is all about verbalization and body is all about doing acts. Unless these stop, silence wont be experienced. An outwardly silent person may be fuming inside , so the noise is not outside. It is inside. In fact the inward noise is more potent than the outward sounds. Meditation is the only state where the inner most silence becomes true.
Meditation is witnessing without disturbing. After some time you become the witness. So even though you start of with the action of witnessing, later on you merge with that and become indistinguishable from the witness. There is a miracle in watching. watching never is invasive. At the same time, the very fact that it is being watched makes the watched different. When there is a supervisor the worker behaves well.
It is also important to understand what meditation is not. It is not concentration. Concentration is a mental exercise where the mind is asked to focus on a single entity and drop all other thoughts.
Meditation is actually awareness about all, a loose form of concentration. That is why it should be effortless. You are aware of all happenings in a relaxed way. You don't put any effort to strain your mind. If you strain, the mind will come back with a vengeance.
The fact that, it is not concentration shows that meditation is relaxation in a playful way. You should not consider it as an exercise that you have to do every day. It should be treated much like listening to music.A state which you enjoy. An undoing of all particularities. It is supreme rest even better than hours of sleep. It is enjoyment supreme. The body obeys the mind in deep relaxation.
The very principle of meditation is this. When you completely undo your actions,you become centered. The doing stops and undoing begins. When you become conscious in the most expansive way , you become oblivious of any particular thing. Energy is spread out instead of concentrated.
Patanjali yoga sutra 1.2
Ultimately Meditation is not a verb. It is a noun. It is the state of being. We are already that state. However our mind clouds it from being experienced. So if it treated as a verb or action then once the action stops we would go back to the clouding. So that is why it should be permanent state.
When we think, we are not what we are. When we meditate we realize what we are. So meditation is a discovery of truth. It doesn't create anything new , but it establishes what is.
What we see as meditation everywhere is a discipline.A discipline is a verb. So many people mistake that the act of it is what meditation is. For e.g. when we ask someone what is meditation ?. She would reply " It is one in which we sit in a straight pose and close our eyes and observe our own mind". This is the discipline. This should not be confused with the state of being.There are many disciplines which all call the action meditation. The reason why this is not what meditation is the understanding that even people who dont sit and meditate are meditating. When you experience your true being you are meditating.
Initially meditation is a state which is experienced by an action. We condition ourselves to create favorable situation for the state of being to be realized. Later on it doesn't require any particular action. It just becomes your state. The idea of any meditation is still your activities so that your true nature is revealed. Activities include your sensory perception, your thoughts, emotions, feelings sensations etc.All these are movement. All moments needs to cease. So it is a kind of undoing, not doing. If mind's doing is thinking , we try to undo that. If indriyas perceive the outside world, we undo that. So a total undoing of all activities is what it is.
Meditation is all about silence. Silence in the complete sense of the word. Mind is all about verbalization and body is all about doing acts. Unless these stop, silence wont be experienced. An outwardly silent person may be fuming inside , so the noise is not outside. It is inside. In fact the inward noise is more potent than the outward sounds. Meditation is the only state where the inner most silence becomes true.
Meditation is witnessing without disturbing. After some time you become the witness. So even though you start of with the action of witnessing, later on you merge with that and become indistinguishable from the witness. There is a miracle in watching. watching never is invasive. At the same time, the very fact that it is being watched makes the watched different. When there is a supervisor the worker behaves well.
It is also important to understand what meditation is not. It is not concentration. Concentration is a mental exercise where the mind is asked to focus on a single entity and drop all other thoughts.
Meditation is actually awareness about all, a loose form of concentration. That is why it should be effortless. You are aware of all happenings in a relaxed way. You don't put any effort to strain your mind. If you strain, the mind will come back with a vengeance.
The fact that, it is not concentration shows that meditation is relaxation in a playful way. You should not consider it as an exercise that you have to do every day. It should be treated much like listening to music.A state which you enjoy. An undoing of all particularities. It is supreme rest even better than hours of sleep. It is enjoyment supreme. The body obeys the mind in deep relaxation.
The very principle of meditation is this. When you completely undo your actions,you become centered. The doing stops and undoing begins. When you become conscious in the most expansive way , you become oblivious of any particular thing. Energy is spread out instead of concentrated.
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