Shuddhaanandaa BrahmachariJust as we have accepted that a daily routine of some physical exercise can improve our health and wellbeing, so also that day is not far when the world will recognize meditation and mindfulness as the exercise of the brain that runs our mini universe! Global research proves that mindfulness can change the way we look at the world and interact with love and compassion. Only a mindful person can rise above reaction and respond with kindness and love.
Neuroscientists are coming with more and more solid proof that meditation is the only way we can transcend the conditioned mind of the pain-pleasure cycle and reach the ground of stability and calm, seeing the world and responding to the world of daily life from the state of higher consciousness. Yes, all our daily routine and exercise is useless if we have not meditated upon our higher Self for at least 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the evening!
Daily meditation not only neutralizes the negative impact of suppressed anger and frustrations but also builds the muscle of our mind to have more immunity to stand the challenges of the negative environment. We may waste our time in fixing the things outside and we might be successful in the short run but the problems will come back and hit us in course of time, destabilizing us. The only solution therefore is to create an attitude of love and empathy and handle situations with a calm meditative mind.
Meditation is to visit our “home” from time to time and relax and rejuvenate, regenerate, heal, and then bounce back to the dynamic life of activities. We can work, work, work, till our last breath, but we must not stray away from the Center, our inner cave, our silent Home of eternal peace and calm. Let us not be bound to work in this world of impermanence in a fake search of name and fame, wealth and attachments, but let work be the tool to lift us up to the meditative world of pure joy and abiding peace.
We can rise above all these habitual negative tendencies of mind only when we mindfully see the world and happenings in our daily life with the eyes of higher light and not the repetitive judgmental mind. By being more judgmental we lose peace of mind. Daily meditation and our own silent time are to renew the bonding of friendship with our own mind. Our friendly mind is ever positive, ever joyful, ever in the holy company of Higher Self.
True spirituality or the path of meditation is to return back to our natural Self again. When we go to a place of pure nature we become meditative and spiritually vibrant for our soul longs to be in nature and be natural. It is the illusive mind that pulls us away from nature outside and inside. Only meditation and prayerfulness can make our mind free of all illusions and allow us to abide in our pristine natural Self.
Yes, meditation is to be conscious of consciousness, aware of awareness, to be the witness of all the fleeting things of the changing phenomena of life. Everything else requires our doing; meditation is a state of non-doing. Let’s just sit with our body-mind daily for a few minutes and observe non-judgmentally the sensations of our body and passing thoughts of our mind and breathe consciously. The calmness that follows takes us closer and closer to our pristine blissful Self.
