I used to be caught up in the notion that there was a “right” way to meditate. And still, sometimes, I find myself feeling guilty when I don’t practice daily… But, really, there is nothing to feel guilty about. My feelings of guilt don’t make any sense when I remember that I made up the line of distinction between “good” and “bad” myself. So, if I – as a result of my society – make up the standards for desirable and undesirable behaviors, emotions, or even mental states, then how can I rely on these standards to be accurate?
There is a crucial aspect to scientific research, which, when not strictly preserved, prevents the results from being valid. This aspect of the scientific process is known as reproducibility.Â
If our society’s ideals shape our own judgments, then that means there are billions of personal judgments and classifications across the globe every day… and they are all different. Each of our own personal opinions brings with it judgments of “good” versus “bad”, which makes each and every judgment invalid because it is not reproducible.
Am I saying that the entire worldview you’ve come to develop is wrong? Of course not. That would be my opinion and, by definition of the word reproducible, my opinion cannot be relied on for accuracy. What I am saying is that when we can open our eyes in a moment of grace to the illusion of our thoughts, we can begin to see the simple truth of this universe; that there is no good and bad, there just is.
This is-ness isn’t about relinquishing the world, turning a blind eye to suffering, or forgetting all moral obligations. It is about reengaging our natural state; our live-in-the-now quality, which is familiar to all animals who live without neuroses. In this state, we take care of our loved ones and we do what we must to survive, but we live in peace. Stress comes up when it is adaptive, and stress leaves when it is maladaptive.
This is the true nature of life and it is what I’ve come to now understand as the nature of meditation as well.Â