Is meditation the key to peace?
To meditate or the act of meditation elicits a certain image in the mind of most westerners. You may have visualized a monk in flowing robes sitting in a monastery somewhere high in the Himalayas or along the river Ganges in India. This romanticized imagery is problematic for a modern westerner and promotes an ideal that is impossible to attain.
The reality of the situation is that meditation is not solely for the religiously devout; it belongs to every human being. This is a secret that has been veiled from the masses for centuries if not millennia. A secret that I hope to dispel.
Defining Meditation
When asked what meditation was, the venerable Chogyam Trungpa stated:
…there is no doubt, none whatsoever, that meditation is the only way for us to begin on the spiritual path.
Chogyam Trungpa, The Path is the Goal
Trungpa was speaking about meditation as a gateway to spiritual practice, to living a spiritual life. When I first read his handbook, this startled me. I am not one who takes kindly to absolute statements and his direct refutation of any other practice as being a priority to meditation triggered me. How could he be so brazen?
The first step in meditation is letting go.
At that moment, reading Trungpa’s words, I was not seeing meditation for what it is. I was falling victim to what I imagined it to be. The vision of the monk on the hilltop had penetrated my understanding of meditation, thus I was not seeing its true essence. I needed to let go of my preconceived image of the practice and rebuild my own practice on a firm foundation. I required a new container in which to place meditation.
So Meditation IS the Key to Peace…
Meditation is a way of realizing the fundamental truth, the basic truth, that we can discover ourselves, we can work on ourselves. The goal is the path, the path is the goal.
Chogyam Trungpa, The Path is the Goal
Realizing your innate nature.
It started to unfold very quickly for me then. Meditation as a way to realize the fundamental truth. What truth was that? That amidst the swirling, seeming chaos of our everyday life, we have a built-in pause button. It is a gift from the divine engrained in our being that allows us access to our fundamental truth.
Meditation is about being, not doing.
No matter the spiritual practice, no matter the title or tradition from which it stems, realizing this fundamental truth of infinite connectedness and infinite being is what meditation is. Many aspiring meditators struggle with doing it right. No matter the method you use, you can’t meditate wrong, so long as your attitude and approach to it remain fixed on the path. It comes in many, varied forms. Whether you call it prayer, call it mindfulness, call it worship, or walking in the quiet forest, the essence of meditation is about a return to our beingness.
The goal is the path, the path is the goal.
I realized that the entire process and purpose was right there. The goal is the path, the path is the goal. The goal is to realize our connection to all. The way to do it is by continuing to return to the everpresent spring of eternal life within ourselves. If it is truly this easy, why then do so many people report difficulty in meditation?
What meditation is not?
I can appreciate that to many the explanation I give above might be too esoteric. I myself struggle to grasp the ghost of many mystical teachings. My practical, pragmatic self prefers a step by step instruction manual when transmitting knowledge into working practice.
There are no rules.
The truth is that there really are not any universal rules or regulations to the practice. Therefore it becomes increasingly difficult to nail the ghost to the floor because it is in its essence beyond form. It is about your expectations. Meditation is not about quieting your mind or silencing your thoughts. If you think that it is, you are bound to stumble. Any belief other than a return to our sacred self will cause more suffering. Manage your expectations in meditation and you will find success more easily.
There is no one way to meditate.
Meditation can take the shape of Christian prayer. Take the Lord’s prayer, which at its core is mantra meditation. Just by speaking the words you are bringing yourself closer to a fundamental truth. When you utilize mindfulness breathing exercises you bring a physical revelation of the fundamental truth to your consciousness. It can even be in the form of yoga, where the body and the mat become your fundamental truth. It exists inside the smile of gratitude you offer to the rising sun. In each comforting hug you grant to a hurting soul. Even in the integrity of your work. Meditation is within every activity you do.
Through each and every breath we ARE meditation.
Meditation exists in every breath.
This is why I believe there is much confusion surrounding the practice. This confusion exists because we fail to realize that we ARE meditation. In believing that it is a fixed process we fail to comprehend that life is about being, not about doing. Take a moment right now and simply breathe.
Just inhale, hold, then exhale…
I give you permission to lose yourself in the precious gift of an ever-present moment. As you breath realize that this is your link to eternity. It is our breath that grants us access to the infinite domain of reality. That is meditation at is most fundamental. That simple process, inhale and exhale is your fundamental truth. If you can fix your mind on that foundation, then you cannot fail.
