The Truth About Meditation

Common misunderstandings about meditation

What is Meditation?

The essence of meditation is awareness. 

Common misunderstandings about meditation are that it means:

• to be free of thoughts.

• to have strong concentration.

• to achieve a particular state of mind, like being peaceful or blissful.

The essence of meditation is awareness. 

So, what is awareness?

Awareness is knowing.

Knowing what you are thinking, experiencing, seeing, hearing… 

Knowing what you are doing.

All of this is awareness.

Right now, you are reading this. Right? 

Do you know you are reading this?

If you know you are reading, that is awareness. 

Maybe you know you are sitting, standing, or lying down while reading. Do you know you are doing that?

If you know, that is awareness. 

That’s it! 

Awareness is very simple. 

It’s just knowing. 

To recognize this awareness is important. 

This is the key to meditation—the essence of meditation. 

Recognizing awareness creates happiness. Freedom. Freeing your mind. 

Many believe meditation is to think of nothing, or concentration, or looking for a particular state of mind like peace or joy. 

Meditation is not like that.

Meditation is all about connecting with awareness.

Want to test yourself to see whether you recognize awareness or not?

Three simple questions:

The first question is: Do you think you recognize awareness now? Yes or no?

The second question: Do you think you don’t recognize awareness, that you don’t know awareness? Yes or no?

The third question is: Are you confused? If you think you don’t know—you are confused, “Maybe I recognize awareness, maybe not”—are you feeling confused? Yes or no? 

No matter your answer, you are correct. 🙂

Why?

If you said, “Yes, I know awareness,” you know awareness. You are aware of that. 

If you said, “I don’t know awareness,” you know that you don’t know. When you know that you don’t know, that means you know that you don’t know. You are aware that you don’t know. That is awareness. You recognize awareness.

If you said, “I’m not sure,” you know that you are not sure. When you know you are not sure, that’s also recognizing awareness. 

You recognized awareness. 

This is really important.

Meditation is all about recognizing awareness. And maintaining that recognition. 

That is meditation.