By Marcia Bender
Meditation is an area of spiritual study that often confuses people. I am continually asked to explain meditation and how to do it. Yet there is no trick to the practice of meditation; most people have been doing it since they were small children—they are just not aware that they are meditating!
One of the reasons for misunderstanding is confusion regarding the definition of meditation. The dictionary defines meditation as “the act of meditating; deep, continued thought; reflection; solemn reflection on sacred matters as a devotional act.” It defines meditate as “to think about, contemplate, to plan; intend; purpose; to think deeply and continuously; reflect; ponder; muse.”
Well, that tells us what meditation is, BUT it gives no clue how to do IT!
So now what? We still want to “do it” but we are unsure of what IT is. I often say that there are many paths to enlightenment. My personal belief is that there are many paths (ways) to meditate as well. I mentioned that most of us have been “meditating” since childhood. How can we be meditating without knowing that we are meditating? Do you remember when your parents or grandparents taught you to say, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, if I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” The majority of children learned that little bedtime prayer regardless of religious denomination.
Well, in my opinion prayer IS meditation. What do we do when we pray? We ask Higher Forces to surround us, to protect us, and to guide us as we continue on the journey through this physical incarnation known as life. We are told that strong Spiritual Forces surround us, and we are expected to have the faith and trust to believe that this is true. When we meditate, we are still asking the Strong Spiritual Forces to surround us, but in meditation we expect and receive answers. Meditation and prayer are just different ways to communicate with God. So it stands to reason that when you pray, you are working with a form of meditation.
According to Buddhism there is stable, lasting happiness, and everyone has the potential to experience it. The causes of happiness lie within our own mind, and methods for achieving it can be practiced by anyone, anywhere, in any lifestyle. If we practice these methods (meditation), we can learn to be happy at any time, in any situation, even difficult and painful ones. Ultimately, we can free ourselves from problems like dissatisfaction, anger and anxiety and, finally, by realizing the actual way that things exist, we can eliminate the source of our disturbing states of mind and enjoy more peaceful and harmonious lives. Buddhist theory says that all happiness is achieved by understanding and transforming our own mind. The ability to do this lies within the mind itself and the key to the mind is meditation.
The Tibetan term for meditation is SGOM and means, literally, “to become familiar.” There are many different meditation techniques and many things in the mind to become familiar with. Each technique has specific functions and benefits, and each is a part of the framework for bringing our mind to the direct, intuitive awareness of how things really are. When we can achieve this we are well on the road to enlightenment.
Meditation is not simply a matter of sitting in a particular posture or breathing in a particular way. It is a state of mind.
The best results usually come when we meditate in a quiet place, but we can also train our mind to meditate while at work, play, driving our car or eating our dinner. We must first learn to develop the meditative state of mind but once we are good at it, once meditation has become a way of life, we can generate this mental state at any time, in any situation. Meditation is not a “spacing out” or “running away” from our life situations. When properly achieved, it forces us to be totally honest with ourselves, to take a good, reflective look at ourselves so that we can deal with our life situations and our interactions with others in a more positive and useful manner.
Enlightenment is the final goal—and a long-term one. When we meditate with the long-term goal in mind, we can and do have wonderful short-term benefits. We can develop a more positive and realistic self-image and become more relaxed and less anxious. We learn to have fewer unrealistic expectations of the people in our lives and meet with less disappointment, leading to improvement in relationships and a more stable and satisfying life.
It is important to go slowly and to adopt new methods of meditation only when you are ready. There are many methods of meditation and there is no reason to attempt practices that seem too complicated or those with a purpose not clear to you. Find a method (or two) that you are comfortable with and stick to it. Reread the first paragraph of this article—simple prayer is often the best form of meditation.
When you were in school, teachers told you that practice makes perfect. This is very true with anything that you wish to do well. It is important that you practice meditation on a regular basis. Try to find the form of meditation that works for you and do it every day, or at least several times a week. The best time to meditate is the time that is best for you. For example, many people like to meditate twice a day, first thing in the morning and last thing at night.
One of the most effective ways to learn anything is to study with someone who has already mastered a subject. There are many teachers in many disciplines of meditation who can guide and instruct you. However, it is not always easy to find a qualified teacher. If you decide to work with a professional, interview that person and ask about his or her qualifications to teach. Decide if this is someone that you can respect and work with. Look for the qualities of compassion, knowledge, insight, morality, sincerity and skill. You should have confidence in your teacher and communicate clearly with him or her. “When the student is ready, the teacher will come.” Even if you do not find your teacher immediately, you can still practice meditation. Your own innate wisdom, your inner self, will tell you whether or not you are heading down the right path.
There are many excellent books, both modern and ancient, on the subject of meditation. Take a day and go to your local bookstore, or search amazon.com, and locate books on meditation. Search until you find a book that resonates with you—a book that can explain the subject of meditation in a simple and concise way, one that “walks you through” some of the techniques of meditation. AND BE PATIENT WITH YOURSELF!
In the end, maybe it is the word meditation itself that causes the confusion, the reason that so many people say to me, “I have tried but I just can’t meditate.” Try to focus less on the terminology and more on the end result that you wish to achieve. It doesn’t matter so much how you do it, but that you do it. I communicate with Higher Forces much the way that I communicate with you. They are my friends and always give me the answers that I am seeking. So don’t let the word frighten you away. Try it, you just may like it.
Remember, knowledge is the greatest power, so walk in the Light.
Marcia began her career as a school teacher, working with preschool through inner city high school students. She has worked with all aspects of Metaphysics for over 40 years and specializes in Tarot and Numerology. Marcia’s clients and students are in every state and throughout Europe. Marcia has taught over 400 students to “read” the Tarot for the purpose of self-guidance and to use the powerful symbolism of the Tarot to reach higher levels of spirituality. Her column, Spiritually Speaking, originally ran for 8 years in Attitudes Magazine. Email marlou2000@aol.com.