Have you ever attempted to meditate? I’m not just speaking about the one or two times you have sat down and closed your eyes. I’m asking you, have you ever set up a regiment of meditation and done it on a day-to-day basis? If you have good for you! Most people have not.
 
The thing about meditation is, I would imagine everyone has heard about t. Maybe some people have actually tired it out. But, few people have ever set about on a course to actually learn how to truly meditate. And, I used the term, “Learn,” very descriptively.
 
As a martial artist, for virtually all of my life, I have noticed how the non-martial artist always assumes that meditation is part and parcel with the practice. The fact is, to this day, I have never met a professional marital artist who actually meditates. Sure, maybe at the end of their classes they tell their student to sit down, cross their legs, and close their eyes. But, this only lasts for a couple of minutes at most. People, that is not meditating!
 
The other thing about meditation that people commonly assume is that it is some calm state of mind that is easily achieved. At least at the outset, this is not the case, however.
 
You can sit down and close your eyes. You can consciously try to focus your mind. But, without a specific pattern of finding that inner-place all you are doing is diving deeper into your thoughts.
 
This is where the Mind Game of meditation arises. Just because you believe you are meditating does not mean that you are meditating.
 
This is the trick of the mind. Many people believe that they are meditating when they are simply allowing the mind to be dragged deeper into a passive pattern of thought. But thought is not meditation. Thought is only thought.
 
Meditation is a very tricky subject. And, it sends many so-called meditators down a path that leads to very little.
 
The thing about meditation is, the process is a long in-depth and involved training procedure that few people possess the mindset for. This is why I often ask people if they meditate when we are developing a relationship. This question does not come from a position of judgement, just a place of curiosity. Because, if a person does meditate, you can quickly understand, at least at a rudimentary level, who and what they are—what their life is about.
 
And certainly, everyone who focuses their life on a conscious pattern of integrating meditation into their existence is not instantly a person of the highest standing. But, if an individual is willing to put that type of mental focus into their daily practice, you can get a window into their personality.
 
But, what is meditation? In brief, it is a process of silencing the mind. Why should one do it? There are tons of reasons that have been propagated throughout the centuries. But, the one thing that I will say is, the moment you met the space of No Thought you completely understand why it is such an essential tool to the development, spiritual and otherwise, of your life.
 
In life, we are all taught to think, to focus, to fantasizes, to whatever… All across the globe, throughout time, thinking has been the key component to living, daydreaming, and achieving. Everybody does it. They do it without a thought. But, for those few that wish to find the Deeper Mind, the technique for that, at least one of them, is via meditation.   
 
Here comes the question, do you care about finding that Deeper Mind? Do you care about understand what all of the sages throughout history have been discussing? Do you wish to come to a new and deeper understanding of yourself? Do you wish to find mysticism? If you do, then maybe it is time to truly learn how to meditate.
 
Like all things: your life, your choice.