You Are Probably Wrong About Meditation

There was a great ad, that ran in Yoga Journal for years, with the heading, Meditation Is Not What You Think.

In addition to meaning that meditation is not the same as thinking, the heading also suggested that most people have erroneous presumptions about meditation, as in, meditation is not what you think it is.

As the title of this column suggests, I agree.

Most people have misconceptions about meditation, ideas that I’ve had to repeatedly address in my workshops and private sessions.

And it’s not just the beginners.

No, I’ve had to clear up many a misunderstanding with people who have told me that they’ve been meditating for years.

What is Meditation?

In its purest form, the term meditation means two things; (1) the state of meditation, which resembles deep dreamless sleep while awake, and, (2) the practices that lead to the state, usually a combination of relaxation and concentration techniques.

In short, concentration and relaxation techniques are used to create the right circumstances for the meditative state, in the same way that you lie down and close your eyes to create the right circumstances for sleep. In both cases, the state change happens when the circumstances are right.

Why Are People So Confused?

1. Confusing the Practices with the State

Many people confuse the practices with the state. They think that meditation is the doing part (sitting in a certain way, focusing on the breath, repeating a mantra) when in reality, meditation is a natural state that is uncovered when the right circumstances have been created.

There are many preparation techniques but only one meditative state, if we define it as the fourth state, similar to deep dreamless sleep while awake.

2. Confusing Thoughts and Images with Meditation

Another explanation is that people confuse mental and emotional states, byproducts of the practices, with the real meditative state. They think that experiencing heightened emotions and seeing visions, such as lights and sounds, are in fact the meditative state they are looking for. But these byproducts are not the meditative state, rather veils that need to be removed or transcended.

3. Confusing the Philosophy or Religion with Meditation

Finally, people often confuse the philosophy that has been linked to meditative practices with the meditative state. They think that they need to follow a guru, believe in certain gods or goddesses or completely change their religious or philosophical outlook.

This is probably the most common misunderstanding.

In reality, meditation is a natural state that each and every person can uncover, regardless of philosophical or religious outlook.

People Will Continue To Be Confused—But You Don’t Have To Be

This short article will not clear up the misunderstanding in general. There are too many people peddling too many variations of meditation for me to rectify these misconceptions. But, just because other people are confused doesn’t mean that you have to be.

To avoid misconceptions allow the following two concepts to guide you.

One, remember that meditation is a state. You cannot do meditation, you can only create the right circumstances and then you will transition from one state to another. Knowing that meditation is in many ways like sleep will help you.

Two, know what you are looking for. The meditation state is like deep dreamless sleep while awake. This means that while you maintain physical alertness your mind goes into a state similar to the deep dream state. By default, this also means that emotions and mental images are not the same as meditation.

Gudjon Bergmann
Interfaith Minister & Author

p.s. If you are still confused, read my book Baby Steps to Meditation. It only takes 30 minutes to read and contains a lifetime of understanding in a simplified but undiluted form.

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