To Meditate or Not to Meditate
Meditar o no meditar
A playful but pointed exchange about whether meditation is necessary, when it helps, and how the intention behind it matters more than the act itself.
To Meditate or Not to Meditate
A playful but pointed exchange about whether meditation is necessary, when it helps, and how the intention behind it matters more than the act itself.
I once had two teachers in the same room debating amongst themselves about a question I had asked. It had to do with whether to meditate or not to meditate. My teacher would invite another teacher to come and lead a workshop, so it was the guest teacher's workshop. The guest teacher was telling me I didn't have to meditate, but my teacher was debating with him, insisting that I did. In the end, because it was the guest teacher's moment, my teacher let him say what he wanted. Then, the instant it ended, he came over and whispered in my ear, "You have to meditate." It was pretty funny. But I was maybe twenty years old, and it was very confusing.
But you listened to your teacher.
Yes. My teacher was basically telling me what I needed, versus what was universally true. So yes, universally, there is no need to meditate.
So who in this group needs to meditate and who doesn't?
I'm not going there. You have to ask me individually.
I would be very amused if there was anyone you said no to.
Knowing someone well enough to say
The thing is, my teacher knew me really well. We had spent a lot of time together by then. But for some reason that memory came up just before the meditation, maybe because I was feeling like saying there's no need to meditate.
Maybe because I asked what we should do and I said meditate.
Every time the group starts, I think it's the moment to meditate.
I agree. That's why I'm here.
The intention behind meditating
I do think it's good, at least for me, to have that debate sometimes: to meditate or not to. It opens a space for questioning the intention behind the meditating. If the intention is to try to get to a certain place emotionally, or a certain state, then that's something to question. It doesn't mean I won't meditate, but just to be aware that that's not really what it's about.
It is not needed for what we are wanting, but then it's needed in a different way. It's needed if we're not seeing. It could help. But it's ultimately not needed.
But shouldn't we meditate if we want to meditate?
No, exactly not. That's exactly what my teacher told me: only meditate if you want to.
No, that's what I'm saying.
Yes. But then, every teaching in words, the opposite is also true depending on the moment.
Are you saying, "Don't meditate because you want to meditate"?
When meditation becomes escape
That could also be true, if you're using meditation to escape. It depends on what's happening in the moment. Say you need to talk to a client and instead you sit down to meditate. That's an obvious example. But all this talking about it? That is the meditation. Let's meditate.