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WISDOM OF THE WEEK

Meditation isn’t instant gratification – it’s a journey

Published:Sunday | March 17, 2024 | 12:08 AM

The society instils in us the importance of setting goals and being ambitious from a very young age. However, this constant chase after desires is leading to discontentment and hopelessness. We ruin the most blissful state of life from that early age. Many of us pin our hopes on the future, believing that it will make tomorrow better than today. Yet we forget that tomorrow is in the womb of today. If our today is filled with misery, how can the future be any different?

The pursuit of desires leaves us feeling restless, unfulfilled, and paralysed. Achievements, rather than bringing contentment or joy, often inflate our egos and deepen our sense of dissatisfaction. The relentless pursuit of desires only leads to more desires, creating a cycle of perpetual longing.

MEDITATION IS NOT MANIFESTATION

Meditation, however, is not a tool for manifesting desires. Meditating on building good relationships, getting a job, having a dream house, having millions in an account, etc, is us losing the essence of meditation. It is a path to transcendence, to experience joy and contentment in the present moment. Instead of fuelling our desires, meditation encourages us to cultivate contentment and desirelessness.

The characteristic of ‘desire’ is to create a toxic, tempting, never-ending loop. A mind full of desires doesn’t know meditation. Being in the present and allowing contentment to take over makes the platform of the mind ready to start meditating.

ARE SPIRITUAL DESIRES WRONG?

The nature of desire is to make you feel incomplete and restless, whether material or spiritual desires. A desire to be ‘peaceful’ or ‘connect to God’, etc, will make you equally restless once not fulfilled. When you train your mind to be in the present moment in a contented state, bliss automatically blossoms. Peace isn’t a goal to achieve. It automatically resurfaces in a desire-less mind. Your desire is the only barrier between you and joy.

We must re-evaluate our understanding of meditation. It is a journey towards inner peace and contentment. By letting go of our desires, both material and spiritual, we open ourselves up to the possibility of endless joy.

It is time to stop treating meditation as a tool for achieving success or fulfilling desires. Instead, let us understand that it is a means to finding inner peace and fulfilment. In a world consumed by endless desire, it is easy to lose sight of what actually matters. By rediscovering the essence of meditation, we can experience limitless happiness that no amount of worldly success can ever provide. Let us embark on this journey together and make our lives blissful.

Courtesy: Rajyoga Meditation Center, Kingston (meditation courses and counselling are offered free of charge). Get in touch via email: bkmeditation.jam@gmail.com or WhatsApp: 876-853-7848. Follow them on Instagram: rajyoga_meditation_jamaica.