About Meditation

What is the purpose of meditation? What techniques or types of meditation have you found helpful?

 Many people think that meditation is the act of clearing the mind of all thoughts. This is not accurate. In her book, How to Meditate, Buddhist monk and teacher Pema Chodron says that “...when you meditate and you allow yourself to experience what’s happening in that moment–which could be your mind going a hundred miles an hour , your body twitching, your head pounding, your heart full of fear, whatever comes up– you stay with that experience. That’s it.” In other words, meditation is not about thinking and thoughts, but about awareness and mindfulness, and just being in the moment.

However, some “schools” of more “formalized” meditation state that “the ultimate goal of mediation” is more than mindfulness or being in the now; that it is enlightenment, oneness with G!d, the direct experience of being at one with All, an experience beyond thoughts and words. Sri Gurudev was a proponent of this kind of self-realization and dissolving into the Divine through meditation.

Obviously, there are a wide range of definitions of meditation, and usually the word refers to the way, method, path or process by which one is led from the external, to within, and finally, to a universal center of calm awareness. The difference between these points seems to lie in whether the word meditation is understood as a verb/action taken towards an ultimate objective, or as a noun describing a state of being or a goal in and of itself. (I could make the same observation about the word G!d, I might add.) For some, then, meditation is a noun, for others a verb, and for still others, a mix of these two perspectives. We add to this that there are more superficial forms of meditation, and deeper forms.

For me, all of this is not a ranking of “better than”, but another way to embrace and value both/and. Whether a verb or a noun or both, whether more superficial or more deep, all of it is a way to center oneself, calm the mind, re-connect to our center and G!d and our sense of being, and all of it is good.

Furthermore, there are many meditation techniques. There are Indian meditation techniques, Buddhist meditations, Zen meditations, other Eastern and Western techniques, and even Jewish mindfulness and meditation techniques. Even guided imagination and creative visualization are considered types of meditation. And everyone who meditates or teaches meditation will sometimes put their own spin on it. In this way, it is similar to prayer. All are valuable, all work, and all are perfectly fine if an individual resonates with them at that particular point in their life journey.

It seems there are three broad categories for types of meditation: (1) focused attention; (2) open monitoring; (3) Presence. It is important to note that these categories are not rigid bright lines, but help us better understand the different ways we can meditate. Focused attention is about willfully focusing the attention on a single object/phrase/thought  during the whole meditation session. This object can be the breath, a mantra, visualization, part of the body, external object, etc. A few examples of focused attention meditation techniques are:  Samatha (Buddhist meditation), some forms of Zazen, Loving Kindness Meditation, Chakra Meditation, Kundalini Meditation, Sound Meditation, Mantra Meditation, TM, Pranayama, some forms of Qigong, etc.

Of focused attention meditations, mantra meditations are among the most common forms. Mantras are used in Hindu traditions, Buddhist traditions (especially Tibetan and “Pure Land”  Buddhism), as well  as in Jainism, Sikhism and Daoism (Taoism).   A more devotion oriented practice of mantras is called  japa, and consists of repeating sacred sounds (names of G!d) with love. Sikhism calls this Jap Ji, and is a daily practice.

Open monitoring keeps the focus open, monitoring all aspects of the moment-by-moment meditation  experience, without judgment or attachment. All perceptions, be them internal (thoughts, feelings, memory, etc.) or external (sound, smell, etc.), are simply accepted as they are, a fleeting momentary experience. Examples of this type are: some types of mindfulness meditation, Vipassana, some types of other Buddhist meditation, and some types of Taoist Meditation. Vipissana meditation is a technique using both focused attention and open monitoring, as it begins with breathing mindfulness, a type of focused attention meditation, and then moves into a moment-by-moment experience of “clear insight.”

Presence could be considered by many as the goal or true purpose of the other two categories of meditation, and that both focused attention and open monitoring are simply techniques, or means, to reach a state of effortless Presence. Sri Gurudev refers to this as “dissolving into G!d.” Examples of this type are: the Self-Enquiry (“I am”  meditation) of Ramana Maharishi, Papaji, Mooji, and even Eckhart Tolle; Dzogchen; Mahamudra; some forms of Taoist Meditation; and some advanced forms of Raja Yoga.

At the end of the day, the varieties and techniques of meditation are nearly endless, and can be as unique as the individual meditator. Over the years, I have tried many different forms and techniques of meditation and also mindfulness. To list a few, I have practiced centering prayer, shamanic/native trance work, zazen, Christian contemplative prayer, guided meditations, limited yoga meditations, guided relaxation, drumming, binaural beats meditation, mindfulness, various mantra meditations, Qigong, walking meditation, breathing meditations, journaling and writing meditations, knitting as a spiritual practice, 100 blessings a day, Alef-Bet Yoga, Kabbalah meditations, and I have also worked a lot with music and chanting as forms of meditation.  They have all been valuable. Occasionally I have been gifted with moments or even days of this experience of transcendent, mindful state of Presence.

While difficult to describe, I can say that this perceptual shift is not a sudden realization that we are all immersed into the great Ocean which is G!d, because that is a simple fact of being. Rather, the transcendent nature of the experience is that I become intensely aware of it in the midst of it– not just a head knowing, but a being-ness, an experience. The best description is that I am a fish who has suddenly become aware of being in, surrounded by, and part of the Infinite Ocean all at once.

Those moments or days of awareness open my eyes even more to vibrations and energy. Everything, even the act of eating, becomes a sacred moment, wherein everything I do/think/eat can be towards this expansion of my awareness, joy, conscious contact, and my soul. Everything, every action, every thought, every behavior, is pregnant with potential to elevate me spiritually.

Bottom line, there is no one right way to meditate, and there are hundreds of techniques to try. They are all of value. Some have been more helpful to me than others, and along the way I have grown more towards certain forms and techniques and left earlier ones behind.