What is the goal or reward of meditation?

[nellie]

I first started meditating to find relief from my anxiety, my mind was racing all the time and deep meditative states were the only times I felt at peace. But I have since then gotten rid of anxiety and meditation is still the most important part of my practice, but now for spiritual reasons.

I find that it just allows me to connect to something bigger, receive some answers, feel at peace, send love and good energy to other people and so on and so on.

[RedEmbers]

At the moment my goal is to remain in the emptyness for as long as possible until I am so good at it that my hyper distracted mind can slow right down and appreciate every moment of the journey instead of constantly searching for more distractions.

I'm meditating to reach and nurture emptiness... LOL.

[Gem]

Originally Posted by yearningsoul

Like many others, I too have tried to meditate and right now not doing such a good job. However, I keep hearing and reading that it is difficult in the beginning but the reward in the end is completely worth the effort put in

Yea that's a fairly reasonable way of looking at it.

So was just wondering for those who are able to meditate and focus, what was your goal or the reward you feel you got by persisting with meditation?

Generally speaking it's discovery and healing in the 'truth will set you free' sense.

My personal reason for trying to meditate is to first feel some peace of mind and also to see if I can experience absolutely anything spiritual that would make me feel there is something bigger than standard human life.

A human life is what it is about, but there is a lot about ourselves we don't know, have forgotten, or have never seen.

[Gem]

Originally Posted by Annemieke

When I had cancer, of course I was scared and emotional. So when I was meditating at the time, I was very scared and emotional! But afterwards I was fine: I had got rid of it in the meditation.
Suppressing things, or trying to push them away, only makes matters worse. It is better to live through them (in the meditation), however unpleasant.

That's well said.

[yearningsoul]

Thank you everyone for your reply to my post. All these messages are genuinely motivational for me especially seeing what some of you have gone through and achieved through meditation.

I feel sometimes I give up too easily and there are days when i do not even try to meditate even for a few minutes. I am trying to change that and at least get into some kind of a routine even if it is for only for a little while initially.

[Dan_SF]

I feel sometimes I give up too easily and there are days when i do not even try to meditate even for a few minutes.

Just close your eyes for 10 seconds, letting go of all thoughts, daily, is a good practice if you can't or are unwilling to do longer.

And 10 seconds of doing nothing you can find everywhere ^^

[Chrysalis]

When I began meditating, I had no goal but I did have intention and a reason to start. My initial reason was for health reasons for pain control, lower blood pressure, reduce stress and sharpen my mind. The spiritual benefits came at the same time.

Some meditations where better than others but I kept at it and over time, my meditations became better. I still have some days when it doesn't go as well as I'd like but I don't worry about that at all because tomorrow is another day for a good meditation. I find scheduling a meditation works for me so I could add it into a daily routine.

Hope my two bits help.

[yearningsoul]

Originally Posted by Dan_SF

Just close your eyes for 10 seconds, letting go of all thoughts, daily, is a good practice if you can't or are unwilling to do longer.

And 10 seconds of doing nothing you can find everywhere ^^

I like your 10 seconds idea. Just started doing that and it actually makes me feel good that at least i tried.

[sky]

Originally Posted by yearningsoul

Like many others, I too have tried to meditate and right now not doing such a good job. However, I keep hearing and reading that it is difficult in the beginning but the reward in the end is completely worth the effort put in. So was just wondering for those who are able to meditate and focus, what was your goal or the reward you feel you got by persisting with meditation?

My personal reason for trying to meditate is to first feel some peace of mind and also to see if I can experience absolutely anything spiritual that would make me feel there is something bigger than standard human life.

Expect nothing and whatever you get is a bonus

[naturesflow]

Originally Posted by yearningsoul

Like many others, I too have tried to meditate and right now not doing such a good job. However, I keep hearing and reading that it is difficult in the beginning but the reward in the end is completely worth the effort put in. So was just wondering for those who are able to meditate and focus, what was your goal or the reward you feel you got by persisting with meditation?

My personal reason for trying to meditate is to first feel some peace of mind and also to see if I can experience absolutely anything spiritual that would make me feel there is something bigger than standard human life.

The life experience one with any practice is what integrates and completes the picture of peace, so for me that is how I look at meditation as a relationship to the fullness of understanding yourself and life as one source.

In the beginning I struggled with meditation because I was afraid of death, suffering and all spirit matters. So as you probably would notice, its not the best start because all those layers in self, often link to the core issues we have, that hold us back. So I cleared them first through other means through other tools or practices which linked to the sameness received in meditation. Once I opened to the bigger picture in myself, let much of my conditioned imbalances go, attained a deeper level of core balance, then meditation supported me as a practice. I had to stop fearing the process. Which I did eventually.

I shared this with the intention to show that sometimes if your not being guided by someone experienced who knows the process as it can be or you are going in not very aware of the nature of the unfolding of yourself in the meditation space and only pointing towards the end result, you can through your own mind be avoiding your own process for reason. So naturally the meditation space is set up with its "want and need" immediately and your intention going in is set up for instant results, rather than process of unfolding of you as you are more complete. The practice is a unconscious and conscious unfolding, that suits you as you are more complete, so all of you if open immerses in the space. Letting go of all expectations, being aware of the process with some informed guidance, can get your back to the present moment and take a new approach to it as a practice more aware of it's process than just the end results or goal orientated alone.

The process can lead to peace and expansion ongoing. Like any practice what you put in is what you receive. So when I am there now, all of me is there open to what is, letting things unfold naturally, not expecting anything. What naturally moves then, is what wants to move in me more readily by not controlling what I want. It is in those moments where you can shift more freely and deepen into those spaces your aware of you can attain, just in this way, your open to more than just your goal alone.