To develop a deeper understanding of our mind's nature, we
will use a simple example. Nature often provides us with models that reflect
our inner being and our actual being. Many monkeys in the tropical forests find
their food for the most part in trees and spend their rest time there. What is
the essence of these monkeys? Often you can watch these monkeys sitting on a
branch, looking in different directions, then reaching for fruit, biting off,
dropping it, finally changing the unit, looking around, picking another fruit,
chewing on it for a while, and throw them away again. The behavior pattern is
repeated until the individual animal tires.
Do you
recognize the behavior of the apes in your being?
By switching from one thought to the next without any
particular logic or structure being discernible behind it? By "chewing on"
one idea, thought, or feeling and then moving on to the next. Without a doubt,
that's one of our traits. Why does our mind make us do this?
To go even deeper into the matter, let's examine another
example. When we visit the zoo, we see animals in captivity. Not always in the
open-air enclosure, but also in the cage: gorillas, lions, bears ... If you
take your time and observe an individual animal, you will be able to watch a particular
behavior. The animal passages from side to side in the cage, also touching the
edge of the cell, until it becomes tired. After a rest, it will show this
behavior again: move back and forth and brush against the edge of the cage. The
animal will not stop doing this even if it remains trapped and feels its cage
limits. It's looking for something. It seeks its freedom.
Meditation
and wakefulness
Up to this point, we have understood the essential human pursuit
and desire for happiness. We have now also recognized the dependence on
temporary relationships with the outside world, limited by the five senses. We
are now beginning to penetrate the peculiarity of our exceptional tool, the
human spirit, that to recognize we are continually striving happiness and
looking for the "source of happiness."
Equipped with this spiritual equipment, we can now devote
ourselves to meditation's basic concept. It is also the practical starting
point for how you can successfully learn to meditate as a beginner.
Our elementary pursuit of happiness and our interaction with
the outside world happens in a natural state called the "waking state."
In our waking hours, we fulfill our longings and devote ourselves to our duties
while always perceiving our outside world through the five senses. The waking
state is where you walk, play sports, speak, laugh, read, write, think, relax,
and do a lot more.
Another natural state of being that we experience almost
every day is "dream sleep." In this natural state, we can experience
a kind of peace that we are denied in the waking state. And in this state, we
can detach our senses from the outside world and only maintain them through
dreams, which leads to greater relaxation than in the waking state. A third
natural state of being that we experience almost every day, which is of the most
significant importance for our health, is "deep sleep."
In this state, our senses come to rest almost wholly. Deep
peace, quiet, and relaxation spread on the body and mind level. If we could
connect electrodes to the body and mind simultaneously and measure the levels
of happiness, contentment, and regeneration during wakefulness, dream sleep,
and deep sleep, the response during deep sleep would be the strongest
The state
of meditation
The state will give you the highest level of happiness,
contentment, regeneration, and health that is humanly possible in this world.
It is the state of meditation. Or - as it is often referred to - the
transcendent state. If we could go back in period and visit certain parts of
the world, we would meet people in a completely natural state, just as we
experience wakefulness, dream sleep, and deep sleep every day. On closer
inspection, this state is as honest and firmly a part of the human organism as
the other three states that are still more familiar to us up to now. Under the
most favorable conditions, we would experience this state in the same way as
the baby, who naturally shares dreams and deep sleep after birth.
"If so," you might ask, "then what is the
reason we don't experience it?" The answer to that is simple.
Charles Darwin explains this with the use and disuse of
organs: If one of our limbs or organs is not used for many years, it can lose its
functionality and ultimately atrophy completely. This fourth select state of
nature slumbers within us, but it has been neglected for a long time.
From birth to death, we have failed to invite this special
guest to our place for many generations. The transcendent state is part of our
being and is as natural as the three other forms of existence. He needs the
right conditions and the proper assistance to step forward and retake his old
place. Just as we do with guests daily, we must also look after them properly.
Real luck
When meditating, your ability to concentrate increases so
that the mind can gradually detach itself from the outside world, the five
senses come to rest, and a feeling of happiness that comes from within arises
in the person. This inner happiness can be experienced soon after learning to
meditate. This creates a different degree of satisfaction that knows no
boundaries and is not connected to any person, any action or matter in the
outside world. For every beginner, entering into meditation opens up a whole
new world that permanently benefits the body and mind.
