“I don’t have no time to meditate man”

I am often out on the street, trying to engage souls in conversation about spirituality. Most ignore me, and I get, it, who wants to talk to a stranger in today’s paranoid times? Some even get angry with me, and make me stronger by trying to abuse me. But after years of practice, I don’t take this all personally.

As a messenger of God, my goal is to simply poll every soul I can to see if they are ready. One of my teachers, Vaisesika Dasa, taught me how to try my best to leave everyone with a good impression. So even though I have all sorts of stingers and retorts up my sleeve, I strive to practice humility instead.

But some souls do engage positively, some do take the message, they chant the mantra, or take a book, many even give me a heartfelt donation to help continue the work. It is another thing that we don’t need the money – I am a successful professional in the corporate world, I can afford to give out all those books, all my time and energy, for free… but we do take a donation to help the other soul begin / continue their service to the spiritual cause.

One of the most common responses I get to “Hey, have you ever tried meditation”, is “No time to meditate”, or “I’m too busy for that”, or “I have tried, but I just can’t meditate”. But what most fail to realize is that everyone meditates.

Everyone meditates all the time!

The question is, what do we meditate on? Some of us meditate on the past, some meditate on some imagined future, pleasant or otherwise. Some of us meditate on objects, and some of us on certain sensory experiences.

But meditation on these is pointless and does not give us much benefit. Any benefit, for example, from meditating on conquering the world is temporary because one’s present life is temporary. Meditation on sensory experiences is also futile because such meditation gives no satisfaction, but increases hankering. Meditating on objects is unsatisfying too.

In fact, this is what the Bhagavad Gita says about meditation on the non-spiritual…

ध्यायतो विषयान्पुंसः सङ्गस्तेषूपजायते ।
सङ्गात्संजायते कामः कामात्क्रोधोऽभिजायते ॥ २.६२ ॥

dhyāyato viṣayān puṁsaḥ saṅgas teṣūpajāyate
saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ kāmāt krodho ’bhijāyate

While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/2/62/

क्रोधाद्भवति संमोहः संमोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रमः ।
स्मृतिभ्रंशाद्बुद्धिनाशो बुद्धिनाशात्प्रणश्यति ॥ २.६३ ॥
krodhād bhavati sammohaḥ
sammohāt smṛti-vibhramaḥ
smṛti-bhraṁśād buddhi-nāśo
buddhi-nāśāt praṇaśyati

From anger, complete delusion arises, and from delusion bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost, and when intelligence is lost one falls down again into the material pool.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/2/63/

And, unfortunately, everyone who does not specifically, intentionally meditate on something non-material, something spiritual, ends up feeling increasingly dissatisfied, having to resort to wanton sense gratification, intoxication, and different forms of violence. And this is a cycle, which is how we see most souls in older bodies continually grumpy, continually snarky, perennially dissatisfied.

The mind is like a depression on the ground where there is a lot of water – the ditch collects water, and the mind collects thoughts, feelings, and the intents to act. Every single impression is stored somewhere in the mind. And by mind, I don’t mean the “brain” but something more subtle, that is manifested as those synapses and neurons and so on (more on this some other time).

But there is a mediation that takes us out of that negative cycle, that connects us to a source of sublime pleasure that is non-material, pleasure that ever-increases, pleasure that time, distance or anyone else can take away. Purely spiritual, and ever-increasing, this pleasure is endlessly deep, and endlessly delicious, with no sense of boredom and no lack of variety.

When I go out on the street, it is that pleasure that I wish to share with others, some are ready, some are not, and for everyone who is ready, it is a journey.

बाह्यस्पर्शेष्वसक्तात्मा विन्दत्यात्मनि यत् सुखम् ।
स ब्रह्मयोगयुक्तात्मा सुखमक्षयमश्नुते ॥ ५.२१ ॥
bāhya-sparśeṣv asaktātmā
vindaty ātmani yat sukham
sa brahma-yoga-yuktātmā
sukham akṣayam aśnute

Such a liberated person is not attracted to material sense pleasure but is always in trance, enjoying the pleasure within. In this way the self-realized person enjoys unlimited happiness, for he concentrates on the Supreme.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/5/21/

And this pleasure is available, here is a hint. 🙂