To not observe the mechanics of the mind is unconsciousness. Being caught by torpor, by ecstasy, by bliss is still a barrier. Self Realization is the Natural State of Mindfulness, without any effort or impediment to the activities, such as speaking, eating, walking... In the ego, you experience temporary silence, peace and ecstasy, and you can mistake this for Realization; this has been happening frequently. You can mistake these states for Realization and believe you have achieved the goal.
If during meditation practice, you do not get upset with anything, and out of the meditation practice, something still annoys you, so this is not Real Meditation. Body relaxing and quietness of mind do not represent Real Meditation. The practice quiets the mind for a while, but later the mind gets annoyed again. If something annoys you and you say: “I am not meditating at this moment,” it is an evidence that your practice is not the Real Meditation. This is very usual presently. Meditation practice is spreading out, since it relaxes the muscles, it restarts the nervous system, it regulates blood pressure and it entails great physical wellness. This is what people known as meditation.
I apply the word “meditation” in a different way. I apply it as the Natural State of not being identified with the sense of the “me” and this can only happen naturally. Meditation, in the way I mean, happens without effort, practice, physical posture or guidance. If you can be led to the state of meditation, you achieve the state aimed by the one leading you. Nevertheless, a state achieved through guidance cannot be natural, and therefore it vanishes.
This is like being guided by the sunlight. While the light is shining, you see the path, but if a lunar eclipse gets in and the sunlight does not appear anymore, you've got to stop, because there will be no more light. Meditation is the awakening of this internal light. No external movement, as an external light, can provide you Meditation. The practice is something like that – the external light may be the music, the breath, someone with a soft voice guiding you... The Real Meditation is your Natural State, a Light independent from any external situation, practice, exercise or guidance. It is the blooming of effortless Attention, naturally born when the movement of the false “me” is observed and disappears.
Therefore, Meditation is here and now; no matter if you are eating, walking, lying down, relaxing or sleeping. Nothing prevents or facilitates your Natural State. If you believe you have achieved the Natural State after ten, fifteen minutes, or half an hour of meditation practice, just because you are relaxed and in peace, without any conflict, you are wrong.
Your Natural State is present when your wife is complaining about something; when your child is crying, asking for something and screaming insistently; when the soccer team you are for is getting thrashed; when you have just gotten a traffic fine; or when there is a traffic jam and you have an appointment to arrive on time. Your Natural State is there! If you get internally annoyed at such circumstances, even after having meditated so much, then it is a sign that you do not need the practice. If when you are practicing you are different from when you face unpleasant situations, what you call “meditation practice” is just really a practice, but it has nothing to do with Real Meditation.
Meditation is you in your Natural State, when the sense of the experiencer is not present being personal. It is just like this when the toddler cries, screams, calling you; when you are watching a soccer game where one team is winning and the other one losing; when you are stuck in the traffic jam, all cars are also stuck and you cannot fly away in a helicopter hovering over all the other cars ahead; when the wife is yelling and so on. When you are not present as an experiencer in the experience, it does not matter what is happening, what the body is doing or not, what is happening outside or inside this “body-mind” mechanism, no changes take place, because there is no more the sense of winning and losing, of self-importance, there is no desire and fear. When That, timeless and nameless, is present, then you do have Meditation.
This "me" requires enormous efficiency to be "caught" when it wants to be sad, when it intends to show anger, when it feels depressed, euphoric or when it moves up from joy down to sadness in less than thirty seconds. You got to observe how fickle, how “bipolar” this “me” is, and how it lives in duality. You got to observe it! You got to “catch it” at that very moment, without letting it escape! You got to just observe it and let it go – give up this “me,” abandon it. This is Meditation!
This is absolutely effortless! Since you have been living your entire life “sleeping,” a huge amount of energy is required; devotion to the Truth is required. It may seem like the greatest effort in the world! The ego has always been acting inside you automatically and in an unconscious way. So, to avail of this energy to this Attention may seem the greatest effort in the world for an addicted ego, for a present false “me”, reacting, feeling, suffering, experiencing.
Even so, I keep saying: no effort! Just Consciousness, Attention... no choices, decisions and beliefs. It does not matter if the soccer team you are for is getting trashed; there is no “someone” there. This is Meditation. This can be started observing the thoughts and the beliefs it brings with, telling you that you have a soccer team, that you are part of this or that ideological movement, that you are someone for or against something. Then, thought starts being watched moment by moment, at every moment. Notice this has nothing to do with a specific moment within a specific practice.
At first you may feel you need a huge effort, but this is the unique Real Practice, which is actually not a practice, since it is not a mechanical thing and therefore you cannot get used to it. Consciousness is the presence of the end of the automatism, while every practice leads you to the automatism. Once the automatism puts down its roots in "practicing meditation," then it is easy for you to access that "state." Remember this is not the Natural State, but now, you have the practice, the automatism, so it is easy for you. You ended up being hypnotized by the automatism, by the unconsciousness, and therefore you will live in this practice for a thousand and two hundred years; your ego will not be moved away, because you will remain unconscious.
The Real Meditation happens when the Attention flourishes, and not as a result of mechanical practice. The Attention is a result of the natural flourishing of your Being, which is never sat, walking, awake or asleep. That is why Meditation is natural, just like Awakening, Enlightening. Now you understand why all the Sages say you are already This and, therefore, no effort or practice is required. However, notice what I am saying: the real effort is to find out that no effort is needed; that is, this is the right effort. Otherwise, you will remain in this hypnotic state for a thousand and two hundred years; you will become an expert, a great specialist in the practice of meditation.
Here is the Meditation, independent from your body posture and your psyche. If there is no identification with the internal movement of the mind nor with the body, and you are full “Consciousness”, we do not talk about This anymore, we do not need to talk about Meditation anymore – You are Meditation! You are Consciousness, Peace, Freedom, Happiness! You are Christ, Buddha! Remain there, in you Natural State, eating, sleeping, speaking, working, doing business. Remain free from the experiencer, who has his or her demands, beliefs and states. Remain there each moment, night and day, awake or sleeping, because they are moments of Consciousness, they are not “your moments.” This is Meditation.
Then, remember this: “you” are not present, and if this is true, there is no desire, no fear, no conflict and no problem. Remain there! Work toward this direction; do not wait for Enlightenment to happen one day. Get out of here and do not create more problems for yourself by believing in thoughts, in sensations and in experiences in your favor or against you. There is not this "you," but the Life with its mysterious movement. This is Meditation, the Natural State. Do not wait for Enlightenment for the next 20, 30, 40, 50 years. Assume now an attitude of an Enlightened; not the belief of being "enlightened" because they are different things. You may believe you are enlightened, you may even announce your name as the "latest enlightened" in human history, like automobile companies launching a new car each year, there is also the newest "enlightened" in Brazil, or in Americas, or in Europe. Do not fall into it!
It is one thing to be in the Natural Enlightenment State; but to believe you are enlightened willing to tell everyone, calling this "made-up story" as Satsang, is quite another. Therefore assume you are not the person you believe to be, work to this disidentification here and now. If this Natural State is really awakening there, you become natural; preferably silent... You turn to be more silent. Becoming more talkative is a clear sign you are still not seeing anything at all, and the blinder you are, the more talkative you become. You change this inner attitude here and now, and not for the next 40 or 50 years! You leave the "sleep" state, you stop relying on thoughts and feelings, you stop attaching to these things and you stop affirming yourself as a "person" all the time. You do it here and now! This is the right effort, the right Meditation, the right attitude. This is how you discover What You Are!
If during meditation practice, you do not get upset with anything, and out of the meditation practice, something still annoys you, so this is not Real Meditation. Body relaxing and quietness of mind do not represent Real Meditation. The practice quiets the mind for a while, but later the mind gets annoyed again. If something annoys you and you say: “I am not meditating at this moment,” it is an evidence that your practice is not the Real Meditation. This is very usual presently. Meditation practice is spreading out, since it relaxes the muscles, it restarts the nervous system, it regulates blood pressure and it entails great physical wellness. This is what people known as meditation.
I apply the word “meditation” in a different way. I apply it as the Natural State of not being identified with the sense of the “me” and this can only happen naturally. Meditation, in the way I mean, happens without effort, practice, physical posture or guidance. If you can be led to the state of meditation, you achieve the state aimed by the one leading you. Nevertheless, a state achieved through guidance cannot be natural, and therefore it vanishes.
This is like being guided by the sunlight. While the light is shining, you see the path, but if a lunar eclipse gets in and the sunlight does not appear anymore, you've got to stop, because there will be no more light. Meditation is the awakening of this internal light. No external movement, as an external light, can provide you Meditation. The practice is something like that – the external light may be the music, the breath, someone with a soft voice guiding you... The Real Meditation is your Natural State, a Light independent from any external situation, practice, exercise or guidance. It is the blooming of effortless Attention, naturally born when the movement of the false “me” is observed and disappears.
Therefore, Meditation is here and now; no matter if you are eating, walking, lying down, relaxing or sleeping. Nothing prevents or facilitates your Natural State. If you believe you have achieved the Natural State after ten, fifteen minutes, or half an hour of meditation practice, just because you are relaxed and in peace, without any conflict, you are wrong.
Your Natural State is present when your wife is complaining about something; when your child is crying, asking for something and screaming insistently; when the soccer team you are for is getting thrashed; when you have just gotten a traffic fine; or when there is a traffic jam and you have an appointment to arrive on time. Your Natural State is there! If you get internally annoyed at such circumstances, even after having meditated so much, then it is a sign that you do not need the practice. If when you are practicing you are different from when you face unpleasant situations, what you call “meditation practice” is just really a practice, but it has nothing to do with Real Meditation.
Meditation is you in your Natural State, when the sense of the experiencer is not present being personal. It is just like this when the toddler cries, screams, calling you; when you are watching a soccer game where one team is winning and the other one losing; when you are stuck in the traffic jam, all cars are also stuck and you cannot fly away in a helicopter hovering over all the other cars ahead; when the wife is yelling and so on. When you are not present as an experiencer in the experience, it does not matter what is happening, what the body is doing or not, what is happening outside or inside this “body-mind” mechanism, no changes take place, because there is no more the sense of winning and losing, of self-importance, there is no desire and fear. When That, timeless and nameless, is present, then you do have Meditation.
"Meditation is you in your Natural State, when the sense of the experiencer is not present being personal."
Meditation is Self-realization, the Realization of God. States that come in and go away, like silence, peace, joy and ecstasy are only experiences. Therefore, it is essential you discover Meditation in your daily life, when you speak with your wife or child, while watching a movie on TV or at the cinema, or when watching a soccer game. That is, you need to observe how personal you are in your daily life, what kind of requirements you have inside there when things happen or do not happen, and how this “me” has desires. It is necessary to observe this movement of the “me” to “catch it” at the moment it arises.
This "me" requires enormous efficiency to be "caught" when it wants to be sad, when it intends to show anger, when it feels depressed, euphoric or when it moves up from joy down to sadness in less than thirty seconds. You got to observe how fickle, how “bipolar” this “me” is, and how it lives in duality. You got to observe it! You got to “catch it” at that very moment, without letting it escape! You got to just observe it and let it go – give up this “me,” abandon it. This is Meditation!
This is absolutely effortless! Since you have been living your entire life “sleeping,” a huge amount of energy is required; devotion to the Truth is required. It may seem like the greatest effort in the world! The ego has always been acting inside you automatically and in an unconscious way. So, to avail of this energy to this Attention may seem the greatest effort in the world for an addicted ego, for a present false “me”, reacting, feeling, suffering, experiencing.
Even so, I keep saying: no effort! Just Consciousness, Attention... no choices, decisions and beliefs. It does not matter if the soccer team you are for is getting trashed; there is no “someone” there. This is Meditation. This can be started observing the thoughts and the beliefs it brings with, telling you that you have a soccer team, that you are part of this or that ideological movement, that you are someone for or against something. Then, thought starts being watched moment by moment, at every moment. Notice this has nothing to do with a specific moment within a specific practice.
At first you may feel you need a huge effort, but this is the unique Real Practice, which is actually not a practice, since it is not a mechanical thing and therefore you cannot get used to it. Consciousness is the presence of the end of the automatism, while every practice leads you to the automatism. Once the automatism puts down its roots in "practicing meditation," then it is easy for you to access that "state." Remember this is not the Natural State, but now, you have the practice, the automatism, so it is easy for you. You ended up being hypnotized by the automatism, by the unconsciousness, and therefore you will live in this practice for a thousand and two hundred years; your ego will not be moved away, because you will remain unconscious.
The Real Meditation happens when the Attention flourishes, and not as a result of mechanical practice. The Attention is a result of the natural flourishing of your Being, which is never sat, walking, awake or asleep. That is why Meditation is natural, just like Awakening, Enlightening. Now you understand why all the Sages say you are already This and, therefore, no effort or practice is required. However, notice what I am saying: the real effort is to find out that no effort is needed; that is, this is the right effort. Otherwise, you will remain in this hypnotic state for a thousand and two hundred years; you will become an expert, a great specialist in the practice of meditation.
Then, remember this: “you” are not present, and if this is true, there is no desire, no fear, no conflict and no problem. Remain there! Work toward this direction; do not wait for Enlightenment to happen one day. Get out of here and do not create more problems for yourself by believing in thoughts, in sensations and in experiences in your favor or against you. There is not this "you," but the Life with its mysterious movement. This is Meditation, the Natural State. Do not wait for Enlightenment for the next 20, 30, 40, 50 years. Assume now an attitude of an Enlightened; not the belief of being "enlightened" because they are different things. You may believe you are enlightened, you may even announce your name as the "latest enlightened" in human history, like automobile companies launching a new car each year, there is also the newest "enlightened" in Brazil, or in Americas, or in Europe. Do not fall into it!
It is one thing to be in the Natural Enlightenment State; but to believe you are enlightened willing to tell everyone, calling this "made-up story" as Satsang, is quite another. Therefore assume you are not the person you believe to be, work to this disidentification here and now. If this Natural State is really awakening there, you become natural; preferably silent... You turn to be more silent. Becoming more talkative is a clear sign you are still not seeing anything at all, and the blinder you are, the more talkative you become. You change this inner attitude here and now, and not for the next 40 or 50 years! You leave the "sleep" state, you stop relying on thoughts and feelings, you stop attaching to these things and you stop affirming yourself as a "person" all the time. You do it here and now! This is the right effort, the right Meditation, the right attitude. This is how you discover What You Are!
Presencial meeting transcription, originally held in João Pessoa city, Brazil, on May, 2018.
First published in Portuguese on August 6, 2018
Please visit our agenda and join us: mestregualberto.com.
First published in Portuguese on August 6, 2018
Please visit our agenda and join us: mestregualberto.com.
Focus on an object or breathing (with your eyes closed) when you start meditative practice . Later, you can perform other types of meditation, such as the "body scanner" or sound-focused meditation.
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