Wikipedia states “Meditation is a practice where an individual trains the mind or induces a mode of consciousness. “ I believe that most people would agree with this definition. Whether they/I understand it or not, is another matter. After all, consciousness is better experienced than understood and how many of us have experienced all that consciousness has to offer?
Let’s turn our attention back to first part of the definition – meditation is a practice where an individual trains the mind. That implies that meditation to a degree takes work or effort and that it is an active process. I think most people approach meditation in this way, which is why so many people don’t become very proficient meditators or simply give up.
Do this quick exercise – identify a one word synonym for meditation. Please, stop reading for a moment, look up and then close your eyes and think of a one word synonym for meditation. Read on after you have completed this task.
The synonym you chose is how you define meditation. My synonym is at the end of this article. Go take a look if you must. My synonym, which I will refer to as the S word, is definitely not active, yet it is life changing. If you practice the S word, it will not only dramatically improve your ability to meditate, but it will significantly alter your life.
Unfortunately, most people are as successful at the S word as they are with meditation. Why is it so difficult? Because applying the S word to your life or meditation for that matter, is something that is very difficult for your ego to do. Your ego, which is your beliefs, coping strategies and brain processes, is hell-bent on control. That is its function. The ego literally despises the S word. The S word is the antithesis of the ego. The ego wants control and the S word is an admission that you are not in control.
Becoming a good meditator means becoming good at the S word. What does this really mean? Many people think it’s like lying down and dying, or simply not caring and giving up. That’s not what I’m talking about. The S word simply implies that your ego is not in total control. Although your ego has free will and can take actions, those actions alone do not dictate all outcomes. What this means is that for you to truly meditate and live your life more fully, your ego must adopt the attitude of the S word.
This is the absolute, unequivocal key to meditation and becoming a great meditator as well as dramatically changing your life for the better. How can this be?
Because you are not your ego! Meditation is a practice that is intended to allow you to live and experience life as what you truly are, underneath your ego. Unfortunately, most people actually believe they are their beliefs, coping strategies and thought processes. The vast majority of people identify themselves as their ego. They live in their head and only recognize themselves in this way. Does this describe you? Is this truly all you are? I know that is not the truth. You are much more than your thoughts, beliefs, and coping strategies.
What happens when you apply the S word to your meditations? What happens when your ego practices the S word? The real you begins to emerge. The real you is of a spiritual nature. It is at the core of your being. It is real and it can manifest throughout all of your body. It does not reside in your head alone. Your brain is the seat of the ego, not your spirit. Your spiritual self is an energy field that permeates all of your body and surrounds all of you. It is infinite and as you achieve higher levels of spiritual integration you will come to recognize yourself as an embodiment of All That Is.
But first there’s the matter of the S word. Is there an easier way to meditate so that the ego can be lulled to sleep and allow your conscious awareness to emanate from that which you truly are? We have dedicated the last 19 years of our lives to figuring out how to do just that. We use the SolTec lounge almost every day and while doing so we surrender to what we truly are.
Surrender is my synonym for meditation in practice and in life.