Edward Flores4 said:Anyone who thinks meditation is going to "smooth out" human emotions—or that it eventually leads to some kind of constant bliss or comfort—clearly hasn't a clue what they're talking about.
Besides... why do you assume only an agitated person can be verbally aggressive? Tolerance isn't a free pass; it’s something you earn. It is perfectly normal, even productive, to withhold tolerance from someone who hasn't earned it. Doing that doesn't require being upset—quite the opposite, actually. It requires calmness, calculation, and resolve. You're completely conflating "political correctness" with "spirituality."
Human stupidity... while it can be fascinating and deeply annoying at the same time, it should only rattle those who aren't expecting to run into it. If you go into the day expecting stupidity, its appearance won't shake you—just like you don't get upset when the sun sets in the evening after having expected it to rise in the morning.
Quincy:| what does meditation mean to you? Because clearly, your definition is a far cry from the standard one. |
Krishnamurti describes the problem of meditation perfectly, and it aligns exactly with my own view of the matter.
Meditation is a very complex business. The Word meditation implies both in Sanskrit and in English, not only the brain concentrating on a certain subject, but also it implies a great deal of attention. But primarily meditation means, in Sanskrit, to measure. And also in English etymologically, I believe, it is to measure.
The whole question of becoming is involved in it, which is to measure: I am this, I will be that. I am greedy, but I will gradually become non-greedy, which is a form of measurement, which is form of becoming. Both becoming in the affairs of the world and psychologically becoming. That is the whole question of measurement.
The Greeks were the originators of measurement. Without measurement there would be no technology. And The Asiatics specially in India, said measurement is illusion, measurement means limitation. They didn’t exactly say this, they put it differently. So measurement means comparison, to compare ‘what is’, ‘what should be’, the ideal, the fact, the fact becoming the ideal. All that is implied in meditation.
And also in meditation is implied, the meditator and the meditation. So to enquire into meditation, you have to enquire first not only measurement, but also this constant becoming something, psychologically. Human beings are violent, and the ideal to be in a state of non-violence, which is to become.
So the question is not how to meditate but what is meditation, rather than how. I hope I am making myself clear. And also there is a question involved in that: who is meditating? And most of The Systems of meditation , whether The Japanese , and The hindus, and so on, Tibetan, there is always the controller and the controlled. Right? Are we meeting each other? So there is the controller controlling thought, to quieten the thought, to shape thought according to a purposeful direction. So there is the controller and the controlled. Who is the controller?
Please, all this is implied in meditation, not merely to control one’s thought as is generally understood in meditation, whether it is Zen meditation, or the most complex forms of meditation which take place in India, and elsewhere, there is always the director, the entity that controls thought. SoThey’ve essentially created this psychological split between the one doing the thinking and the thoughts themselves. Because of that, the thinker detaches himself from the actual process of thinking—which leads to this idea that during meditation, there’s some sort of "controller" stepping in to manage and quiet down the thoughts.
It creates this fundamental divide between the controller and what is being controlled. Makes sense, right? But here’s the kicker: who actually *is* the controller? Honestly, hardly anyone ever stops to ask that.
Most people are just thrilled to dive into meditation because they’re chasing a specific destination—you know, things like sudden illumination, total enlightenment, a quieted brain, or just some much-needed peace of mind. But very, very few people actually take a moment to inquire: who is this controller I'm trying to use?
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And hey, if there’s anything else that still feels a bit fuzzy... just ask. 🙂
Meditation is pure bliss, man. It’s like the ultimate way to smooth out all those messy emotions we carry around. I mean, if you're actually trying to become a Yogi Berra type, you can't be lugging around a bunch of heavy, negative feelings, right? That just doesn't work. At the end of the day, meditation leads you straight to that absolute state of pure satisfaction—the kind of thing people call Nirvana.
I guess you could break meditation down into three main stages:
Mastering the mental chatter. I guess you could say it's about finally getting a handle on all those racing thoughts that just won't quit. It’s a process, honestly—not something you just snap your fingers and fix overnight. You have to actually work at it, which sounds exhausting, right? But yeah, that's the goal.
So, I was thinking about this whole thing—this idea of just hyper-focusing on one single object at a time. You know, that intense concentration stuff people always drone on about? It’s funny, because I feel like most of us spend our entire lives jumping from one distraction to the next like a caffeinated squirrel, and then we wonder why we can't get anything done. I guess what I mean is, there's this massive difference between just looking at something and actually *concentrating* on it. It sounds simple, right? Just pick a point and stay there. But man, it’s harder than it looks. My brain is constantly pulling me in a thousand different directions. One minute I'm trying to focus, and the next, I'm spiraling down some random rabbit hole about why everything in the US feels so loud lately. Maybe it’s just me, though. Maybe I'm just wired to be a bit scattered. But I've been trying to practice this singular focus, and honestly, it's exhausting. It’s like trying to hold a heavy weight at arm's length without letting it drop. You think you've got it under control, and then—bam—your mind wanders to what you want for dinner or some random argument you had three years ago, and the whole thing falls apart. It’s a weird struggle. We live in a world that basically pays us to be distracted, so trying to hone in on just one thing feels almost like an act of rebellion sometimes. I don't know. I might be overthinking it. But yeah, focusing on one thing... it's a trip.
3. And finally, just total oneness with the object itself.
I guess you could say that through meditation, we finally start peeling back the layers of Maya—that whole illusionary mess we call reality—and that’s when the real joy kicks in. It’s not just some random happy feeling, either. A true practitioner is always hitting these new levels of bliss, though I suppose that only happens once you’ve put in the actual work and reached a higher state of devotion. You can't just sit there; you have to commit. Anyway, let's just soak in the Great Plains and enjoy the ride!
Look, meditation isn't some kind of task you just check off a to-do list. You can't just sit there white-knuckling it, thinking, "Okay, I am definitely meditating right now!" That’s not how it works at all. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you can't force it through sheer willpower. It’s more like... I don't know, a blessing? Like a reward that just sort of lands on you when you aren't even looking for it. It's not something you grab by the throat.
Look, if you actually want to get anywhere with meditation, you can't just sit down on a cushion and expect magic to happen. It’s not like that. You need serious prep work—like, actual sweat, grit, and endless hard work. I guess you could say it's all about the grind before you even close your eyes.
Look, people don't meditate just so they can run their mouths about what they felt during a session, like they’re trying to show off or something. That's just ego tripping. Meditation is supposed to be a tool—an actual way to find yourself or reach self-realization. It's about the experience itself! We're talking about an experience that leads to objective truth, you know? I guess some people just miss the point entirely.