Meditation is Not What You Think It is
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Let me start with something that everyone in every part of the world can relate to — Music.
What do you think music is?
Is it something you enjoy listening to?
Is it life? Soul? God?
Is it something that relaxes you?
A sweet feeling? An emotion?
Is it rhythm? Melody? Harmony?
Is it an arrangement of notes which are pleasing to hear?
One person’s music can be another person’s noise. A technically trained musician might reject an underdone composition.
Here is nice compilation of how some of the most iconic musicians have defined music:
https://www.musichouseschool.com/what-is-music-music-defined-by-musicians
If you check Wikipedia. It goes on to describe everything about music, what it is made of, music history, music traditions, etc.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music
So many definitions, descriptions & experiences. But the question remains what is music?
Whatever be your definition of music, you really can’t say exactly what it is? You can only experience it? You can only describe it figuratively or objectively. You can start with a definition. And then few years later you might feel totally different about it.
Meditation is the Same
If you ask someone “What do you think meditation is?”, mostly they will give you a blank look.
If they have not experienced meditation, they will say “Is it Hypnosis? Om? A ritual? Yoga? Prayer? God? Buddha? Shiva? Allah? Jesus? …”
Someone who has been meditating will try to explain it to you. They will describe their experience — what it means to them. Just like how people describe music.
But they will not be able to point out exactly what meditation is?
Again if you check Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation, it gives you descriptions on techniques of meditation, the effect that these techniques produce, different traditions of meditation and what techniques those traditions preach and so on…
But What is Meditation?
I remember when I had started meditating. For a long time, I used to think meditation was thoughtlessness.
Then there came a time when I started thinking meditation is no good. It is just an illusion of mind.
As I kept up with my practice, I thought meditation was a tool to clear negative emotions and doubts.
Still further, I started thinking meditation was a tool to gain perfection.
As I became very disciplined with my practice, I thought meditation was a practice.
Then I got married. I thought meditation was a way to free my mind; to become stress free at the end of the day; to find peace..
Then as things settled, I came back to realizing that meditation was thoughtlessness.
I looped back where I started. But this time with greater understanding & depth of what I meant and experienced.
I have interacted with so many meditators. Some mature, some not so mature, some newbies. I have even interacted with people who have not meditated but have an opinion about it. I asked them “what do you think meditation is?”
Everybody has their own changing definition.
Once you start meditating, you get more curious to know what meditation is. You immediately start forming your opinions. You are like, “No… no .. it’s not like that… it is a little different. Let me tell you my experience.”
You might not be able to define in accurately, but somewhere inside you know the feeling is right.
Then, There are These Absurd Definitions
During my exploration, I came across certain definitions of meditation that were outright wrong. Absurd. Ridiculous. Were they myths or just bad definitions or bad PR floating around?
Whatever they were, I think they need to be debunked. Because they prevent well meaning pragmatic people like you from experiencing the benefits of meditation. They infuse wrong ideas which keep you confused for a long time. Wasting your precious time.
What if someone told you that all music is hypnosis. If you believed them, you would be scared of listening to music.
Whether you meditate or not, it is good to put an end to these distractions for once and for all.
So let us look at some wrong definitions of meditation. They come in many disguises. I have been able to categorize them into 7 categories,
1. Meditation is — Programming the Mind
No, it is not. The word programming is popular these days. It makes you look serious and pragmatic. Like you know how to control things.
Somebody will even say “I know better. Meditation is not programming the mind, it is meta programming the mind”.
Essentially they are hinting that through meditation you can program your mind to believe and achieve anything. They equate you to a computer and then apply software engineering on your head.
This whole idea of programming gives you a sense of control. It gives you a definite visualization — like an adept programmer you can fix your mind’s software or create a totally new one.
The idea is so fascinating. It points to a possibility that you are free to program your mind the way you want. And unleash the hidden power in you.
Isn’t this what most of us want?
Maybe the claims about these techniques are right to some extent. But these techniques are not meditation. You should call them Mind Programming Techniques (MPT), if you will; not meditation.
Any effort to flood your mind with new ideas and concepts is not meditation. Meditation is simplification. It is relaxing in whatever you are. You don’t need more ideas, programming, simulations or stimulations.
Meditation is definitely not programming, meta programming, meta meta programming, God programming or subtle programming of mind.
2. Meditation is Seeing Light
I think this definition comes from the artistic renditions of saints and Gods with white halo behind their heads. Such art is present in all traditions. Sometimes artists complement the portraits of saints with shiny symbols like a star, sun, moon or a lamp.
While these symbols have their own significance in those traditions, it does not mean meditation is visualizing light inside you.
Trying to force some light to emanate from inside you is messed up. It is not meditation.
Why would you close your eyes and meditate to see light? Why not open your eyes and see it naturally all around you?
The idea of inner light is fascinating. But how are you so sure that the inner light is going to be the same thing as the light you see outside? Are you expecting a halo to form behind your head? Or, a torch light to come out of your mouth?
And even if you saw light as a physical phenomenon inside you, what good will it be, anyways? Seeing that light.
You saw that light. A physical event happened. Then what? That’s it. Right? Nothing more.
Did it make you more peaceful? Did it give you clarity?
Meditation is not about forcing your mind to switch-on a physical light inside you.
Maybe, light as a metaphor describes your awareness. A realization. That is it. Point is, it is just a metaphor. Throw it away, after you have understood it.
3. Meditation is Intense Focus
This is another twisted idea.
When people say that meditation is intense focus, the next moment they start putting force in between their eyebrows during their meditation. Stressing their head.
What do they get out of it? Usually headache, twisted eyes or migraine.
The idea of focus does emerge in meditation. It is one of the effects of meditation. It is nothing you force. It happens naturally. A natural feeling of absorption.
A relaxed mind automatically has a tendency to rest in a focused state. You must have experienced it when doing something you love to do — you have a sharp focus, you feel relaxed and you feel energized, all at the same time.
A definition like “intense focus” has a potential to point you in the right direction. But mostly when I read certain peoples’ understanding about it, they have gotten it all wrong. They interpret it as an effort that they have to put deliberately. So avoid this definition.
Meditation is not intense focus.
4. Meditation is Controlling your Thoughts
Sometimes people sit for meditation with an idea of controlling their thoughts. It is an ugly cute mistake. Happens a lot.
You hear some experiences & descriptions of thoughtlessness from other meditators. Again, it sounds fascinating (like seeing light).
So when you go back to your meditation, you start thinking about it. You indulge in the idea of thoughtlessness. Result? You start getting more thoughts. Before you know it, you are lost in those thoughts.
After sometime you realize “oh what has happened”. You were supposed to be thoughtless. So you build a defense mechanism. You attempt to control your thoughts. You create this idea of controlling thoughts.
The idea of controlling thoughts somehow feels legit as if it is a self disciplining Zen thing. Unfortunately it is not.
Meditation is not controlling thoughts. The whole idea of controlling thoughts is a trap.
5. Meditation is Hypnosis
This is fearsome.
This is simply bad PR, I think. Propagated by people who somehow have intense disliking for meditation. Or, by people who have seen hypnosis happen. So they end up thinking that guided meditation techniques are actually hypnosis.
This is sad.
Again, the flaw here is, you are thinking of meditation in terms of mind control. You think somebody else is trying to control your mind. Of course, you don’t want that. Nobody wants that.
“Meditation is a form of Hypnosis” is a myth that scares people from starting meditation.
Meditation is not hypnosis.
6. Meditation is Reaching a Different Realm — Another Zone
This is what I call — floozie-doozie stuff. People start imagining alternate worlds. Alternate realms. A parallel word of Gods, time travel, space travel, cosmos, etc.
And then they say that meditation will get you into that realm.
This is absurd hallucination. Avoid it. This is mere imagination. And very far from what meditation is. Meditation is about dropping all imaginations.
Emphasizing a picture of an alternate reality is equating meditation to an experience of drugs — hallucination.
Meditation is not tripping on a different realm. Let’s stay grounded.
7. Meditation is Asserting Good Thoughts
This one is an innocent mistake. But again meditation is not about asserting good thoughts.
This might comes as a surprise to you.
Look, there are affirmation techniques. But then they are affirmation techniques. They are not meditation. Different concept. Don’t think that if you are doing affirmations, you are meditating.
You are just asserting good thoughts.
Good thoughts are good thoughts. They can result in good action. They can be transformational. There is nothing wrong in that. They can create a good starting point for meditation.
Hence it is an innocent mistake to call affirmations as meditation.
What are the Right Definitions of Meditation?
So, these were the misleading flawed ideas on meditation. You can dump them right away.
But then what are not-so-flawed ideas on meditation that have potential to point you in right direction? I will highlight 3 of such ideas here,
- Meditation is thoughtlessness
- Meditation is relaxed and calm mind
- Meditation is an absorbed & alert state of consciousness without any movement
These definitions feel right (The third one sounds a bit technical. Like the one you see meditation experts talk about. But don’t obsess about it. It is simply a description. You will see ahead what I mean).
Here is the flaw with these definitions: they seem to connote that meditation is meant for those who are bothered by their thoughts, or who have troubled minds or those who are already meditating.
I mean if you are happy with your thoughts; if you are able to apply your thoughts for your growth, then why would you want to be thoughtless? Right?
Nevertheless there is some practicality in these definition. Meditation does create balance. Your anxiety settles; you feel calm and light; thoughts settle; there is a sense of absorption.
But again, these experiences are by-products of meditation. So by all means start meditating. And experience these experiences. But when you start experiencing something don’t hold on to these definitions.
Don’t start bothering — “was this peace? is this what the feeling of absorption feels like? was that thoughtlessness? what is consciousness anyways?”
The Difficulties for a Meditator
If you are a meditator, then holding on to these definitions can result in two types of difficulties -
One. Suppose you had lots of thoughts during a session of meditation, you will feel you had a meditation. Or, that you are not making any progress. Or, you degraded from your achievements. You will blame yourself.
Two. You take it upon yourself to get rid of thoughts — through your valor and skills. Just to realize later that it was a futile exercise to do so. You feel you wasted your time. So, you give up meditation.
What should you do then?
Nothing. Know that there is no one definition of meditation. People just describe their experiences. Your experience could be different & unique. Or, same.
The Paradox
And there is a paradox that emerges,
If meditation is thoughtlessness then how would you ever know you meditated. And if you know you meditated then there were thoughts. So you did not meditate.
Logically, there is no point in getting hung up on these ideas. Or, taking them to heart.
Concluding Pragmatic Remarks
Definitions of meditation are pointers or guiding principles for possible experiences you can get.
Don’t think too much about them. You will not get any insights by contemplating about these definitions.
Instead meditate. And don’t worry. You will surely get the insights.
The idea is that you should meditate to know what meditation is.
I hope now it makes a lot more sense, that meditation is not what you think it is. Instead it is …
