You Won’t Know What You’re Missing Till You Learn Meditation!

You Won’t Know What You’re Missing Till You Learn Meditation! Posted By Annalakshmi

India, the land of great Mahan’s and where Meditation was born. The search for a higher purpose to life began here with ordinary people like Buddha, Mahavira, Patanjali, Ramana Maharishi and many more, who became enlightened through meditation. Today people from all over the world flock to this great land in search for meaning in their lives. To search for that something, that something which can’t be expressed through words, which we have taken for granted or forgotten.

What is meditation? We hear all the time, how meditating will help live a more peaceful life, but how many of us take the time to practice it? Sitting down with closed eyes in the lotus position, why is this so difficult for us? What is it that we seem to be missing that seemed obvious to Buddha and other enlightened masters?

Ok so, let’s say you’ve decided to figure out their secret and try to learn meditation. You are sitting in a meditation class with your eyes closed. The teacher says empty your mind, don’t think and just watch. Ummm, ok! So you try it and all that happens is you remember your sister or friend or something you forgot to do….. Right? And, then you chastise yourself and try again, telling yourself:

“No, no thoughts, back to watching, oh wait, those shoes I saw in the shop earlier, looked awesome, I wonder if they have my size? Damn it! Ok let’s start again. Empty the mind and watch.”

And so we begin again. So what is it that we are missing? What is it that made it possible for thousands before us to achieve self-realization?

Let me enlighten you (pardon the pun). So, the secret that nobody tells us is WATCH. Yes, they tell you to watch, but watch what? Watch everything, like it’s a movie screen in your mind. Our thoughts come and our feelings come. So let them come and eventually they will slowly, but surely start disappearing and then what is left is, a small glimpse, of pure bliss. But these moments will be far and few in between. Which is why it is said, that meditation needs to be practiced daily. Sit down and start to watch the breath going in and the breath going out, and when you get distracted with your thoughts, don’t worry. When you remember that you forgot to watch your breathing, just start again. And remember, don’t get distracted by whatever comes into your head, good thoughts, bad thoughts, good feelings, bad feelings. It doesn’t matter. Thoughts are just thoughts, feelings are just feelings, but what is beyond it, behind these layers, is what we are trying to see. Accept all that passes through your mind and by accepting yourself, and showing compassion towards yourself and by loving yourself in all your colors, you will be able to show the same to others. So, slowly but surely, you WILL become more peaceful. You will start to see the world in a different light. Your compassion for people will grow and you will start to see the beauty that exists everyday around you. You were simply too busy to SEE it, running after whatever it is that drives you, money, power, prestige, desires, it doesn’t matter.

Spend an hour a day, just sitting and meditating, instead of in front of the TV, on your social network site or whatever excuses you can think of to not do this. Because by not adding meditation to your life, your life is will definitely be duller and less colorful. But you won’t know that till you start meditating and see the difference for yourself.

Looking for meditation classes? Post your inquiry on Classboat.