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The Simplicity of Meditation
by Matt Kahn

The practice of meditation can be found as a regular activity in countless weekend retreats, and is often viewed as a necessary cornerstone in many spiritual traditions. For any seeker yearning for a deeper sense of fulfillment, or even a life reflecting greater meaning, meditation is often explored as a personal practice.

When meditation is approached as another technique or achievement to unknowingly fuel the appetite of ego, meditative seekers seem to always fit into two distinct categories of behavior. Some, approach meditation in search of its folklore of benefits, practicing to sit still for whatever is thought to be gained from extended periods of time spent on the meditation cushion. When a seeker meditates to fulfill any sort of desire, whether it is a conceptual idea of enlightenment, greater intuition, deeper insights, or any other power it imagines still being without, meditation is turned into a game of manipulation. From this position, seekers attempt to get from their practice whatever they feel is somehow missing, while unknowingly missing the entire point.

The other approach to meditation is viewed as a technique to rid oneself of whatever is here, that act as barriers to the fulfillment of future desires the seeker imagines and craves. From this approach, seekers want less mental noise, less emotional turmoil, less distractions, and less of anything else they have misinterpreted and labeled as a problem.

Of course, in any meditative seeker, there are always degrees of both aspects, where one experiences wanting more peace, and less of anything else that appears in the way. No matter how long any seeker has devoted to the practice of meditation, there is an ongoing misunderstanding that unknowingly surfaces when this timeless practice of stillness and simplicity has been approached without the mindfulness and integrity of consciousness.

This misunderstanding reveals itself through the mindset of meditators, who have either tricked themselves into thinking they are an expert on the concept of meditation, or are completely frustrated by what they cannot seem to achieve in their quest for the perfect outcome of inner silence.

The misunderstanding runs even deeper when it is discovered that most of the frustrated students who have convinced themselves how bad they are at meditating, are being instructed by the ego of an experienced meditator - who either misperceives their personal results in meditation as some sort of spiritual achievement, or has memorized every theory related to the practice, and teaches rehearsed insights like a spiritually educated talking head.

When we are trying to use meditation as a way of manipulating ourselves into a conceptual space of stillness, for whatever reason, we are overlooking a few fundamental insights. These insights are crucial to understand, so the enjoyment of meditation can be easily experienced, once and for all.

Meditation in its most simple structure is the practice of listening. When you are the one who is able to sit still and rest in a space of active and alert listening, you are able to clearly understand whatever the body is trying to convey. Additionally, on an emotional level, deep listening allows you to provide yourself the undivided attention that you might assume is missing from your daily interactions with others.

When you are able to nourish yourself with whatever the external world appears unable to offer, you are able to rest in the fulfillment that is no longer trying to desperately pull out of someone else what only you can offer to you.

Besides, if the purpose of meditation is thought to be a means of creating a space of stillness within yourself, the greatest assumption is that the stillness you are searching for somehow isn't here yet. No matter how much noise you hear in mind, or how many series of contractions you sense in the body in any moment of meditation, you can ask yourself a very intriguing question - "Where is the stillness that is already here right now?"

It is not wrong to notice the noise of the mind, or the heaviness of the body, but it is so often assumed to be in the way of stillness, we wind up missing the whole purpose of meditation, which is to notice the stillness that is always here, no matter what is arising within us or around us. With enough time spent inquiring about the stillness that is always here, the distractions of thought and movement of body can slowly be recognized as the comings and goings of temporary experiences.

When the content of thought or quality of emotion can be recognized as the infinite spectrum of temporary experiences, a true shift in awareness takes place. When this shift occurs, the pushing, pulling, reaching, and resisting of temporary moments can simply be embraced with a sense of stillness that allows all experiences to be however they already appear, or feel. This is the space of conscious action, where you are able to best support yourself through any circumstance, by not fighting what is happening, but compassionately supporting whatever in you is caught up in the heaviness of reaction and resistance.

Most meditators enter their practice with the best of intentions, but another crucial point is to be able to sense when it is the right time to meditate.

Most of the time, we make time in our schedule, find a quiet space, and enter our practice from a well-organized and logical position. As time ticks by, restlessness can arise, and may often signify the end of the ego's meditation. However, the arising of frustration or impatience is like the ringing of a bell in the Buddhist monastery of life, acknowledging the true beginning of a deeper meditation.

Meditation does not have to be made into an ordeal of effort for extended periods of time, and is usually only important to the ego wanting to claim it as an achievement that it uses to decorate the facade of self-image. Knowing the ideal time to meditate is as simple as noticing emotions. When you notice any "negative" emotional reaction arising within the body, it is life's way of providing you with a red light on the road of life.

Anytime you react to a temporary experience, no matter why or with whom, it's a way of recognizing your own need for additional support. It invites you into a spontaneous moment of stillness, to be the one who listens and feels whatever is in need of being expressed. When this is overlooked, the mind creates a problem out of the differences it views. When this occurs, the mind is without the awareness of how to best support itself, compromised by the distractions it resists facing with openness, innocence, and humility.

The mind may even jump to the conclusion of not believing it can rest until any perceived problem has been resolved. But, with a more simplified approach, you can allow yourself to be aware of what actually needs to be addressed first, which of course, is the perceiver of whatever problem is seen. The perceiver of the problem cries out for attention, and as soon as the emotional reaction surfaces, it's like the meditation bell of life rings once again. When this occurs, simply take a moment to close your eyes, take a deep, slow breath, and rest in whatever arises - while noticing the stillness that is always here, no matter what problem is believed to accompany the circumstances of today.

The practice of relaxing into any sense of contraction, fear, resistance, frustration, or impatience, sensing the stillness that is nowhere else, no matter what is felt or even imagined, expands our awareness through the settling and slowing down of divided attention.

The world we then enter into when our meditation is complete, remains an opportunity to actively rest in the reality of this infinite space, whether your eyes are open or closed. It's also a way of deliberately offering any moment of interaction the support, patience, and compassion your practice of renewed simplicity has graciously offered to you, and now, can be shared with others for the welfare of all.

Meditation is not a gift of achievement made available for only a select few who sit for many hours a day, or for those who stringently discipline themselves into a practice for many years. It is an invitation into the simplicity that is always available whenever we dare to look through the appearance of any problem, and recognize the stillness within ourselves.

This simple practice remains a natural and profoundly effortless way of being. It allows you the grace of retiring all hard-fought compulsions and mental restrictions, by surrendering yourself to the stillness of ever present existence.

Meditation invites you to remain open, willing, and receptive, whenever you notice how the changing circumstances of life are clearly showing you who is next in line to receive your deepest and most sincere gifts of support. It can be extraordinarily simple to find the next one in line, whenever you are willing to rest right here, as the peace that dances within the hearts of all.

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