Meditation Series (1) : What is Meditation ?
Eklavya
Let us learn what is meditation.
Meditation is a process to know who we really are.
If I ask you, " Who are you?" what will you say ?
You may say - Well I am 25, male, American , white, Roman catholic,
Masters in Computer Science, doing a job in HP, planning to marry this
year.
Does the above answer describe you completely?
Probably you would like to add this : OK I am 5'11'', strongly built,
curly hair, clean shaved, love ice-cream and Coke, my hobbies include
surfing the internet, gardening and watching movies .
Again I shall ask, " Does that describe you completely?"
Tell me If you were not born in America, of white parents and instead
had born in an African village, of black parents, inherited a tribal
religion and never got a chance to read or write, what would be your
answer to the question:" Who are you"
Think over it
All the identities that we call ours - our name, our nationality,
religion, education, physical appearance and thoughts - all of them are
the sum total of circumstance under which we born and grow.
You are a white American catholic, it's because of the family you are
born in.
If you are long/ short, thin/ thick, strong/weak, it's because of the
genes you've inherited from your parents.
If you have a masters degree from Harvard, it's because you get the
opportunity (which is the sum total of your hard work and your luck) to
study there.
Think over it !
What if you had born of different parents, with a different name, a
different nationality, religion, education, physical appearance and
thoughts- in short under a different set of circumstances ?
Well the attributes which we use to describe ourselves are just the
result of being born in a particular set of circumstances. Had we
gotten a different set of circumstance then we would be a different
person.
Well, why I am discussing this?
Just to tell you who you really are.
The attributes which you use to describe yourself - like your name,
nationality, religion, height, physical appearance- no matter how
exactly they describe you with reference to your place in this world,
they can not describe the real you. They can not describe the
fundamental unchanged aspect of your being which remains intact in all
circumstances.
No matter where you born in, no matter of which religion you follow, of
which nationality you belong to or what is your educational or
financial status, you have an identity which is independent of all
these external attributes. The identity which is the fundamental core
of your very existence in this world. Meditation is a mean to recognize
that identity - yours true identity.
What is this identity? Who you really are?
In reality you are just consciousness.
You are not body, you are not mind, you are not thoughts, you are just
consciousness which feels and witness everything as you play your part
in life. This consciousness by its very nature is peaceful, calm and
rejuvenating.
and Meditation is a process to know this consciousness within you.
Now two question arises in mind...
(1) How one can know this for sure that in actuality he/she is the
consciousness which feels and witness everything that his/her body and
mind perform?
(2) Secondly, even if someone believe that he/she is the consciousness,
what is the big deal in that ? Can it help him/her in easing his/her
complex and demanding daily life and what is the role of meditation in
it?
I will answer both questions.....Continue
Next post: An interesting experiment to know the consciousness within
Eklavya
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