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There’s No ‘Tater’ Like A Meditator: These immortal words of Southern wisdom were jokingly pasted to me from a ‘good old boy’ named Tom who happened be on a meditation retreat with me many years ago.
Tom was an enigma. Who would expect someone from a small southern redneck enclave to hit the mantras and do self-inquiry. But that not what I want to blog about here. Back to the present: Why Meditate?
A lot of people have asked me over the years: “What do you get out of this meditation practice?” Starting with my Dad, who upon learning that I was meditating a couple of hours a day ask me: “Isn’t it a waist of time?”
Well, here a summation for those who care to know,.... after 35 years of daily practice and a couple of million mantras I have a fairly simple explanation of WHY to meditate.
First we start with Socrates’ quote: “The unexamined life is not worth living,...”
Self-Inquiry through meditation is like living in color instead of black and white. The state of the world today can be pretty disturbing, if you believe the world is just as it appears on the surface. But what if that is only one aspect of what’s really happening. What if there are a multitude of realities existing that are very beautiful and purpose underlaying the daily news,....
This is the reality that meditation gets you in touch with. On a daily bases, I transcend the world of the mundane chaos and have a visit with the subtler layers of existence. What are they like??? Well, imagine being in a cozy warm bed, under the covers while snowflakes drift down outside your window. You feels so warm & comfortable even as you watch the cold bitter wind bites at the outside.
Now, what exactly is meditation. Not to confuse too much,... but it is basically everything you do with awareness. It’s a very broad concept. What I do specifically is sitting silently with eyes close and gently offering a mantra (meditations sound like OM) to all of existence. The mantra when used properly without forcing becomes a way of directing the consciousness deep and deep to the subtler realms of the mind until you ultimate reach silence. The most beautiful and magical silence you could ever experience. Not dead quite, but alive silence. It’s a feeling of “rightness” and connectedness to all that exist.
The EGO is not too happy about loosing control, so there is always a short period in the first 5 minutes where meditation is filled with resistance, but after that it’s smooth sailing into the deep silence of your BEING.
After meditation none of the world illusions seem so real, permanent, or threatening. That cozy place inside permeates your day, nourishing and supporting you through all the adversity. The silence quietly maintains while the noise outside continues it’s usual distraction.
If I miss a meditation (which is rare) , then the world seems to grate upon me more. The natural delight seem alittle dimmer and I realize that Being centered it the basis of Being Alive. Of all the games we play in life ultimately Being totally alive is the only game there is.
Jai Guru Deva
http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/metaphysical/meditation-the-only-game-there-is.html