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What is Meditation (Dhyana)?

"Meditation is to religion what the laboratory is to science."
--Paramahansa Yogananda

Nowadays it is difficult to find people who have not heard of meditation. The majority of them, however, have only a vague notion what it is about and how to practice it. Some people equate meditation with a way of emotional healing and stress reduction, others reduce it to a Hindu or Buddhist method of religious worship. At the extreme, people who practice meditation have been labeled as spacey, emotionally impaired, oversensitive individuals, rushing to fix themselves with the latest New Age contraptions, or as antisocial escapist-yogis having no interest in the world. All these criticisms have some basis in reality, for such qualities may be found among people who practice meditation or live in spiritual communities. Whatever the downside or whatever the label, contemplative practice is an inseparable part of all spiritual traditions; it is both the axis and foundation on which the spiritual life is built.

In the last decade meditation has become an important, although still minor, healing modality of psychotherapists and rehabilitation institutions. It is being studied at the world’s largest universities. Science is finally confirming what was known to yogis for millennia: meditation helps us to heal emotionally, has a calming effect on our nerves, balances blood pressure, has excellent stress reduction properties, helps us to relax and to control pain. But whatever the ‘worldly’ benefits of meditation, its most important application is spiritual growth, which is impossible without contemplative practice.

The human mind has two directions, external and internal. Our thoughts are usually directed outward and, much less frequently, inward. And this is natural: in order to avoid discomfort and seek pleasure, we need to be constantly concerned with the external world. So gradually we develop the habit of taking in and reaching out for the external world and, sooner or later, of constantly and restlessly thinking about it. We run after a piece of bread, worry about those close to us, work hard, seek diversions and entertainment when we're tired, and try to resolve our constantly arising problems. This way we are incessantly drawn into the drama of worldly existence, the main hero of which is the restless, ever-curious "me." This "me" has so little time to examine itself that we have but little idea to what degree we are entangled in this drama. We are so lost in, so confused by, the external that we forget who we are and what we really want!

Meditation is a powerful tool, one that not only provides us the opportunity to see this "drama," but also to slow it down, to let it cool off and, finally, to leave it entirely--to finish off our slave-actor career. It helps us to remember and get in touch with what we really long for, to learn about our real needs and to find and connect with our authentic life's calling, which is to follow our inner bliss. (The latter should not be confused with following one's desire.) Through regular and persistent meditation practice we gradually calm down and begin to come alive from within. Sooner or later we begin to see the external world as it is --God's Drama. And having seen this, our imagination, which is fed by the external world, loses its power over us and we gain freedom.

From the point of view of tantra yoga theory, the human soul (atman) is a part of the Supreme Soul (Paramatman). Like God’s Soul, the human soul is infinite in its nature but, by the influence of the "dark force" (avidya maya), it comes to desire the objects of the external world. Being of infinite nature, the soul longs for its true soul mate--for the Infinite Beloved, for the relationship, the union with the Supreme Soul. That deep dissatisfaction we frequently feel with life, with our work, with our mates, with things in our closets, is the natural sickness of an estranged soul, longing for its true companion—God. The human soul can never be truly satisfied with something of a limited nature because it wants, it longs for, the Infinite. Although initially, the dark force confuses the mind and makes it run towards the world of things and ideas, that nagging dissatisfaction will remind us of, make us restless for, the Infinite Supreme. The whole point of the spiritual path--the path of meditation, is nothing but to recognize and satisfy that infinite longing. Without success on this Path, we are doomed to being dissatisfied and restless.

The term "meditation" is often used both to denote the process or technique of meditation, as well as the state "elicited" by meditation practice. Usually during meditation we concentrate on a particular object or idea, such as a flower, a candle flame, a sound, a word (mantra), an image of a deity, our breath, or, in its purest form, simply on whatever is. A beginner would benefit most from the insight meditation style: simply concentrating on the breath and whatever is. An advanced practitioner would be served best by the style of meditation that requires a concentrated effort, such as focusing his or her mind on complex visualization (of a mandala or a deity) and repeating a specially empowered mantra. Such advanced techniques must be acquired only via the process of initiation and only from a competent teacher/guru. The method of meditation should correspond to your personality, body type and sam'skara (karma). For this, it is best to place your confidence in a competent teacher. The practice of meditation will gradually reduce the stream of thoughts arising in your mind. The preoccupation with these thoughts, the certainty of their importance, as well as the false sense that we and our thoughts are one and the same, also gradually diminishes. At first it is hard to free ourselves from the whirlpool of thoughts--it sucks us in. But if we can experience the degree to which we've become caught up in it, there is the possibility of making an effort and learning to escape it, rather than drowning in it.

The state "elicited" by meditation depends on the nature of the person, on the method of meditation and on the experience of the meditator. Relaxation and the experience of inner peace, an improvement in relationships with relatives and friends, as well as an increase in the ability to concentrate and a clarification of the reasoning faculty, are natural signs that the practice of meditation is "successful," that is to say, is going "normally." However much you wish to find out what positive effects meditation will have on you, it is best not to get stuck on such thoughts when you are practicing meditation. Such expectations only add strength to the whirl of thoughts and complicate the practice of meditation.

If at the beginning of your practice you do not feel inner peace, bliss, clarity of mind or any other advertised "benefits" of meditation, this in itself does not indicate that you are practicing incorrectly. It is not important what you are feeling during meditation. It is not important if you are happy, blissful or calm during meditation. The important thing is that you do it on a regular basis and that you apply the appropriate effort (but do not overdo). There is no doubt that regular, diligent practice of meditation under the guidance of a competent teacher will gradually bring about both an understanding of how to do it "better" and a wiser attitude toward life--which all of us could use.

--Anatole