Self-appreciation as "True Meditation"
Truly loving oneself, appreciating oneself, is unparalleled by any meditative practice, for unless the meditation is an exercise in genuine unconditional love, it is dry, with very little life and benefit to the practitioner. Self-appreciation is so simple and effective as a true spiritual "practice" and way of living that unless one is open to the idea of it, he is very likely to shun it as being foolish and prefer a more "realistic" practice, such as doing ritualized meditation sessions. Teachers such as Jesus, Buddha, Lao Tzu, Ramana Maharshi, Sri Krishna and Mother Teresa, and so many others, have spoken on occasion that one does not need ritual nor meditation in order to derive the same benefits. These teachers have been known to say that love is all you need, and that if you have love you don't need meditation, and by "love" they meant an honest, open willingness to embrace oneself fully and unconditionally. Sri Krishna and Neem Karoli Baba spoke of this quite often, placing love above all meditative practices. The Beatles hit the nail on the head with "All You Need Is Love." This is not to say that practices should be avoided, for meditation is a way of learning about the TRUE NATURE of love, which really cannot be expressed in words. Many highly intellectual students of meditation dismiss love, which accounts for their lack of free-spirited humor and their defensiveness towards others who don't share their perspective, and they will often go into places where they can "teach" people the "right" or "best" way, and when they come across people and material that they disagree with, they are very quick to respond with their opinions, often without a greeting of "Hello."
The answer is here, right now, and it doesn't involve any specific "practice" at all! Self-appreciation is closer than the breath, closer than the tip of your nose and closer than any meditative practice. That being said, it is still good to encourage practices, for they are all beautiful creative expressions. The message of self-appreciation here is not a rejection of any practices, but an honoring of all practices and belief systems, with a core emphasis on appreciating oneself fully as a practice, if you will, for anyone who appeals to this idea.  Self-appreciation doesn't exclude anyone, giving one a true sense of oneness. It is funny that people meditate in order to feel well-being, whereas almost none of them begin with the very FIRST PREMISE, which is well-being itself. "Why not start with self-love, self-validation, and allow that to be a meditation?" the masters truly teach. For those who want and could benefit from specific "practices," a wise teacher will give them. Focusing on breathing, nothingness, stillness, the Atma, etc. are all of very little use unless one FIRST begins with an honest sense of defenselessness, openness and self-love. As long as one feels threatened by "others" with different beliefs (and it is not possible to live as a human without beliefs and desires. Jesus and Buddha still had thoughts and a basic desire for human expression, or else there would be no appearance of their "physical existence," no incarnation), then their meditations will lack true depth and clarity into the nature of Who-They-Really-Are. One simply CANNOT master the human experience without eventually surrendering to unconditional love. Many people have tried for many thousands of years to do this, through various forms of magic, ritual and even through practices that on the surface appear to be simple, such as stilling the mind or breath awareness--but unless a deep, FELT SENSE of well-being is present in their hearts, they are a slave to their practices and not the master of them. It is really not surprising why most people avoid speaking of self-love/compassion when it comes to subjects such as meditation, when it is understood that the human persona usually tries its darnedest to avoid it, trying as many short-cuts to well-being and enlightenment as it can. There are no "short-cuts" except through honest self-appreciation, which is your greatest power of trust, for truly loving oneself fully transcends all so-called "meditation." It has been called being a "Living Meditation."
There are quite a few adults today who have practiced meditation for 25, 30, 40 years, and yet still find themselves feeling that they need to defend their point of view. All those years of practice, but for what? I'll tell you. To eventually come to see the utter simplicity and master-practice of good old self-love! No practice can touch it (unless that practice is inspired by self-love!) There are also some people who give more importance to FEELING GOOD and self-love than to being an "expert" on meditation or any other practice, because it is a fact that your meditation experience is colored by how you generally feel. If you feel a strong need to defend rather than compliment and appreciate, then you are affirming an innate sense of vulnerability and weakness. Love is not "vulnerable" except to itself. Loving oneself is an act of invulnerability, self-trust and true meditation in the highest sense of human expression. Remember, true self-love is unconditional and all-inclusive. No one is left out of your heart!  All are perceived as your brothers and sisters. Self-appreciation is you embracing YOU and ALL, through easing up and being more joyous! As Jesus wisely says in A Course in Miracles, "Would you rather be 'right' or would you rather be happy?" Self-appreciation, self-love, is truly the Tao of happiness, and nothing less.
Last edited by Simon Karlos : 28-03-2011 at 10:48 PM.
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