“In the Middle of Nowhere”, Jean-Luc Lavanchy
Meditate with no thought of gain.
Expect no ambitions to be fulfilled;
Only then will the inner force manifest.In the competitive world, we give expression to our ambitions, shrewdness, and aggressiveness. We must do this to survive. In the meditative world, we cannot use these attitudes. What works well on the outside will not serve us on the inside.
When we meditate, we must expect no gain. If we look for results, then those results will elude us. In contrast, if we suspend our ambitions, then the results will manifest very quickly. It may sound like absurd mysticism, but it is an undeniable, empirical truth. If you have no expectations, you will feel the divine. If you strive and have selfish desires, then you will feel only frustration.
When the mind is occupied with meditating for gain, it creates a barrier to precisely the results that you want. Spirituality is a mode that is far beyond the machinations and imaginations of the rational mind. It is created by an aspect of the mind that is not a part of everyday thought. In fact, the part of the mind that brings spirituality is very nearly antithetical to the common ways that we think. Therefore, we can only reach this type of spirituality by suspending our everyday thinking.
How many times do we wear ourselves out by expecting too much of ourselves? How many times do we get annoyed at other people for not doing what we expect of them, or at ourselves for not living up to our own expectations?
Meditation is a time to free yourself of expectations, to just thoroughly relax and let go for a few moments. If you hold on to your expectations and anxieties, it won’t help. Let the thoughts drift through your mind, notice them, and let go of them. That’s how meditation works. And eventually, you start applying it more and more in your everyday life – you notice yourself starting to get upset or angry, and think about whether it is really worth it or not. That is the benefit of meditation – not entering some altered state, but allowing your mind to learn to become calmer, to think more clearly and thoroughly about things.
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