Abhijit Naskar's Blog - Posts Tagged "meditation"
Meditation is a method-less act
I want you to do something today. I want you to get rid of all the things that you have heard about meditation so far - everything - all those things about focus, attention, sitting upright, closing your eyes, focusing on breathing, sound, this and that - everything - even the things that you have heard from me. Let's try it shall we! Let's start afresh. Let's take a fresh look at meditation. What is Meditation? Forget everything you know about meditation and simply think. Meditation simply means - thinking over - to think over something - to put your whole attention on something without pressure - anything. That is the simplest explanation for meditation. Meditation is simply thinking over.
Today meditation has become a kind of hectic practice where you sit upright and do a lot of breathing exercises, this and that - and they call it Raja Yoga, Vipassana or something else. They need to call it that way, because this way they can keep it mystical. And the more they can keep it mystical, the more they can gain from it. Simplifying it doesn't make the whole business of yoga, meditation and all that, profitable, does it!
So let's simplify it, shall we! Meditation has been proposed as a means to psychological well being - and that means usually comes along with specific methodologies. The Buddhists have their Vipassana technique - the Hindus have their Kundalini nonsense. I am calling it nonsense because of all the mysticism it brings along. The mystical advocates of all that kundalini stuff, truly believe that there are actual energy centers throughout the human spine, and by unlocking them one could attain glorious spiritual potential. The Hindus also call this method of unlocking the kundalini centers of chakras, Raja Yoga, as if its something supreme, and not an ordinary mental state to be attained by an ordinary human. So, when the very practice of Raja Yoga proposes the notion, that it is something not ordinary, and basically unattainable without a teacher - that it is something higher than normal human practice, you naturally feel like you are supposed to go to an expert. This makes it profitable. Hence rises countless spiritual institutions upon the edifice of the primitive elements of human mysticism.
Now let's throw all that mysticism away and look without judgement and preconceived mystical illusions of intellect. Meditation simply means focusing on something, thinking over something. Now the question is, do we need to sit upright and practise meditation the conventional way - closing our eyes, focusing on breathing or chanting or say Aum and going through a million other rituals! Is it necessary? Well, if it suits your taste then of course it's okay - nobody is condemning it. It will bring you obvious health benefits, surely. But it's only the way of the novice, also the most robotic way. Meditation means thinking over. But think over what? Do you have something to think over - something that you'd just think over, simply to take the pleasure from it - to simply be yourself in it - anything - a practice, a habit, a hobby, an idea, anything - something you can think over without any pressure of technicality, ritual or norms - that you can pay your whole attention to, simply because you love it, not because some great so-called guru tells you to practise it or some great scientist tells you to practise it! Do you have something like that - do you - anything - painting, writing, going out for a walk of contemplation, filmmaking, photography - any human activity that you can engage yourself in, without all the pressure that comes along with the very term "method"!
When you love doing something, there is no method, there is no risk, there is no fear, there is no insecurity of failure, there is just doing it. You just love it and do it. Often we also use the term "passion", but I think, the word "passion" is a petty human attempt to justify the activity in front of the society. Why do you need to justify it! You simply love it and you do it. When you love it and do it, you are basically meditating upon it. And when the humans have something they love to do, and they do it, which means meditate upon it, they give a certain amount of time from their daily schedule to that activity, not out of pressure, not out of the insecurity of psychological obscurity, not out of a revolting attitude against the social norms, but simply to be themselves in that activity. When you do that on a daily basis, or find time to do that every now and then, every week, you are basically engaging your brain almost in the same manner as anybody else does in practising the conventional way of meditation - sitting upright, closing their eyes and focusing within. The brain functionings in both cases are basically similar - and they bring the same kind of inner emotional stability, same kind of inner content more importantly - basically the same kind of internal well being, which is sustained in the long run, if you can simply do what you love to do on a regular basis. This way your brain goes through a kind of unique refreshment - that basically is the product of meditation - the simplest meditation - meditation upon the activity that allows you to be you.
Meditation is a method-less act - an act of contemplation - an act of being. And this contemplation or this being is not a buddhist thing, a hindu thing or a jewish thing - it is simply a human thing. No pranayama, vipassana or kabala has any kind of exclusive authority over meditation whatsoever. All these ways are merely the means of the novice to begin the journey. But the means is not the real act itself. Seeing the method of meditation as meditation itself, is like confusing the menu for the meal. The real journey takes place when there is no means whatsoever - when the self does not need to make efforts to be the self - that's real meditation - the meditation where you simply are who you are and do not seek methods to attain a superficial state of mind.
If you find something you love and make that your profession, then you'll never need to practise the conventional meditation in your life, in order to be psychologically well, because your very profession would be the best meditation for you. If you don't exactly have that dream profession, then simply taking time out from your daily schedule to do what you love to do, would still be a better meditation for you than the conventional one. And if none of these is an option for you, then you can resort to the conventional form of methodical meditation. The final call on this matter, would be made by nobody else but you. But bear in mind, kids meditate on things, the adults meditate on the self. Meditation on the self is the highest form of true method-less meditation, for it brings self-awareness - which is beyond the everyday joy and sorrow. True meditation does not put you in control of your sorrow, rather it takes your mind beyond that very sorrow, as well as joy, into the kingdom of contentment - a kingdom without ideology - without cognitive extremes, such as radical rationalism, radical romanticism or radical emotionalism. In that kingdom, you simply are a human, with no name, no nationality, no tradition, no culture, no religion, no gender and no social image - simply a human.
Further Reading
In Search of Divinity: Journey to the Kingdom of Conscience
Today meditation has become a kind of hectic practice where you sit upright and do a lot of breathing exercises, this and that - and they call it Raja Yoga, Vipassana or something else. They need to call it that way, because this way they can keep it mystical. And the more they can keep it mystical, the more they can gain from it. Simplifying it doesn't make the whole business of yoga, meditation and all that, profitable, does it!
So let's simplify it, shall we! Meditation has been proposed as a means to psychological well being - and that means usually comes along with specific methodologies. The Buddhists have their Vipassana technique - the Hindus have their Kundalini nonsense. I am calling it nonsense because of all the mysticism it brings along. The mystical advocates of all that kundalini stuff, truly believe that there are actual energy centers throughout the human spine, and by unlocking them one could attain glorious spiritual potential. The Hindus also call this method of unlocking the kundalini centers of chakras, Raja Yoga, as if its something supreme, and not an ordinary mental state to be attained by an ordinary human. So, when the very practice of Raja Yoga proposes the notion, that it is something not ordinary, and basically unattainable without a teacher - that it is something higher than normal human practice, you naturally feel like you are supposed to go to an expert. This makes it profitable. Hence rises countless spiritual institutions upon the edifice of the primitive elements of human mysticism.
Now let's throw all that mysticism away and look without judgement and preconceived mystical illusions of intellect. Meditation simply means focusing on something, thinking over something. Now the question is, do we need to sit upright and practise meditation the conventional way - closing our eyes, focusing on breathing or chanting or say Aum and going through a million other rituals! Is it necessary? Well, if it suits your taste then of course it's okay - nobody is condemning it. It will bring you obvious health benefits, surely. But it's only the way of the novice, also the most robotic way. Meditation means thinking over. But think over what? Do you have something to think over - something that you'd just think over, simply to take the pleasure from it - to simply be yourself in it - anything - a practice, a habit, a hobby, an idea, anything - something you can think over without any pressure of technicality, ritual or norms - that you can pay your whole attention to, simply because you love it, not because some great so-called guru tells you to practise it or some great scientist tells you to practise it! Do you have something like that - do you - anything - painting, writing, going out for a walk of contemplation, filmmaking, photography - any human activity that you can engage yourself in, without all the pressure that comes along with the very term "method"!
When you love doing something, there is no method, there is no risk, there is no fear, there is no insecurity of failure, there is just doing it. You just love it and do it. Often we also use the term "passion", but I think, the word "passion" is a petty human attempt to justify the activity in front of the society. Why do you need to justify it! You simply love it and you do it. When you love it and do it, you are basically meditating upon it. And when the humans have something they love to do, and they do it, which means meditate upon it, they give a certain amount of time from their daily schedule to that activity, not out of pressure, not out of the insecurity of psychological obscurity, not out of a revolting attitude against the social norms, but simply to be themselves in that activity. When you do that on a daily basis, or find time to do that every now and then, every week, you are basically engaging your brain almost in the same manner as anybody else does in practising the conventional way of meditation - sitting upright, closing their eyes and focusing within. The brain functionings in both cases are basically similar - and they bring the same kind of inner emotional stability, same kind of inner content more importantly - basically the same kind of internal well being, which is sustained in the long run, if you can simply do what you love to do on a regular basis. This way your brain goes through a kind of unique refreshment - that basically is the product of meditation - the simplest meditation - meditation upon the activity that allows you to be you.
Meditation is a method-less act - an act of contemplation - an act of being. And this contemplation or this being is not a buddhist thing, a hindu thing or a jewish thing - it is simply a human thing. No pranayama, vipassana or kabala has any kind of exclusive authority over meditation whatsoever. All these ways are merely the means of the novice to begin the journey. But the means is not the real act itself. Seeing the method of meditation as meditation itself, is like confusing the menu for the meal. The real journey takes place when there is no means whatsoever - when the self does not need to make efforts to be the self - that's real meditation - the meditation where you simply are who you are and do not seek methods to attain a superficial state of mind.
If you find something you love and make that your profession, then you'll never need to practise the conventional meditation in your life, in order to be psychologically well, because your very profession would be the best meditation for you. If you don't exactly have that dream profession, then simply taking time out from your daily schedule to do what you love to do, would still be a better meditation for you than the conventional one. And if none of these is an option for you, then you can resort to the conventional form of methodical meditation. The final call on this matter, would be made by nobody else but you. But bear in mind, kids meditate on things, the adults meditate on the self. Meditation on the self is the highest form of true method-less meditation, for it brings self-awareness - which is beyond the everyday joy and sorrow. True meditation does not put you in control of your sorrow, rather it takes your mind beyond that very sorrow, as well as joy, into the kingdom of contentment - a kingdom without ideology - without cognitive extremes, such as radical rationalism, radical romanticism or radical emotionalism. In that kingdom, you simply are a human, with no name, no nationality, no tradition, no culture, no religion, no gender and no social image - simply a human.
Further Reading
In Search of Divinity: Journey to the Kingdom of Conscience
Child of Earth (The Sonnet)
Walk, walk, walk ahead,
O brave child of earth.
Let no fear shackle your feet,
Selflessness paves all path.
Meditate on unity,
Dedicate to inclusion.
Educate your soul,
Be free from self-absorption.
Forget gender, religion and ideology,
Abolish all chains of tribalism.
Place people at your heart's altar,
One dream, one mission – universalism.
Shallow and separated we can stay no more.
We must break ourselves to let light outpour.
O brave child of earth.
Let no fear shackle your feet,
Selflessness paves all path.
Meditate on unity,
Dedicate to inclusion.
Educate your soul,
Be free from self-absorption.
Forget gender, religion and ideology,
Abolish all chains of tribalism.
Place people at your heart's altar,
One dream, one mission – universalism.
Shallow and separated we can stay no more.
We must break ourselves to let light outpour.
I Meditate on People | The Gentalist
Losing oneself in prayer won’t do, losing oneself in meditation won’t do, if we must be lost, let us lose ourselves in resuscitating this dying world of ours with our sweat and blood. People think meditation will solve everything. And to some extent, even I thought this way when I was a teenager. But the fact of the matter is, it won’t.
It’s not bad mark you, but contrary to popular belief, it’s not the key to all the problems of society.
We need ten percent meditation, ninety percent revolution. Better yet, we need a life where meditation is revolution, revolution is meditation. It is this simple. Make justice your meditation, make equity your meditation, make love your meditation, and you won’t need any of the traditional meditation.
The greatest meditation is revolution for assimilation. La mayor meditación es la revolución para la asimilación. Justicia es mi meditación – igualdad es mi meditación – humanidad es mi meditación.
Society needs your active involvement, not your pretend involvement. I’ll say it to you plainly. If you don’t wanna get involved, that’s perfectly fine, but don’t pretend that you are doing great service to the world by praying and meditating isolated from the actual troubles of society.
Prayer as means of self-sustenance is okay, but it mustn’t be glorified beyond that point. Worse than non-involvement is pretend involvement. Either get involved or don’t, there’s no praying. Either serve or don’t, there’s no praying. Either lift or don’t, there’s no praying.
It’s not bad mark you, but contrary to popular belief, it’s not the key to all the problems of society.
We need ten percent meditation, ninety percent revolution. Better yet, we need a life where meditation is revolution, revolution is meditation. It is this simple. Make justice your meditation, make equity your meditation, make love your meditation, and you won’t need any of the traditional meditation.
The greatest meditation is revolution for assimilation. La mayor meditación es la revolución para la asimilación. Justicia es mi meditación – igualdad es mi meditación – humanidad es mi meditación.
Society needs your active involvement, not your pretend involvement. I’ll say it to you plainly. If you don’t wanna get involved, that’s perfectly fine, but don’t pretend that you are doing great service to the world by praying and meditating isolated from the actual troubles of society.
Prayer as means of self-sustenance is okay, but it mustn’t be glorified beyond that point. Worse than non-involvement is pretend involvement. Either get involved or don’t, there’s no praying. Either serve or don’t, there’s no praying. Either lift or don’t, there’s no praying.
Honor He Wrote Sonnet 100
All meditate on symbols,
I meditate on people.
Most worship fictitious deities,
I worship those branded unliftable.
People are my almighty,
Oneness is my religion,
Division is degradation,
Unification is illumination.
All is possible for a human who’s responsible,
Only the indifferent make excuses.
Possibility is born of responsibility,
Not of whining, praying and limbless wishes.
Real and unreal, put all these talk aside.
Let us be civilization, let us be lifelight.
I meditate on people.
Most worship fictitious deities,
I worship those branded unliftable.
People are my almighty,
Oneness is my religion,
Division is degradation,
Unification is illumination.
All is possible for a human who’s responsible,
Only the indifferent make excuses.
Possibility is born of responsibility,
Not of whining, praying and limbless wishes.
Real and unreal, put all these talk aside.
Let us be civilization, let us be lifelight.
Practical Mindfulness (The Sonnet) | Corazon Calamidad
When someone’s world is crumbling down,
Reach out to lend a shoulder not analysis.
If the world had more carers and sharers,
We wouldn’t need the services of therapists.
Most humans are raised to be selfish robots,
Then they spend their life on a therapist’s sofa.
When someone’s going through a period of grief,
Only the mindless comments, ‘have you tried yoga!’
For the human mind to be whole and healthy,
You gotta empty it of all the unhealthy junk.
And there is no greater junk on the face of earth,
Than the traditions that make us self-centric drunk.
Elimination of coldness is the highest of all wisdom.
Treat the common cold, and you’ll treat all descension.
Reach out to lend a shoulder not analysis.
If the world had more carers and sharers,
We wouldn’t need the services of therapists.
Most humans are raised to be selfish robots,
Then they spend their life on a therapist’s sofa.
When someone’s going through a period of grief,
Only the mindless comments, ‘have you tried yoga!’
For the human mind to be whole and healthy,
You gotta empty it of all the unhealthy junk.
And there is no greater junk on the face of earth,
Than the traditions that make us self-centric drunk.
Elimination of coldness is the highest of all wisdom.
Treat the common cold, and you’ll treat all descension.
Take the good from everyone | Vande Vasudhaivam
Discipline of the Sikh,
Enthusiasm of the Christian,
Brotherhood of the Muslim,
Nonviolence of the Jain,
Senility of the Buddhist,
Groundedness of the Hindu,
Rationality of the Atheist,
Resilience of the Jew –
Take the good from everyone,
Mind expands through assimilation.
Past errors mustn’t continue as tradition,
Oneness is divinity, division is damnation.
Enthusiasm of the Christian,
Brotherhood of the Muslim,
Nonviolence of the Jain,
Senility of the Buddhist,
Groundedness of the Hindu,
Rationality of the Atheist,
Resilience of the Jew –
Take the good from everyone,
Mind expands through assimilation.
Past errors mustn’t continue as tradition,
Oneness is divinity, division is damnation.
Miracle and Migraine (Sonnet 1370) | Abhijit Naskar | Visvavatan: 100 Demilitarization Sonnets
“Miracle and Migraine (Sonnet 1370)
Words are my leisure,
Words are my life.
Words are my gift to thee,
Use ’em wisely for light.
Kind words cost us nothing,
Cruel words will cost us all.
Faith in people costs us nothing,
Systemic mistrust will end us all.
It is common knowledge in the circle,
I don’t control words, I get visions.
However, every miracle takes its toll,
Hence, the migraines are getting worse.
I don’t mind, so long as I am ointment.
You keep the magic, I’ll keep the pain.”
“There is nothing supernatural about visions – or to be more accurate, contrary to traditional belief, it’s not messages from some extraterrestrial domain. Visions are indeed messages from a mysterious realm alright, but like the everyday realm of human perception, the transcendental realm as well is creation of brain chemicals. I won’t go into details here, as I already did that in my early days. One of my earliest works, Autobiography of God, contains a detailed analytical account of the neurobiology of transcendental experiences. However, the question is not whether there is an explanation, the question is, is it worth explaining! Because, while sometimes the lack of explanation facilitates superstition, some things are better left unexplained – such as, love.”
Words are my leisure,
Words are my life.
Words are my gift to thee,
Use ’em wisely for light.
Kind words cost us nothing,
Cruel words will cost us all.
Faith in people costs us nothing,
Systemic mistrust will end us all.
It is common knowledge in the circle,
I don’t control words, I get visions.
However, every miracle takes its toll,
Hence, the migraines are getting worse.
I don’t mind, so long as I am ointment.
You keep the magic, I’ll keep the pain.”
“There is nothing supernatural about visions – or to be more accurate, contrary to traditional belief, it’s not messages from some extraterrestrial domain. Visions are indeed messages from a mysterious realm alright, but like the everyday realm of human perception, the transcendental realm as well is creation of brain chemicals. I won’t go into details here, as I already did that in my early days. One of my earliest works, Autobiography of God, contains a detailed analytical account of the neurobiology of transcendental experiences. However, the question is not whether there is an explanation, the question is, is it worth explaining! Because, while sometimes the lack of explanation facilitates superstition, some things are better left unexplained – such as, love.”
Grownup Happiness (The Sonnet) | Abhijit Naskar | Dervis Vadisi: 100 Promissory Sonnets
I don’t do Netflix,
I don’t binge for adrenaline.
I find it far more soothing to
listen to old BBC radio shows
while I do my writing.
Happiness is not a matter of exhilaration,
Happiness is a matter of moderation.
Just because all the monkeys are partying,
doesn’t mean you gotta give submission.
So I say, get your priorities straight,
Happiness will take care of itself.
If you don’t know to draw your own lines,
That’s not freedom, but apish descent.
I don’t scroll till I pass out,
I don’t drink till I feel sick.
Happiness means happy-in-less,
Trends don’t bring you peace.
I don’t binge for adrenaline.
I find it far more soothing to
listen to old BBC radio shows
while I do my writing.
Happiness is not a matter of exhilaration,
Happiness is a matter of moderation.
Just because all the monkeys are partying,
doesn’t mean you gotta give submission.
So I say, get your priorities straight,
Happiness will take care of itself.
If you don’t know to draw your own lines,
That’s not freedom, but apish descent.
I don’t scroll till I pass out,
I don’t drink till I feel sick.
Happiness means happy-in-less,
Trends don’t bring you peace.
Godmind, Sonnet 2101 | Abhijit Naskar | The God Sonnets
“You know what is the real god particle? You are. Every person who refuses to entertain division and discrimination in any form, is the practicing god particle of society.”
"Come, look into my eyes,
you’ll smell the soil from Tabriz,
chiming with the whirlwind of Konya.
Come, peer into my endless abyss,
fused with the fragrance of Bethlehem,
you’ll feel the breeze from Bodh Gaya.
Don’t be intimidated, just let it go,
let the chaff of creed become compost.
The vastness I live is the vastness in you,
yet it seems alien, for you’re grazing like cod.
Nothing’s out there except our image,
whatever is there, is right here.
Origin of universe is too stoic an undertaking,
you just act human, right now and here.
If boson is god particle of the universe,
human is the god particle of society.
Life is divine, when instrument of love,
human is the heart particle of humanity."
"Come, look into my eyes,
you’ll smell the soil from Tabriz,
chiming with the whirlwind of Konya.
Come, peer into my endless abyss,
fused with the fragrance of Bethlehem,
you’ll feel the breeze from Bodh Gaya.
Don’t be intimidated, just let it go,
let the chaff of creed become compost.
The vastness I live is the vastness in you,
yet it seems alien, for you’re grazing like cod.
Nothing’s out there except our image,
whatever is there, is right here.
Origin of universe is too stoic an undertaking,
you just act human, right now and here.
If boson is god particle of the universe,
human is the god particle of society.
Life is divine, when instrument of love,
human is the heart particle of humanity."
Birds never know (Sonnet) – Abhijit Naskar, Yüz Şiirlerin Yüzüğü (Ring of 100 Poems, Bilingual Edition)
Birds never know if the sun will rise,
yet they sing everyday right before dawn.
And sure enough the night collapses,
into the arms of the rising sun.
Kiss the world like morning sun,
Sing to the sky like waking birds.
Fret not the fears of wild insecurity,
You do your task with dutybound heart.
Touch the soul like summer breeze,
Hug the soil like monsoon rain.
Life is calling, can’t you hear!
Universe awaits your humane reign.
