Meditation on Meditation

Meditation on Meditation

Chandrika

“Through meditation, rein in the mind, restrain the senses and recover the abiding joy and peace of the Self within.” (Gita, 6:15) But, why meditate? The philosopher Eknath Easwaran explained, “An elephant went berserk in the marketplace, picking up bananas, coconuts, flowers, its truck in constant, quivering motion. The mahout understood. He gave it a stick to grasp. Holding it aloft, it walked straight, without a glance on either side.” So with the mind. Given the stick of meditation, it will cease to run amuck. But meditation isn’t to withdraw or sit in motionless silence. It’s not a situation we enter; it’s an attitude we adopt. Mentally, meditation is the God note we must strike in all our thinking. Once, strangers came to Kabir’s home in search of him. His wife answered, “A neighbour died. He’s at the cemetery. Meet him there.” “But how do we recognise him?” “By the light of knowledge that shines on his forehead.” Soon, the men returned. “Every man at the cemetery, had a light on his forehead.” His wife smiled. “Watch them as they come out. Their light will fade; Kabir’s will continue to shine.” The truth is constant, irrespective of the circumstance. To know it, is to be in meditation. In action, meditation is complete involvement. A sage, interrupted in meditation by a crow, cursed it, turning it to ashes. Hungry, he went to the first doorstep to beg for alms. After repeated calls, a woman finally emerged. The sage was enraged at being kept waiting. The woman said, “So involved was I in serving food to my husband, that I scarcely heard your voice. How then, in conversation with your Maker, did you hear the crow?” To immerse yourself in work - that too is meditation. In expression, meditation is silence. Dag Hammarskjold once said that prayer could be summed up in just two words - Thank You and Yes. “For all that has been - Thank You. For all to come - Yes.” If language expressed only appreciation and acceptance, it could transform into a vehicle for meditation. Finally, meditation is a state - of complete surrender. The gopis quarreled. “Krishna is mine,” each claimed. Only Radha was quiet. Later, she simply said, “I am Krishna’s.”