I can remember it, as it happened yesterday - my first steps with meditation when I was 14 years old. While other kids where playing outside, I was studying the literature of Zen, Krishnamurti and a wide array of spiritual authors, all the while balancing and „riding“ my chakra wheels, like the others where riding their bike. Inside - Outside - same…
Very soon after, I visited my first Reiki courses and showed off my „meditation skills“, proclaiming to my Reiki teacher, that „I was already done with this Zen stuff and ready to move on!“. We can nowadays still have a good laugh about this innocent approach I had back then. It’s refreshing to think back on the good old days….
The direct experience of meditation
Nothing you will read here is philosophy or repeating something I have read or heard somewhere else. This is important to say, because people sometimes think, that they „know“ about a topic, because they have read all the books, done all the workshops and can speak Sanskrit fluently.
So this is also not a discussion or opinion on some spiritual topic, but just a report from my own experience.
There are thousands of different meditation methods out there, with new ones being born every 5 minutes as it seems and every single one claiming to be the superior one.
People get confused and when confused, they tend to overthink - even meditation. It happens all the time. People sit down for „meditation“, closing their eyes and secretly blaming themselves for not being able to meditate and thinking, about the right way not to think.
Meditation is basic stuff. Really. It isn’t about how good you can turn your body into a pretzel and are able to practice the „1000 right breaths to raise your kundalini, while hopping on one foot around the meditation hall“.
If you want to believe this, please stop reading. What follows will only disappoint you and your spiritual ego.
In reality, meditation is the most natural thing. It’s your natural state of being. It’s utterly simpel and relies on one thing alone: your direct experience.
You will be a meditation master, after reading this paragraph…
Please don’t ask me for a diploma or certificate though. (Although I should think about handing them out. There is a huge market… business wise… Hmm…Maybe… 😉)
One way to describe meditation is this:
“Just be, what you are“
„What? That’s all? What does this even mean?“, you ask…
Let me explain…
Well, to just be what you are, does not mean, to know what you are!
This is a crucial understanding. In other words: You can perfectly be what you are, without knowing anything at all about this so called „you“.
Remember, this is not therapy and you are also not lying under a spiritual microscope, to find out every missing information about this strange thing called „you“.
So while meditating, you are not trying to find out, what your qualities are.
Again: Trying to find out, what this „you“ is, is called thinking. (There are other fancy names for it, like therapy, personal development or self-inquiry).
So the first step in being what you are is, that you can have absolutely no idea about what you are.
Since you probably don’t know who you are anyway, this first step comes in handy. We could also say: Rest in your natural unknowingness!
You don’t know who you are anyway, so why bother? See?
Ahhhh! What a relief!
That’s why I said, that meditation is so natural. It’s doing, what you can do best anyway: Have no freaking idea, what this is all about!
Ok, maybe another paragraph
Sorry for another paragraph. You are already a natural born meditation master after the first step above, but it needs some further words, so that you will also realize it!
So after the first step above, what is the second step?
There is no second step!
What should be the second step, in a perfectly written exercise of „Just be, what you are“. This is already a full teaching, that needs no further practice.
Ok, maybe you ask, how you should do this be stuff?
How to just be? Is thinking also being?
No. Thinking is thinking and being is being.
Thinking, feeling, sensing, hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting happen in being.
Here is the good news: It doesn’t matter what you think, while you be.
Think what you want. Let your mind be as noisy as it wants to be.
Maybe you have realized by now, that reality doesn’t care what you think anyway. What you think, will only color your experience and your feelings of reality, but has no effect on it.
If you don’t believe that, you may continue to think your bank account into the millions or create your soul mate. Good luck with that.
So in meditation it doesn’t matter how noisy your mind is, because whatever color your mind is making up, your being doesn’t care either.
No one cares what you think: No reality, no others, no being. Really. The only thing, that seems to care what you think, is just another thought you are having.
You are, doesn’t matter what color your mind is currently making up. You are like the movie screen, that couldn’t care less, what is projected on it. Simple.
By the way: Isn’t language wonderful? „It doesn’t matter what you think“ is already telling us very clearly, that what we think, doesn’t become matter.
Your thoughts don’t become matter. So no worries.
This is really a good thing - just imagine, what would happen, if all your shitty thoughts would become a reality. I don’t want to imagine this…
This is the last paragraph. Promise!
So maybe by now you say: „Ok. I get this being stuff, but that can’t be enough. I mean, being isn’t any real accomplishment, right?“
Yes, my dear mind, that’s true. Being is truly nothing you can accomplish.
It also doesn’t look good, when written down on a resumé for your next job interview. The good thing is though, that meditation therefore is also nothing you need to learn. Maybe this is also the reason, why I needed three paragraphs instead of just one, because I didn’t dare to tell you, that it’s impossible to learn meditation!
Simply for the reason, that meditation is being and you don’t need to learn, what you already are.
There you have it, my friend. You are a natural born meditator.
The only difference is, that before reading this article, you didn’t know.
Now you can relax, and can do what you can do best: Just be.
So much of spirituality is smoke and mirrors.
And yet simplicity is complex :)
One of my spirit guides recently counseled me about meditation:
"Linda, when you step into the Casino you do not expect to win ~ you would do well to adopt this same philosophy with regards to your meditation practice."
Us spiritual beings in physical form expect a lot of ourselves and, through unrealistic expectation, can end up self sabotaging.
Just Be is certainly the way to go.
Leave the over thinking at the door!
:)
xox
Well, most people going to the casino actually do expect to win - that's what makes this place so filled with the energies of scarcity and despair.
So I would say: "Don't bring your casino mind to meditation" - or do, but while your are expecting to win the meditation game, just be. 😀
Yes, reality is simple - if it was complex, everyone would understand it! 😉
Exactly ~ most people going to the Casino erroneously do expect to win as do most people expect some sort of win from meditation.
I too was a little confused by his analogy until he further explained that the expectation of winning in the Casino was ill founded as was the expectation of meditative success each time.
:)
Happy Zen~ing!
xox
This is a great conversation in this thread. I love the community of wisdom here on Atmos's blog! Thanks for your insightful comment, ldacey-laforge.
Indeed, there is a lot of wisdom in this thread @indigoocean
I invite you to pop by mine for a mooch if you have a mo ~ I believe what I have to say may be your kinda cup of tea :)
Be well.
xox
Just followed you, and thanks for the suggestion.
First let me say "welcome back" and "I missed you!" I hope all is well and wonderful on the home front.
To the article, this is my favorite line: "So the first step in being what you are is, that you can have absolutely no idea about what you are."
Oh, my goodness! Yes to this. Also, this has particular importance because there is one particularly pernicious ideas about who/what we are that undermines all our well-being and locks us inside an experience of a nightmarish samsara. This is the idea of our insufficiency. Just about every person is raised with this sense of "I'm not enough" with a response of either, "Now let me do something about that," or "I'm hopelessly worthless." And this also gets projected outward as either trying to fix others or condemning others.
Yet in meditation we finally stop this assault on ourselves and others and allow everything to just be. There's no judgment for there is no judge.
For so many of us, meditation was the first experience we had of an extended period of time (a few minutes) in which we finally stopped living under inner attack. Even if we didn't recognize any of this, we knew the difference it feels between being constantly condemned vs. the silencing of that. And that's it. That's enough. Just that is worth creating the time to do more often.
Thank you for this very important post.
Aww! You are so sweet! I missed you too ❤️
About this feeling of inadequacy - it runs very deep in me too. Yesterday I wrote about the Gene Keys material and in my hologentic profile, I got #48 in my "life's purpose" sphere. #48 has as shadow this said feeling of inadequacy - it`s gift frequency is called "resourcefulness" and it's highest frequency is called "wisdom". It's called "The Well" in the original I Ching and in it's essence is one of the archetypes of the divine feminine.
I have over my whole life added so much knowledge, just to avoid this feeling of inadequacy. Unconsciously I was trying to avoid this feeling, through collecting spiritual and non-spiritual wisdom from around the world, like a squirrel that collects nuts to survive the winter.
This has made me a resource for others - which is beautiful - but my real lesson in this is/was, that being "The Well of Wisdom" to stop doubting my own depths and start trusting, that there is always more than enough "water"/resources inside of me. Also not trying to push "my water" onto others, but to drop back, trust and simply offer what is there without the expectation, that is has to be taken by others, to prove my worth.
This sometimes shows in very subtle ways....
In the end - and in it's highest frequency - Gene Key 48 shows us, that there is a huge difference between knowledge and wisdom. Wisdom speaks out of experience and not out of belief - it has authority in a natural way.
Yeah, and much about this path is about trust and letting yourself fall into what you already are, without the need to know, what that really means - the mind may never know... Oh... so much to share about - and speak out of - this topic....
Yes, we could go on at length on this. I'm on my way out the door, but want to acknowledge the depth of your response to my comment. Also, I guess I checked for a post from you yesterday before you left it. I'll have to check later for that other post you mention. Sounds wonderful! ttyl
I am starting one more on my path to enlightenment, and I am so glad I have found your page. You have a great insight that is very helpful. I have been listening to "old path white clouds" and love its teachings, what others do you suggest?
Thank you! You are very welcome!
You may want to start with "Whatever arises, love that" by Matt Kahn.
If after reading that, and you still have the need for a second book (or maybe because you don't want it to stand there all alone in your bookshelf 😉), you may want to consider the works of Rupert Spira or Greg Goode.
If you prefer a classical buddhist take, I can recommend "Our Pristine Mind" about Dzogchen in a modern way.
Oh well, I read thousands of books and visited so many workshops over the years, but in the end, everything you need to know, is in this article. 😀
Great thank you! I will look at those today!
I loved your article! It was funny to read and you truly inspired me to start meditating! I always wsnted to know the HOW and didn’t realize it was that simple! Thank you for sharing this with us🙏🏻 btw check out my blog if you’re interested in health, my vegan recipes, self love and f course my meditation experience (to come because of you😉)
Thank you once again and have a wonderful day! Youvtruly deserve it✨
Danke, meine Liebe! Das freut mich sehr. Vor allem, da du auch den Humor rausgelesen hast ❤️So unter uns Österreicher: Wo hast du dich bisher versteckt? 😉Deine Themen, sind auf alle Fälle total meine Wellenlänge. ...und wegen der veganen Rezepte: Eine Freundin von mir hat ein veganes Foodblog und ich hab mit ihr schon drüber gesprochen, ob wir das mal auf Steemit holen. Vielleicht ergibt sich da ja eine Möglichkeit der Zusammenarbeit oder so... Anyway... Danke dir und auch mal schön, hier mal was auf Deutsch zu schreiben. 😀Alles Liebe!
Heeeeey dankeschön, das selbe frag ich mich auch 🤗 Ist nicht so einfach auf steemit „sichtbar“ zu werden😜
Omg das wäre toll! Würde mich voll freuen, wenn wir 3 da etwas zusammen machen 🤩
Schreib mir einfach auf FB wenn es so weit ist!
Ja gern - es ist glaub ich eh noch nicht der richtige Zeitpunkt - meine Freundin ist momentan zu beschäftigt und den ganzen April im Ausland unterwegs - also ich glaub, um die Idee sinnvoll anzugehen (und uns vielleicht mal persönlich zusammenzusetzen) wird es wohl eher früher Sommer werden. Aber ich behalte es mal im Hinterkopf...
Bei den momentanen Steem Preisen ist es eh eher mühsam was Neues zu beginnen - also auch mal schauen, was der Markt so macht.
Lass uns hier einfach mal in Kontakt bleiben und halte durch, du wirst gesehen werden! Mach einfach dein Ding und finde gute Connections in deiner Nische und alles wird gut. Steemit ist ein Langzeitprojekt und braucht halt auch einiges an Zeit, um aufgebaut zu werden.
Das stimmt! Danke für deine Tipps. Es ist immer schön jemand z haben, der sich Zeit nimmt seine Meinung ausführlich zu teilen danke 🙏🏻
Freu mich schon, bald wieder von dir zu hören. Jetzt geh ich erst mal zu deinen Blog und schau was ich verpasst habe😉
I love the simplicity of this message. We are constantly trying to over complicate the simplest processes. I will be sharing this message everywhere. Thank you.
Thank you for spreading the love! 🙏
Nice post, inspiring to read, I as well, have found a lot of loneliness in my believes and meditative ways, at least as a younger body. Luckily enough I have found / seen hoards of equally minded lately :) Steemit is a great way to express them without social and professional repercussions.
The dismantling of ones believes and ideas is a long and partially destructive procedure, at least as it is perceived by our egoistic minds.
But it must be done, to be or to just exist comes after this long and enduring procedure, one we cannot take alone. The moral compass, the guidance of our heart, will only be active as we strive towards altruism, towards acting for others.
The era of egoism is about to end, and all we can do for answers is look deep in our self and another without prejudiced or expectations, and all shall be revealed.
Thank you & Peace
I agree, that the era of egoism is about to end, but not through making altruism our new goal. You know, in my experience and also counseling many people on their spiritual path, altruism is a goal the ego has - it's its version of suicide. This is not how this will work out.
What we need first and foremost is self-love and then more and more until we are so full of Love, that we are naturally overflowing to others. This way, Love is not something we do, but has become our new way of being. We become so overflowing, that even the idea of altruism becomes strange in a way, because there is no way of preventing the Love from overflowing. So true altruism starts with loving yourself even more. What a paradox!
Much Love and thank you so much for your kind words! ❤️🙏
Everything is a goal of the ego. Every idea and thought, so is love, a fiction to sooth the ego and feel good. Nothing true can be conveyed on a mental level, but we must try :)
The purpose of existence is free will, which can only be achieved if we are 100% egoistic, and still chose to beg for more, to be able to love and nourish others. If our faith is pure in that this can be done, even if its not in favor of the ego, and if we only wants to change for the sake of creation, we will be changed. We will be able to let true consciousness enter our existence and by that true love.
It is all a massive paradox indeed, since it cannot be conveyed mentally, stillness is movement, emptiness is shape, eternal, infinite, all unimaginable constructs, way beyond anything that will every be written down or told by words :)
Peace
I liked your approach in trying to simplify the concept of meditation. It is true, so many people fret at the thought of meditation as if it was some rocket science, or a skill that only the monks have monopoly over. I've had a go at meditation at different stages in my life, and after a long gap of many years, I started meditating again recently. I usually meditate 20 minutes after waking up and 20 minutes before sleeping. Can't tell you how amazing it is. And it is true, in a way you start meditating with your eyes closed, and soon you learn to meditate with your eyes open. Once you learn the art of being a witness to life, you're able to distance yourself from the drama, or illusion or maya as they call it, and that distance helps you enjoy life even more! It's funny that detaching yourself from your life, helps you enjoy it more! What an irony! Anyway, thanks for the post, had a good laugh, and felt inspired to continue to "be." Cheers! :)
Thank you! That's beautifully said! 🙏
This is a beautiful post. The Mind has a way of complicating and dissecting which often results in the so called 'Spiritual Journey.' I found 'A course In Miracles' useful, (if ever there was a complex read -this is it!) It spoke of the ego-minds mantra beinf "seak but don't find" Which I thought really summed it up quite wonderfully.
Turn over every rock and stone, and there will always be more to uncover.
Delightful post, thank you.
Thank you! Yes, there were phases in my life, where I read ACIM and accompanying material, but I could never get in touch with the biblical language - it is written for the mind and the people I met working with ACIM were all totally overthinking it. There may be people for whom this is helpful, but I guess I never have met one. In a way, the whole journey is to go beyond the mind and this can't be done by "understanding".
Much Love! ❤️
Truly why would you want to go beyond the mind or get rid of it ?...Is it not funny how the mind tries to go beyond it self like there is such a thing like a mind .The journey is to see into the nature of the mind .Just look into your own mind and you'll see it right away. will you accept it ?.that is up to you :)
Agree completely, removing the thorn with a thorn. :)
Hear hear!
We don't need to learn or do anything to meditate, we just relax into it. Such an odd concept for most of us raised in a culture that problem solves by thinking and doing.
Nice summary, it's funny how difficult it is to put something so simple into words :)
I love your post. I agree that meditation is so simple yet it has been made complicated. I had tried meditation before and was always trying to force myself not to think, which is ridiculous obviously. Then I learn transcendental meditation which is easy and natural. You just let your thoughts flow and say your mantra without any force. It was so easy to do and have been meditating daily since I learned that process. All the other ways I was finding were not working as it was forcing us to quiet the mind or focus on certain subject when all we have to do is let our mind relax. No force or focus needed.
Beautiful! Thank you!
When you meditate, do you encounter spirits or talk to them? I am a Christian and I like talking to Jesus but I am interested in talking to another spirits.
Yeah, they are talking to me and I tend to listen, but not to everyone. "Don't talk to strangers" - we learned this already as a kid 😀Seriously, not every Michael you encounter in these dimensions, is really the Archangel. 😉
And if your a talking to Jesus and his message to you feels loving, then just go with it.
The rule of thumb with spiritual guides is, that you recognize if they are the real deal, because they are freaking nice to you. A real spiritual guide will never tell you, what you have done wrong or what you should do, but be always loving and caring. ❤️
Doing something without expecting any outcome from it. Just confusing which pattern of meditation to choose is the biggest problem among people now. They start doing something, then someone will come and confuse saying what they are currently doing is wrong. They try to change their pattern now, again not satisfied and it goes on and on. Just being without any expectation can sort this problem. Nice article.
Indeed! Sticking to your practice and not overcomplicating things is the way to go. Thank you! 🙏
Sounds easy enough! Good article though, nice and basic info on a very misunderstood yet very popular practice.
Great reminder of the essence of meditation, I’ll follow for more material. I’m also writing on meditations, feel free to heck out my blog and my followed list for further meditation blogs. Hopefully you’ll find something useful. Best!
Thank you! its been a learning experience. Now I can start practicing meditation. This been the extra push I needed to starting a new path towards a blissful awakening.
I meditated a lot back in college. I was to the point that i was doing it daily. Haven't done it much lately.
For me meditation is my normal state of being, I fall back naturally to it...
Why did you stop? or What made you stop?
The busyness of life.
I like your writing style. It's so smooth. Enjoyable experience, really!
Oh, thank you so much! Very appreciated!
Just be, perfectly summarizes it. It's all about immersing ourselves in the oceanic depths of the present. Too often we are anchored to the past or worrying about the future. This very second, in the present moment, is all you really have.. why worry about anything but this moment?
Say Yes to the present moment. "Say yes to life - and see how life suddenly starts working for you rather than against you. "
Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely! ...and you know what? The best thing is, that we don't even have to accept this moment! Life does this for us.
Everything that happens, is already accepted by life and already let in.
The moment we see or feel it, it's already accepted to be here!
Another job well done by the universe! 😀
Nice to see your name popup toddoto. Great comment also. Hope you're having a great weekend.
As is yours : ) Hope you have a great week!
Thanks for sharing :) I love the way you explained what meditation is
Nice post! Meditation is a good therapeutic practice in which relax our mind and body in general, as a power for the immune system, preventing some diseases. I am an adept of it and is helping me to stay more calm. Thank you for spread that tip for us all!
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Meditation is used as treatment of mental disorders.
Statistics show a high rate of success.
This is important as it avoid using chemicals.
Thanks for your detailed article.
Yes, the mental disorder is called "ego". It's the belief, that you are a separated person, living in an universe, that is reigned by chaos, over which it thinks to have control. What makes things worse though is, that there is no medical treatment for this disease. It is even enhanced, by our society.
So it's time to meditate - which I will do now. Thank you! 😀
Wow, you started early!
Yeah, this way I had more time to play World of Warcraft myself! 😀
(Seriously, I played WoW for 6 years - awesome time!)
Yeah :) I have so many good memories about times in WoW :D
Just be ... wont solve the problems of financial inequality and the struggle for survival, you need to just be and get paid doing it. Than, just be will be easier in my opinion. more info about solving this problem @zenvow
Well... what an awkward way of spamvertisement...
Thank you! May you be blessed! 🙏
Sorry if it came out aggressive, i did not sugarcoat my post , i was just sharing my opinion on the subject, just being real (and sharing our project at the same time). Thank you for the blessing.