Recognize the Power of Meditation, Then Let Go - Why You May or May Not Want to Meditate
Meditation is like the drop of water found by the movie's main character while he walks in the dry Saharian desert. It can be the element that changes the way you feel, think, process your feelings, behave in everyday life. Such change is not instant, nor is it taken for granted. Meditation can provide you with glimpses into your own consciousness and the underlying mechanisms of society and the human condition. This post delves into the practice of meditation and its metacognitive benefits for every human being. It does so through (1) an analysis of the practice of meditation and its meaning; (2) the obstacles to meditation practice; (3) why you should not meditate; (4) why your life can be turned upside down through consistent meditation for months, or years.
Meditation: a First-Principles Analysis
Meditation is the practice of doing less. Meditation practice is not a way of stretching your brain to focus on the breath or the raising and falling of the chest. It is quite the opposite. Meditation is a divine invitation to let go. Let go of the breath, let go of thoughts, let go of planning, let go of the past and future. Meditation is the art of focusing less instead of more. You may be invited to begin by following your breath through the nostrils as an entry point to the present moment. The breath is always there, relentless, and unconditionally neutral. You can always go back to your breath as an anchor of the present moment. The breath is impermanent. You can invariably find it there with you, no matter what. By connecting to it, you may remind yourself that you are alive right now, no matter how many negative thoughts are occurring in the thinking mind at the moment.
Obstacles to Meditation
Establishing a meditation practice can feel quite tough for the modern human being. The mere thought of dropping everything for ten, fifteen, twenty minutes a day may feel counterproductive and useless. But meditation does not have to be formal practice. You can meditate while walking to the train station in the morning, or while partaking in social interactions. Formal meditation practice is a doorway to a broader, more continuous glimpse into the consciousness that surrounds you and the broader world.
Thoughts can feel like an obstacle to meditation practice. The racing mind seems to be an inherent human condition, rooted in our psyche. Meditation is also the acceptance of such a sensation; the conscious acknowledgment of it; the convinced letting go of it. There is no future without the past; there is no present without the past and future.
Why You Should Not Meditate
Meditation allows you to connect with your inner self deeply and unapologetically. You may not want to meditate if you do not intend to become more aware of your consciousness and life’s mechanisms. Meditation is a vulnerable experience of inner glimpses of awareness and presence. You may not be willing to delve into your deep nature and explore what it feels like to fully let go of thoughts to embrace the present moment. That is ok.
Meditation Could Be Your Source of Inner Change
If you are willing to drop the ego, consistent meditation over months and years can turn your life upside down. You may discover that the preconditions you were raised within Western society are not absolute truths. You may figure out there is a way out of the anxious mind. A way made of acceptance, surrender, complete immersion in the present moment, that is all there is right now. If you can fully encapsulate consciousness into your daily experience, you may be all you wished to become, without excessive effort. The consistent practice of meditation can change your experience of life.
“In pursuit of knowledge, every day something is added. In the practice of the Tao, every day something is dropped. Less and less do you need to force things, until finally you arrive at non-action. When nothing is done, nothing is left undone. True mastery can be gained by letting things go their own way. It can’t be gained by interfering.”
If you find this post valuable, you may enjoy my weekly newsletter Weekly Reflection. One issue per week on an essential life conundrum. Check it out here.
