The ‘Me' in Meditation

By Alan L. Pritz
August, 2004

Morning and night, if not more, for the past 20 years: That's the simple answer to how long I've seriously practiced Kriya yoga meditation, the technique brought to America in 1920 by Paramhansa Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi . Add to that about 10 years of a Zen-style method intrinsic to my early martial arts training and you get a fuller picture of my time in the meditation trenches. Do I win any prizes? Hardly. The more I do and teach meditation, the more impressed I am by how I'm just starting to get somewhere. No matter how far I go, I'm just beginning to progress. What's the take-away from this observation? “Make haste slowly .” Patience, persistence, and perseverance are crucial to long range results. Right technique, attitude, and commitment are critical to success in the moment. Neither can be divorced from the other.

Without commitment, meditation practice is little more than an analgesic balm to help keep the minor cuts and bruises of life from becoming infected, blistering wounds. Okay, that may be sufficient motivation for some. However, if one views meditation as integral to spiritual awakening, one has to make a genuine effort. Willingness to invest time and energy is critical; “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few .” Mt. 9:37 Along with this is the need for right attitude. Without correct perspective the tire of meditation remains flat. It requires the air of wisdom to keep rolling forward. If you've ever run in or watched a marathon, you've seen runners periodically take cups of fluid to keep refreshed while racing ahead. This is how meditation must be nourished: Do, do, do and keep attuned to Truth through scriptural study and/or the insights of God-saturated souls. This is how I practice and what I suggest others do too.

The importance of technique is, to my mind, mostly a matter of taste. While I adhere to Kriya yoga and believe certain meditation styles are more effective than others, the reality is we each have a unique relationship with Spirit. What appeals to one won't to another; it's as simple as that. Given my yogic training, I value the science it provides of interiorizing life force and raising it to centers of spiritual perception in the brain. I like how this systematic process makes sense. Mystery is demystified. On the flip side, meditation is more than dry technique. It requires full attention and devotion to be effective. Technique is like a stack of kindling; attention, the hand holding a match; and devotion, the actual flame of Spirit-love that ignites it. A story that portrays this nicely is as follows:

The Abbott of a monastery rowed out to visit three hermits who lived in seclusion on a nearby island. When he quizzed them about their spiritual routine he was shocked to discover they couldn't read or write. Unable to study scripture, they maintained only the simplest of practices repeating, “We are three, as are Thee. Make us One.” After spending a week teaching them proper rituals, the Abbott left. Halfway back to shore he was stunned to see them racing on top of the water towards his boat. When they caught up to him they uniformly lamented, “We can't remember all you've taught us. What should we do?” He replied smiling, “It doesn't matter. Whatever you've been doing thus far works wonderfully!”

The moral here is: Devotion to God is far more important than any technique. To this I add; having devotion and effective technique is even better.

Why meditate? I do so to realize the meaning of life. Sounds almost childish, but it isn't. Saints of every tradition have claimed the spiritual journey is a process of maturation. We knock our heads against the walls of daily living until we get hurt or frustrated enough to ask, “Is this really what life is all about?” At such times we're challenged to examine the fabric of existence more deeply. Such is the root of all philosophical inquiry and the essence of every religion. Interestingly, the answers to such questions can never be validated unless we discover them for our selves. We may like listening to others; even cling to what they tell us, but Truth is never discerned except directly, and internally. That is why genuine spiritual masters always counsel disciples to seek inner realization - plus train them how to achieve it. Case in point: In Zen tradition it's said the Teacher is like a finger pointing to the moon. To fixate on that finger is to miss what it is aimed at. We must follow wise counsel but find the moon ourselves. Otherwise we become ripe for exploitation by spiritually disingenuous hooligans who prey on the gullible, the frenzied, or the lazy.

My reasons for meditating may sound good, but has it delivered? Am I any better for the effort? Sure! It's difficult to know what I'd be like without my practice, but I often feel sorry for those who lack the understanding or skill I've gained. Let's face it, living on earth isn't easy. Even if a person is wealthy or healthy they may be miserable. So, I've come to value the simplest of by-products that my style of meditation produces; joy. Without it I view life as a crap shoot: We may get the bear, or it may get us. Each day is an ordeal, a new struggle to fend off the diverse forces that risk knocking us from our platforms of equanimity and seeming well-being. But, external control and security are mostly illusions. There's no way to know what will happen to us one minute from now. Yet, by building an inner foundation of meditation-based joy, plus having proper perspective about life, the rollercoaster of existence becomes less a capricious jaunt and more an enthralling one. Further, and most importantly, meditation hastens the end to this risky ride by waking us up to our reality: We are Divine. In the last analysis, meditation has shaped my life pattern by prompting me to learn about what I've just written, and helping others to do so as well. I'd say that is a good thing.

About the Author:

Alan L. Pritz has trained in and taught Eastern disciplines for 30+ years. In October he opens his Center for Inner Renewal in St. Paul to provide workshops in meditation, chanting, spiritual philosophy, Mindful hatha, Energization exercises, inner renewal retreats, workplace enrichment, and personal coaching. Author of Pocket Guide to Meditation ( 1997 ) and producer of the CD, Joy of the Soul: Cosmic Chants, he recently finished a second book, As I Awaken: Crafting A Spiritual Life . Alan can be reached at 612-721-4100, apritz@pclink.com , or www.CSpiritAwake.com .

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