The Art of Meditation
A path to inner peace and self discovery
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Meditation is not doing anything. It is all about observing. Meditation cannot be done or practiced in terms of some action that can be taken. It has to be felt and understood.
If meditation cannot be practiced then why bother about so many methods of doing meditation? If it is all about doing nothing then why care reading all of this at all?
Be a Watchman
Doing nothing is the most difficult thing for a human being. Making your inner-self utterly quiet and ripple free, while watching all the actions, is like moving mountains without moving a single finger. There lies pure bliss and joy. At the center of yourself, it will be like a watchman who watches everything, but never judges and never takes any action.
To be that watchman, in this world filled with so many distractions and impulses, hitting us every moment, some practice is needed to dribble those distractions. It is not about fighting against the distractions. It is like accepting and letting it go. Or bypassing it. Once you find your inner watchman, once you become the watchman, there is no need to practice. You will be meditating all the time. Even when you are speaking, walking, playing, eating or reacting to jokes. It is like your body and mind will take all the actions to survive in this world. But deep inside, you will be enjoying pure joy and utter stillness - undisturbed by the impulses from the environment.
It is a Journey
Practicing to be that watchman is a journey. It needs patience. Since ancient times, human have been following several methods to practice being that watchman. All of them involves turning one's attention inward, in one form or another. Attention is fleeting. Hard to control. It gets flown with the wave of actions. Actions can be physical actions or thoughts. The existing methods usually serves as a prop to practice attending on your own awareness. These methods are like guard rails to prevent your car crashing out the road. However you need to drive your own car.
There are Side Effects
This journey can be rewarding. There are scientific evidences that a person in this journey experiences reduced stress and anxiety, improved focus and concentration, enhanced emotional well-being, and even physical health benefits. However one should not start this journey with such expectations. Expectations scramble the whole purpose of the journey and subsequently benefits will not show up. Meditation is not a medicine. It is not a cure for any disease. It is only about finding something which is already there. The whole purpose of the journey is to become that watchman and be the observer of inner self. Benefits will automatically show up as side effects.