Hello and welcome to episode 23 of The Ask Sri Vishwanath Show. Today I want to talk about a ninja tip in meditation, unheard of, that will help you transcend your personal limitations.
Today’s question comes from Robert. He says “I have been struggling with meditation for a while. Some days and some are not. There is no consistency. I’m not happy. Any suggestions?”
Thanks for the question Robert. That’s the thing, some days there will never be consistency. All the great beings say the same thing. Some days there will be not be consistency because the mind gets distracted by worldly thoughts. I have a very powerful tip that will help you overcome this very quickly.
The boy and the bird
I want to share a story with you. There was a sage who had a lot of young students. After the students finish their studies they are supposed to pass a test given by the guru. One student called Nicholas was very sharp and one of the teachers favourite students. The guru wanted to test him so he gave him a tough task. He gave him a bird and told him to take it to a secluded place where no one would see and kill it.
A student was never supposed to kill an animal but at the same time they must obey the guru. The boy was confused. He wondered why the guru had given him such a task. However he had to follow orders. So he took the bird away to a secluded place. He saw some people around so he went deeper into the forest. Still there were animals and birds that would see him so he went deeper and deeper into the forest. There were no birds or animals but the trees were there and they could sense what he would be doing. He walked further until he came to a place with no birds, no animals and no trees. It was just him, the bird and the open sky.
Awareness
He was about to kill the bird when a thought came to him. There was no one there. No people, no birds, no animals and no trees but he was there and he would be aware of what he was doing. He would be watching himself kill this bird. As soon as this realisation came to him, he was enlightened.
Concentration
At that moment he understood that there were two acts: the act of killing and the act of watching. He who is killing is also watching. Ram Krishna says it’s important to differentiate between the two. Between concentration and awareness. Concentration is where you put your mind out and try to focus on something. This is what most people do when they meditate. This boy was focusing on killing the bird. His mind was focused on this goal. This brought him on a journey to enlightenment.
However awareness is above concentration. Awareness is watching your concentration. Concentration is putting your mind on something outwardly. Awareness is 100 times higher. The boy was concentrating on his goal but at the same time there was a higher power within him. His awareness sprang up a right time and was watching what he was doing. This is what the sage wanted him to realise. This awareness is where all the great men and women get their strength.
Most people can only act. They are not aware. They think of awareness as a type of intelligence but it’s not. It’s there 24/7. It watches every thought and every action that you have. It records everything. Even if the boy had killed the bird awareness would still have been there. It’s always there.
The boy went back to the guru and told him that no matter where he went there would be someone watching. He told the story and the guru was extremely happy. This is what he wanted.
No effort
I wanted to share this story with you because there is no effort needed with awareness. Awareness is something you have been blessed with, it’s not something you can do. When you sit to meditate and you start doubting yourself, convincing yourself that something is missing, this is your body mind and intellect coming through. Awareness is silent and beautiful. No effort is required. The only effort is to know that there is no effort! Repeat that to yourself. The only effort that is needed in awareness is to know that no effort is needed. Do this and it will come to you.
When you meditate be aware that there is two parts. One is you meditating and the other is who is meditating. The first is concentration and the second is awareness. Krishna says awareness is the “sovereign science, the sovereign mystery, the best of purifiers. Its apprehension is immediate. It is righteous, imperishable and easy to attain.”
It will happen immediately when you know to differentiate between trying to meditate and who is meditating. Make sure you ask yourself two questions. This will lead you. When you ask this question you will be pointed inwards.
You must also remember that awareness is detached. Even if the boy had killed the bird his awareness would still be the same. His mind would be disturbed, he would feel sad and guilty because of the body mind and intellect. The awareness remains detached and therefore is not affected by the mind even when it gets disturbed. That’s the nature of awareness. It’s always detached form the event.
Awareness is a very high entity. You can always fall back on it. Even in the worst of circumstances you can still fall back on it. There is no effort required. Remember just because you had a bad morning doesn’t mean the rest of the day has to be bad. You can change it instantly by remembering that your awareness is detached. Just fall back on it.
Depth of connection
Finally I want to talk about the depth of connection. Your awareness is based on the depth of connection and the quality of the connection. You can practice as much as you want, and this is important when you are seeking but what really matters is the depth of the connection.
I’ll give you an example. I didn’t learn to swim until I was 15 years old. I swam a little then but then stopped. Then twenty years later I went swimming and I remembered it just like I learned the day before. It’s how well you learn and how well you are connected to the learning process that matters.
Some people are very successful in the cooperate world but they can leave and come back 20 years later and rise to the top really fast again. Similarly there are people who meditate for a few years and then stop. The start again years later and because of the depth of connection they can do it successfully again.
So when you meditate focus on the depth of connection with the jiva. Don’t worry two much about the practice. Remember, who is meditating. Focus on that.
I hope I answered your question. Remember you keep asking questions and I’ll keep answering them.
