7 Reasons Meditation

7/27/2019 7 Reasons Meditation

1/9

WISDOM HEART BRINGING MEDITATION TO LIFE www.wisdomheart.org

WISDOM HEART SPECIAL REPORT WWW.WISDOMHEART.ORG

7 Reasons Meditation

Doesnt Work( A n d h o w t o f i x t h e m )

by Eric Kle inwww.wisdomheart .org
http://www.wisdomheart.org/http://www.wisdomheart.org/http://www.wisdomheart.org/http://www.wisdomheart.org/http://www.wisdomheart.org/http://www.wisdomheart.org/http://www.wisdomheart.org/


2/9


Copyright 2010 Eric Klein

This book is published by Wisdom Heart Press

For information contact:

Email: [email protected]

Online: www.wisdomheart.org

Snail Mail: Wisdom Heart

Attn: Klein 1455 Hymettus Avenue

Encinitas, CA, USA 92024 Telephone: 760-436-5535

http://www.wisdomheart.org/http://www.wisdomheart.org/http://www.dharmaconsulting.com/http://www.dharmaconsulting.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.wisdomheart.org/http://www.wisdomheart.org/


3/9



We didnt have air conditioning, when we were living in Chicago in the 1970s. So, on hot,humid summer nights, Devi and I would ride our bikes to the shores of Lake Michigan. Aftersecuring our bikes, wed head for the water.

The water was nice and cool. But, to enjoy it we had to move through the twigs, paper cups, andassorted debris that had accumulated at the waters edge.

Its the same with meditation.The deep waters of your inner mind are pure, clear, and refreshing. But, to get there you need tomove through some inner . . . um . . . debris.

This debris isnt life threatening. Just a bit messy. Its made up of ideas, memories, sensations,misconceptions, and reasons. Reasons why meditation doesnt work - at least for you.

Here are some of the common reasons that people give. You may find some of them familiar, ifyouve gone for a swim in the waters of meditation. Even if youve just dipped your toe in.

1) Meditation is self-centered.As meditation has become more mainstream, pictures of people (slim, beautiful people) sitting inlotus postures show up in all kinds of advertising for spas, exotic vacations, skin cream,perfume, and jewelry. (Not that theres anything wrong with any of these. And if you want totake us on an exotic vacation, please call or write).

Its easy to get the impression that meditation is just the latest fashion accessory. Like a bigspiritual mirror that you gaze into while putting on organic makeup to cover any imperfections.

But, meditation is the opposite.Meditation is about taking your self much less seriously and much more lightly. And in theprocess opening more fully and creatively to life.

The practice of meditation reveals that most of whats scurrying around in the mind isnt thatsignificant - much less real. And that all the ideas about the self are more limiting thanliberating. Meditation frees you from being overly preoccupied with protecting and preserving

the self.

Through practice, you discover that there really is no hard and fastline between me and life.You discover thatyou are part of life, not apart from life in any way. Thus, the practice ofmeditation shifts you from self-centered to life-centered living. Whether your attention is turnedwithin or without its all life.
http://www.wisdomheart.org/http://www.wisdomheart.org/http://www.wisdomheart.org/http://www.wisdomheart.org/http://www.wisdomheart.org/


4/9



2) I dont have time to meditate.The scattered mind never has time for what matters most. Its busy, busy, busy. Driven byemotion-fueled thoughts. The day is filled to overflowing with activities, demands, meetings, andrequirements. Theres barely time to sit down for a meal much less to spend a few moments insilence and stillness.

In the mad rush to get more done, the mind becomes morefragmented and speedy.When things do slow down like in a traffic jam or on a grocery line its intolerable. The mindrails against the waste of time and against slowing down. Theres too much to do!! it cries.

But, everyone has exactly the same amount of time each day: 1440minutes.

Its the experience of time that differs. The more scattered and sped up the mind the moretime seems to slip through your fingers like sand. Through meditation, the mind learns to slowdown. As it does so, the feeling of pressure lifts. And with it another veil lifts as well.

The veil that concealed the richness of the moment, lifts.Through meditation you touch and are touched by the richness of the present moment. Youexperience fullness of time which reveals that this moment (yes - this very moment) is alwaysenough.

3) My back hurts when I meditate.This is likely a technical (postural) issue that can be handled with some simple information abouthow to sit. Here are some practical guidelines. (If you have more questions write to:[email protected] )

You can sit on the floor or on a chair.The key is to keep your spine straight but not stiff. Allow the chin to be parallel to the ground.When seated on the floor, elevate your body on a firm cushion or folded blanket. This reducesstrain on the back. Experiment with different heights of cushion.

If you sit on a chair, make sure it is firm and not too cushiony. You dont want to sink into it. Youwant to sit upright.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.wisdomheart.org/http://www.wisdomheart.org/http://www.wisdomheart.org/http://www.wisdomheart.org/


5/9



Once you have assumed a seated posture find your physical center ofgravity.You do this by gently rocking from side to side. As you rock from left to right, feel into the core ofyour body. You will notice a physical sensation I call passing through the center of gravity as

your body shifts from side to side.

Slow down the shifting and feel more deeply into that center ofgravity as you pass through.Then reduce the side-to-side movement and gradually settle your body so that it is aligned alongthe center of gravity. Do this all by feeling inwardly and sensing that place of balance.

As you settle the body in the center of gravity feel your spine gentlylengthening.The back of your skull lifts slightly and the chin is parallel to the ground. The base of the body is

grounded.

Your posture is aligned along the center of gravity and the spine is effortlessly extended. Placeeyes gaze gently at the root of the nose between the eyebrows

Sitting is a skill that becomes easier with practice.

4) Im not religious.Its easy to assume that meditation is religious. When you think about monks, yogis, nuns, andother professionally religious people, concepts like meditation come to mind. And its true, thatmeditation (or similar practices) have been central to those on a religious quest.

But, does that mean that meditation is religious? Not really. Religions are based on articles offaith - on beliefs.

Meditation requires no beliefs.

Its based on practice and results. In this way, meditation is more like a science experiment than areligious exercise. You dont need to believe anything in order to conduct an experiment.

You just need to follow the protocol. Do the practice.Its a self-validating process. Follow the steps and see the results.

The practitioners who developed the meditation methods used their

minds and bodies as laboratories.

They conducted experiments in consciousness. They recorded their results. And passed themonto their students for validation testing.
http://www.wisdomheart.org/http://www.wisdomheart.org/http://www.wisdomheart.org/http://www.wisdomheart.org/


6/9



Some of these experiments have stood the test of time.

People have conducted these meditation experiments for thousands of years, with reliable results.Its these tested and validated practices that have been passed from teacher to student forthousands of years.

So, whether youre religious or not, doesnt matter in terms of meditation.

If you are religious, meditation will enrich your understanding of your faith. If youre not, youlldiscover that which is deeper than believing or not believing.

5) My mind wont get quiet.If you stop the average person on the street and ask them, Is your mind basically quiet or filledwith thoughts? most will tell you, Bsically quiet.But, sit them down on a meditation cushion for a few minutes without anything to distract themand bam most people are shocked to discover how noisy it is in there.

Its not that meditation made their minds noisy.

Rather, the practice revealed the noise that was already there. This revelation of the running,ranting mind is a movement forward on the path. Many people drop the practice at this pointthinking, I cant meditate. But, they are meditating! The practice is working - by revealing theactual state of the conditioned mind.

Dont stop now.The key is to keep practicing. To stay with the process - which will lead to the quieting of themind chatter.

The mind isnt quieted by willing or by effort.

You cant quiet the mind through will power. That would be like pushing down on a spring. Theharder you push the more the spring pushes back.You quiet the mind in the same way that you allow a glass of muddy water to become clear. Youjust let the particles settle. When you dont stir up the water - the mud settles on its own.

Its the same in meditation.

Meditation lets the mud - the noisy thoughts - settle. The glass of muddy water becomes clear as

gravity draws the mud together. The mind becomes clear as you shift from thinking aboutthoughts - to being aware of what is arising. Just by being aware, present, and mindful of theactivity of the mind it settles down.


7/9



6) Meditation is . . . boring.I remember when my parents would take me, as a child, to watch the sunset. I didnt get it. Icouldnt see the beauty. To me, the sunset was boring.

Being bored is a symptom of not paying attention.

If you pay attention deeply to anything it becomes very, very interesting. Meditation, which isthe practice of cultivating deep attention, dissolves boredom. As the mud of the mind settles, asyou discover the richness of the present moment - even something as simple as a breath becomesthe doorway to gratitude, wonder, and joy.

But, on the other hand, meditation is actually quite boring.

Im mean youre sitting there breathing in and breathing out. What could be more boring? In,out, in, out.Or youre repeating the same mantra over and over. It is kind of boring - by design.

As the surface mind gets bored, it settles down.

And in that settling, an awareness of all-encompassing, and ever-present silence emerges. A senseof undisturbed stillness. This stillness and silence infuse everything with aliveness and presence.Not boring at all!!

7) I dont want to be weird.There are two reasons that practicing meditation can feel weird.One is neurological, the other more psychological.

Lets start neurologically: doing anything unfamiliar can feel weird.

Your neurological patterns get used to doing things a certain way. Putting your left leg in yourpants before your right one. Brushing one side of your teeth before the other. Sitting in a certainchair (and in a certain posture) to watch television. The list goes on.

So, when you change a pattern of behavior even in a positive direction it feels weird.

Inside your brain, new neurons are firing.

New connections are being made. And old connections, old patterns, are being restrained.

Subjectively it feels weird. The new neurological circuits arent totally grooved in yet, so youreclumsy at the new pattern.

And this clumsiness is where the weird feeling can turn more psychological.


8/9



Being clumsy can be embarrassing (even if youre all by yourself).

Even if youre sitting there by yourself with your eyes closed - you can still be watching whatyoure doing and wondering, Am I doing this right? Is this weird?

Have you ever danced in front of the mirror?If you judge what your dancing - its no fun. To enjoy the experience, you need to cut loose fromany fixed ideas of what dancing should look like and even more so what you should look like.

Its the same with meditation.

Whether you want to or not, you have an idea about the kind of person who meditates. If youdont think of yourself as that kind of person then when you meditate, youll feel weird. Youllget in your own way.

But, if you relax, take a breath, and realize that your ideas about meditation are just that - ideas.

You dont have to live up to these self-imposed ideas of meditation. You can just cut loose - andenjoy the process. When you do, you find a whole new (and wonderful) kind of weirdness.

But, one of the blessings of meditation is finding out that you indeed are

weird.

Youre weird in the best possible sense of the word. Because, the most ancient meaning of theword weird has to do with following your unique fate, your path through life. Youre weird if youfollow your path and listen to the direction of your inner soul.

So, meditation, in this most basic, ancient sense, helps you be weird. Meditation helps you find

your path. Through practice, you discover how to live your true life - more fully and morejoyfully.

Those are the seven reasons.Along with ideas on how to move through them.Because, theres no reason to let a bit of debris stop you from enjoying a refreshing swim in thedeep, clear, refreshing waters of your inner mind.

Ready for the next step?

Our recommendation is for you to subscribe to the Wisdom Heart newsletter. Youll receiveinformation and inspiration on how to bring meditation alive in your life. Practical ideas that youcan use for peace of mind and the clarity to live with greater fulfillment and purpose.

Go to www.wisdomheart.org/subscribe
http://www.wisdomheart.org/subscribehttp://www.wisdomheart.org/subscribehttp://www.wisdomheart.org/subscribehttp://www.wisdomheart.org/http://www.wisdomheart.org/http://www.wisdomheart.org/http://www.wisdomheart.org/


9/9


How to take your spiritual practice deeper?When you subscribe to our newsletter, youll get updates on programs, products, and retreats.Go to www.wisdomheart.org/subscribe

If youre in Southern California, please come to our Sunday MeditationProgram.

Every Sunday morning we gather to meditate.These meetings are for everybody those who have never meditated and those who have anestablished practice.

This group practice generates a nourishing and inspiring atmosphere that makes it easy toexperience the peace of meditation.

The Sunday program includes music, chanting, guided and silent meditation, and an inspiringmessage. Its a deep and uplifting experience.

We offer this Sunday meditation on a donation basis.

Sunday Meditation location1455 Hymettus Avenue, Encinitas, CA 92024

Contact us if youve got questions

[email protected]

760-436-5535
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.wisdomheart.org/subscribehttp://www.wisdomheart.org/subscribehttp://www.wisdomheart.org/http://www.wisdomheart.org/

Documents

7 Reasons Meditation