How is it possible for meditation to be effortless? Isn’t it something we have to work at or “do right”?
It’s entirely possible for meditation to be effortless, because it is a natural state of mind. When we learn to meditate, we are learning to experience a basic human ability, just as when we learn to walk we are “learning” to do something that is innate, something that is in our basic wiring.
We may tend to think of meditation as the technique or practice we learn and then focus on the details of the instructions. The instructions are simply ways to guide mind into a meditative state, and yet that state can come about completely spontaneously. You may have experienced it when you suddenly saw a sight of great beauty. A hummingbird suddenly hovers before you or you see an exquisite sunset. This can be enough to stop the mind and allow it to rest in its essential nature — a state of harmony, stillness and peace. Meditation instructions can help the mind to shift into a meditative state, but the instructions are secondary. They actually need to be forgotten for the mind to drop into its essence.
I find the most effective way to learn is to be guided in the experience. The guide is like a friend who simply points a finger at the beautiful sunset without saying too much about it. That way you can get caught up in the experience of the sunset and forget the pointing finger.
Embrace Effortlessness & Ease Part 3, is longer and has more silence throughout, giving you the opportunity to sink even deeper into the meditative state. It will further develop the habit of ease in meditation, as you let go of the obstacles to easy meditation described in the previous post.
May you find deep fulfillment on your meditation journey!