Five Things that Block the Pure State of Meditation (1)
What is Preventing You from Connecting with God?
By Chad Foreman
Spiritual teachers say we have a spark from God within us that surpasses human conditioning. It has been called by many names. In Buddhism, it’s known as Buddha Nature: an empty luminous awareness which is ever present at the very heart of all moments and the ground of all experiences. In Hinduism, it’s been known for thousands of years as Brahman, the universal consciousness which is the source of all things and the essence of being.
The naturally joyful light of awareness is always shining. It merely gets covered over by repeatedly grasping on thoughts and chasing after instinctual and socially constructed desires. Nirvana is viewed as the elimination of that never-ending cycle of pursuing happiness in outer conditions and the name given to the intense peace experienced after the extinguishing of that fruitless project.
The pure state of meditation is beyond time because it is eternally present. Discovering and realising this “hidden in plain sight” natural treasure is the purpose of meditation. Zen master Dogen advises to sit with the confidence that you are already Buddha; Tibetan yogis suggest to just sit and not change or fabricate anything; and the highest non-dual teachings of Indian Advaita tell us you simply have to stop seeking anything else and realise you already are what you’re searching for.
The natural radiance of our essentially Godly nature is love, bliss and wisdom. As experienced by so many mystics throughout the ages and even found by everyday people who have come to a cathartic enlightened experience in various ways; including near-death experiences, complete surrender, moments of awe fully connected with the majesty of nature or any experience which directs attention completely and undisturbed deeply into the present moment.
“Meditation is nothing but a device to make you aware of your real self ‒ which is not created by you, which need not be created by you, which you already are. You are born with it. You are it!”
The pure state of meditation is beyond time because it is eternally present.
This is the pure state of meditation, not mindfulness, not concentration and not energy manipulation. All those are great, but they are not pure meditation which is beyond all fabricated or manipulated temporary states of mind. In Vedic terms, people are often directed to look for what is permanent, which is a great way of finding the ultimate pure nature within. We don’t mean to be dogmatic or arrogant about meditation by saying what it really is, but just to point out what some have found to be the highest ultimate meditation and separate it from the many different types of relative meditation practices out there.
The pure state of meditation is simply abiding as that which you already are, without any attempt to look elsewhere or manufacture any specific states of mind. This state of mind as it is right now is enlightenment. Even though it’s available and waiting for you to discover, not everyone can find it and there are five main things that get in the way and cover your radiant true nature, therefore preventing you from experiencing it. Also there are simple instructions included at the end of each section to help experience the pure state of meditation.
Five Things that Stop People Experiencing the Pure State of Meditation
1. Too Much Concentration
Too much concentration restricts and narrows the mind onto an object and can temporarily bring states of bliss and relief, but this level of concentration can never be maintained. Concentration is useful as a doorway into the natural state, but it’s a poor substitute. Too much one pointed concentration leads into a trance-like state which again is pleasant but not what we’re looking for.
“Effortless doesn’t mean no concentration; effortless means just enough concentration to be vivid, to be present, to be here, to be now. To be bright. My teacher used to call this ‘effortless concentration.’ We each need to find out for ourselves what this means. Too much concentration and we get too tight; too little concentration and we get dreamy. Somewhere in the middle is a state of vividness and clarity and inner brightness.”
Too much concentration takes too much effort; too much force leads you away from the natural state of being. Not enough concentration and you will become dull and fall asleep. The pure state of meditation is effortless and natural so trying to concentrate too much and relying on concentration can inhibit and block this natural state of being.
“In true meditation, all objects (thoughts, feelings, emotions, memories, etc.) are left to their natural functioning. This means that no effort should be made to focus on, manipulate, control, or suppress any object of awareness.” – Adyashanti
Instruction: Not too tight, not too loose; without anything to concentrate on you are nevertheless undistracted.
Concentration is useful as doorway into the natural state but it’s a poor substitute.
2. Goals and Expectations
This is a major stumbling block for many people, which prevents the pure state of meditation. Just like sleep restores the body and mind, meditation has many scientifically proven health benefits which stem from the deep rest and stress-free states that arise within a naturally pure meditation. However, to sit with these goals in mind strangely stops you from achieving them.
The pure state of meditation cannot be created through causes or is ever an effect of a technique. It’s more like you set up the right conditions and remove all the obstacle, like the ones pointed out in this article, and then meditation arises by itself, you cannot force it or will it to happen. As explained by the Tibetan Buddhist master Dilgo Khentse Rinpoche:
“We should realise that meditation transcends effort, practice, aims, goals and the duality of liberation and non-liberation. Meditation is always perfect; there is no need to correct anything.”
The pure state of meditation is goalless because pure meditation is timeless. Some call it transcendent, going beyond the normal realms of cause and effect into a pure realm of eternal nowness. Others call it spontaneous presence. Just resting into your true nature allows this primordial presence to shine. But it’s not a meditation technique that causes the effect of pure presence, real meditation is not a technique that causes a result.
When you sit in a pure state of meditation there is nothing left to add and nothing to take away. Timelessly perfect as an embodiment of the entire universe.
Many people coached in meditation have had amazing mystical experiences in the past and this can become a major obstacle to ongoing meditation because these people have huge expectations of their meditation to bring about these mystic experiences again. But no matter what amazing experiences you’ve had in the past, the resounding advice from all meditation masters is to let them go too and just rest in your natural state.
Also, it’s important to take time out of the equation when sitting in meditation.
Instruction: Do not look to the future, do not dwell on the past and do not expect anything in the present moment. Just sit in the clarity of the here and now.
When you sit in meditation there is nothing left to add and nothing to take away.
Read the second part of the article
yogaesoteric
January 19, 2019