Meditation

Recently someone I know asked me what are the benefits of meditation. Usually, when I see articles online talking about this, I want to cringe because my opinion is that most of these articles are junk. "Mindfulness" has become a buzzword that now is often equated with meditation, but what is called mindfulness nowadays has little to do with meditation. In fact, there are great benefits to be had from meditation, but I don't think the return on investment for the kinds of benefits usually described online are very compelling. It's not surprising though; the world is full of "get something quick" schemes that appeal to a widespread desire to obtain something for nothing.

There are much greater benefits available. It has to do with refining the way attention is managed. If we focus inward instead of scattering our attention outward towards every worry, concern, desire, emotional reaction, etc., then that energy can be harvested for other, much more beneficial purposes. The power available from such a practice is immense. This is the secret of the Taoist wizards and Shaolin monks. Of course, one doesn't have to become a wandering ascetic, guru to the masses, or martial arts master; there are many other possibilities for how the energy of creation can be directed.

What is meditation?

Maybe I should try to say something about what meditation is. It's not a practice or a process. It's a state of being. What is required to enter a state of meditation is that one's attention is (wholly or at least mostly) focused on nothing other than pure consciousness. When this happens, the normal functioning of senses, thoughts, and emotions are suspended, and only attention (a state of meditative absorption) remains. There are various levels of refinement of attention possible once one enters a state of meditation, but I won't get into those details here.

The possible states of meditative absorption have been described by various mystical spiritual traditions, and some (such as Theravada Buddhism) have even described a series of meditative absorption "levels" that one can traverse in a step-by-step process. Again, I won't go into the details, as it's a complex subject, and I'm not an expert in these traditions. I think many pathways are possible, but at some point they all pass through these levels in one way or another.

What happens in meditation?

I can describe some of the "signposts" of these states of meditative absorption. The main ones are rapture/bliss, happiness/joy, equanimity, creative impulse, and clarity/insight. Anyone entering states of meditative absorption will experience all of these, assuming they continue to progress.

Rapture in this context does not mean "end times" and "resurrection" like some religions believe will come one day to the chosen ones, but rather it is a state of bliss somewhat akin to sexual orgasm (but not exactly the same). I'm certainly no Biblical scholar, but I believe most of the descriptions of rapture in the Bible and in other (non-Biblical) religious traditions are either mistranslated and/or misinterpreted, and that the original writings by mystics were actually describing the initial states of meditative absorption, and not some future apocalyptic scenario(s). Because the experience of rapture does feel like "entering heaven", especially the first time as it can be quite shocking to experience, it is a form of "rebirth", and one's perception of reality is irreparably altered in that experience.

Happiness and joy are easy enough to understand, but one must realize that the joy experienced in meditative absorption has a different quality than what is ordinarily considered as happiness. What one realizes is that happiness is a natural state of being independent of any reality or circumstances. It is the nature of consciousness itself, and is thus eternal. It is what we are. One realizes that there is no more need to cling to happiness any more than there is need to cling to air while breathing. Breathing is a natural process that happens without interference, and in fact, too much focus on it makes it more difficult. Happiness is also like this. It doesn't require any focus or attention at all. It's like the air, always here (once one maintains a certain state of being). And if we cling to it, we cause our own suffering. But a certain level of clarity is required to perceive it as it is.

Equanimity is a state of pure calm abiding, like a lake with no ripples on the surface. The equanimity of meditative absorption is indescribable. It is both perfectly still, but alive and powerful like nothing one has previously known. It is the realization of the alpha and the omega of the Bible, the root of all creation. To realize true equanimity is to begin to understand true power.

Recognizing true power is the beginning of the creative impulse. This is the most difficult result to describe, because people tend to think of it in terms of "superpowers" (which in turn leads to a form of corruption in thinking). Indeed, such powers are the inevitable outcome of deep meditative absorption. But I prefer to call this phenomenon the creative impulse because it is more descriptive of one's actual state of being. There is an impulse to create, but it is not motivated by the usual (clinging) desires. In fact, such clinging only creates barriers. Instead, when one's motives are pure, many miracles can occur with relative ease. Although it is possible to produce these kinds of results with impure motives (black magic), such corruption always (eventually) leads to undesirable outcomes, and should definitely be avoided. There are also many levels or degrees of mastery to the creative impulse, and these tend to align with one's purity and motives. Thus, with increasing mastery there is a tendency to downplay the importance of such powers, as they are viewed as the side effects of one's being. When one truly understands the nature of creation, everything and nothing is perceived as equally miraculous.

Clarity/insight is true knowledge/wisdom born from emptiness. This is the original meaning of "mindfulness" and "insight meditation", but is not a practice for beginners at all. It is a very advanced state of being and meditative absorption, and typically takes many years to achieve any level of mastery. However, it is the foundation of real wisdom, and worth every ounce of effort required to achieve it. It is only with such insight that one can confront the true nature of reality with honesty and clarity.

The true benefits of meditation

Looking back over these descriptions, I would say that these five qualities (rapture/bliss, happiness/joy, equanimity, creative impulse, and clarity/insight) are the true benefits of meditation. They will not (typically) be achieved in the first, tenth, or even 100th attempt at meditation. But the benefits are worth the effort, however many attempts are necessary.