Consciousness middle ground Mindfulness Self Discovery

What is the Purpose of Meditation?

man meditating under rock
Photo by Suraphat Nuea-on on Pexels.com

I enjoy dipping into the words of the great sages, usually at bedtime. Right now, “I Am That” – Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj is at the top of the bedside pile.

Here is his wisdom about Meditation:

“The primary purpose of meditation is to become conscious of, and familiar with, our inner life. The ultimate purpose is to reach the source of life and consciousness….

We are slaves to what we do not know, of what we know we are masters.

Whatever vice or weakness in ourselves we discover and understand its causes and its workings, we overcome it by the very knowing.

The unconscious dissolves when brought into the conscious. The dissolution of the unconscious releases energy; the mind feels adequate and becomes quiet.

When the mind is quiet, we come to know ourselves as the pure witness.”

Meditation allows us to become a non judging witness, and to develop our ability to step back and see ourselves without the stories that make up our lives.

“We are slaves to what we do not know, of what we know we are masters”. This really has stayed with me.

This approach to meditation crosses the bridge between self improvement and spirituality. It is the most important step in our evolution as humans and conscious beings.

Namaste

14 comments on “What is the Purpose of Meditation?

  1. Beautiful post Val on the spiritual wisdom of Nisargadatta Maharaj a spiritual teacher of non duality. His sayings are indeed very deep and a common person finds it difficult to comprehend easily. I wonder if any reader could throw some light on one of His quote ~ “Having never left the house you are looking for the way home”.
    Kind regards

    Liked by 2 people

    • Thank you Dilip for you kind words and your insight. Another quote comes to mind here
      ” Only when you realize the true peace, the peace you have never lost, that peace will remain with you, fo it was never away. Instead of searching for what you do not have, find what it is that you have never lost.” 🙏

      Like

  2. Powerful. And your last paragraph sums it up so beautifully!

    Thank you Val. ❤

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Thanks, Val. Meditation really is key–I had no heard the quote before about being slaves to what we don’t know. I immersed myself in non-duality teachings for many years and learned (or unlearned!) so much.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. As our mind quiets, we wake up to the witness within. Awake and aware we travel with greater ease and lightness.

    Aah . . . that’s better!

    Liked by 1 person

  5. A lovely post, Val, and such a simple statement that carries so much wisdom. Thanks for sharing.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Thanks for this one, Val. I think the more people there are who meditate on a regular basis, the more humanity will evolve. It will be our saving grace. ❤

    Liked by 1 person

  7. All that I do not know, that I do not know. That is the playground I seek.
    Meditation is going back on my calendar.
    Thanks for this Val.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. You are right in saying, ‘ It is the most important step in our evolution as humans and conscious beings.’ Namaste

    Liked by 1 person

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