We normally think of Meditation as a physical and technical exercise. In other words, we go to a corner of the room and sit and engage in some kind of mental exercise. This is only a part of the actual process of Meditation.
The real aspect of Meditation is the quieting of the mind. The actual sitting still part actually primes the mind into this condition, is dependent upon it, but there are other processes that are involved.
The art of Meditation mainly involves the art of observing the mind. It is not sitting a certain amount of time in a sitting position and then letting the ego run away all over the place for the rest of the day. It is better to sit very little and to watch the mind a lot, than to feel that one can sit still in a lotus position for a long period and not look at the mind at all during the day.
However, we can start with the sitting position. It is better to make one’s self comfortable by sitting in a chair, with the back as erect as possible and then time your self for a very short period, but more than once a day. Start out with fifteen mintutes twice a day.
What do you do during this period? You start to watch your mind. Do not worry about techniques; they focus on having experiences and condition the mind to look for pleasure. Be Aware and wait and see what the mind brings up. You can keep your eyes closed or lids half closed; experiment in what is best for you.
Secondly, attempt to keep the body still as best as you can. Play it like a game; for the fifteen minutes, see if you can not move at all during the entire time. You will find that you are very alert and mentally strong. These are the two most important aspects of “meditation”: sitting very still and being very mentally alert. Of course, consistency and devotion are also important. It will do not good to do this a few days and then go on vacation. One of the great benefits of sitting still is that is the most powerful means to observe the mind.
Since you are sitting still and doing nothing, you have to choice but to watch what is going on. Besides sitting still, the only things that you can “see” are what is going on in your mind, at the time. That is who you are, at the moment. Therefore, it is a powerful aide to self-observation. And when self-observation is continued, it will lead to Meditation, because the more you watch, the more you find “spaces” between the thoughts. These Spaces are the quiet Awareness, which is meditation.
Now, here is the test and true skill. When one has gone for a couple of months, sitting twice a day with the body very still, begin to use this mental alertness at certain times of the day. This will usually be employed at times when one is not engaging in complex activities. So, instead of brushing your teeth and letting the mind wander, be present and very alert to the process. Watch how the wants to reflect on things, that really do not matter at all. They are often repetitive and narcissistic.
The sitting process and the mental alertness which accompanies this act always integrates with how one thinks throughout the day. The ability to watch the mind during sitting practice always integrates with the manner in which one watchs in daily life. Notice that the same issues will emerge in both areas.
The more that one’s Awareness or Pure Consciousness “strengthens” or is persistent, then the more it is likely that mental and emotional material will deconstruct. This is because this Awareness is inherently intelligent and wise, and brings to you the necessary objectivity to notice how long trains of thought and feeling are ego-producing and a waste of time.
It is not that mental and emotional material will forever leave; this will never happen, because the mind needs to process experience. Secondly, there will always be some kind of emotional material that will be a part of one’s individual repertoire, from childhood conditioning.
However, when Awareness is strengthened, through continued watching, during waking and sitting periods, these ego-driven processes will slow down. This will prompt one’s inherent Wisdom to emerge and therefore, will generate the needed Qualities which will apply in daily life.
We will discover that Meditation is the accessing of this deeper area of the mind that is quiet and aware. It will also be discovered that this is an essential part of who we really are. This is the real instruction of Meditation. It isn’t just a way of being peaceful or helping us will stress, but the discovery of who we really are.
There will still be the emergence of conventional identities; we need these in order to navigate social experience. Even though Meditation reveals to us that there is something that is beyond ego, this does not mean that we can literally walk around all day without a functional ego. We would not be able to live in the world if this was the case.
Therefore, can use Meditation to “switch off” between a functional identity, which does not inherently apply self-worth into functioning, and the transcendent identity, which is the quiet Awareness which is beyond the ego. We need both: we are both. We are the transcendant, meditative nature and we are a functional being in the world (with a social identity).
Watching our minds throughout the day, as best as we can, and the act of sitting still (which enables us to watch very closely, because we are sitting so still and doing nothing) are the twin tools which enable us to begin the lifelong process of Meditation.
William Edwards
Author, Trainer
The Skill of Wisdom
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