Burgers and other impediments to meditation

The striving meditator finds the going tough too; he struggles, does his best, buckles down to face all kinds of challenges, but just about manages to stay afloat

The essential need to practice meditation has been universally acknowledged, even though few human beings are able to actually get down to it. All kinds of excuses deter even the ones who are inclined to try out scientific meditation techniques. The less said the better about those who are otherwise quite comfortable in life, and have all the time in the world, but refuse to believe that meditation is for them.

A saint famously said that effort is progress, even if that effort appears to be in vain. (Shutterstock)

The striving meditator finds the going tough too. He struggles, does his best, buckles down to face all kinds of challenges, but just about manages to stay afloat. All sorts of forces gang up to bombard his mind just when he is about to enter somewhat deeper realms of the meditative experience. Each time one traverses the pathway from preliminary techniques to the real thing, one does expect to feel greater peace and calmness. But in the initial years, all kinds of thoughts will assail the meditating yogi. Many of them continue to hamper the spiritual journey decades later as well.

Vada pao, pizzas, brownies, cold coffee et al might invade a practitioner’s peace and compel him to drool over these delicacies in anticipation of actually devouring them in the near future. Soccer, tennis, parties, hang outs, travel, or even deeper aspects of life like conversations, ideas, jealousies, aspirations, machinations, romance or intrigue, in no particular order, might well seep into the mindset of the of the meditating one.

A saint famously said that effort is progress, even if that effort appears to be in vain. Thus, the very act of sitting down to meditate or even thinking about meditating, is far better than giving up all attempts to do so “because I tried meditation but could not concentrate and thus gave it up!” Such refrains are commonly heard from those who should truly know better.

Paramahansa Yogananda, author of the “Autobiography of a Yogi”, put it emphatically when he said, “Everything else can wait, but your search for God cannot wait!” And while the world’s scriptures are entirely in agreement with this undeniable truth, few human beings get down to adopting spiritual pursuits as an integral part of their lives.

Families can act as impediments too! “Why are you getting into these things at such a young age?” is the question someone even in his forties might hear repeatedly. The common impression about meditation is that it is something which those who have retired from active careers should adopt, that too if so inclined. For most people, learning meditation is to be looked upon as a dispensable option, as if it is akin to learning scuba diving or Zumba dancing.

Thus, it is considered perfectly acceptable by family members for one to skip meditation on alternate days, if a very interesting Netflix show is to be watched collectively. And if a keen type spiritual aspirant should exhibit the gall to seek leave of absence from such group activities, he is mocked at, and has to listen to some rather painful barbs.

The quantum of technology driven distractions that pound us every day are no laughing matter either. While it is perhaps acceptable for a young dating couple to be more besotted with unending Instagram chats, those who are past their dating years will also tend to spend hours in aimless scrolling or general online tomfoolery.

It is perhaps true that intent matters much more than outcomes in divine realms. Ours is to essay and aspire. HIS is the final decision.