Why Meditate? :-4.

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Part-4.


You have not been struggling, you have not been praying to God to please take this problem away.

(That is useless—another one will come.)

But in the meantime you have discovered that it is possible for you, without changing the external environment, to be happy within yourself.

You taste it.

The most important thing in meditation is not to try to solve the outside problem, but to taste the present mood of peace and joy and happiness that is flowing inside.

Then when you come out you are able to face this problem.



I am not saying the problems we are surrounded by can ever be removed, but the inner attitude can be radically and instantly changed. It doesn’t even take half an hour.

Meditation makes this possible by not dealing with the problem head on, but by turning the attention to something completely different (which happens to be beyond the source of all problems).



This is not a policy of escapism.

Let us take a very simple example of inter-personal conflict.

You and he are working in the same organization.

You are saying something, he is saying something different, you have a little misunderstanding, a quarrel.

He is too strong and powerful, so you don’t want to fight with him.

You go into your meditation room, sit and repeat the mantra.

After a short while everything is at peace within yourself—there is harmony and joy within you.

Are you escaping?

No, because you have got to come out and meet him, again.

Then you are a completely changed person, you realize that conflict can be ended by ending it within yourself.

There is a lovely expression :- "You cannot clap with one hand." It needs two to make a quarrel, they say, but I feel "It needs only one to make a quarrel—me".

 Sri Swami Venkatesananda
To be continued  ...




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