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Originally Posted by Adam713
Greetings all,
Just had some thoughts I wanted to share. Ive been practicing meditation for almost 5 years now and I am eternally grateful for continuing the practice for all these years.
One thing I have noticed amongst people who meditate is the continuous romanticizing of the practice. From the bottom of my heart, meditation is the most beautiful thing I have ever done. However, I feel we sometimes do a disservice to the true beauty of the practice when we romanticize it. I often hear people speak of meditation in ways like:
"Meditation is becoming one with the universe"
"Oneness and love"
"Chakras, kundalini awakening, enlightenment"
"No thoughts"
Just to name a few, you get what I am saying. I hear all these beautiful terms to describe the practice. Don't get me wrong, all these things can be experienced in meditation. But I believe we are doing a disservice to pass along the message that this is what meditation is about. We often forget about the uncomfortable thoughts and feelings that will inevitably arise during meditation. I believe meditation is not about being meditative 24/7, I believe its about being a witness to WHATEVER is arising within you whether that be blissful or uncomfortable.
When we approach meditation with the intention of some pseudo spiritual motive, I believe we are consciously and subconsciously suppressing what is actually happening within us. A silent mind cannot be described in "spiritual" terms or phrases regardless of how beautiful those terms or phrases may sound.
Just some thoughts, feel free to share your opinion!
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Yes, we do generally find that people undertake meditation of of some desire for 'special experiences' and this causes distraction from awareness of what 'already is'. Being the witness to all arisings is the core of meditation, not because that is the aim of it, but because that's already the nature of things as they are. The basic principle is have ones attention here with 'this', to be with 'what is' just as it happens to be now.
Other exercises which produce special sorts of experience exist are also called 'meditation', and in the new age, just about anything is called 'meditation', but there is a primary difference in all of this between meditation techniques that require volitional input on your part, and the non volitional approach to pure observation.