The Purpose of Meditation
We know the outer world of objects and actions, but of our inner world of thoughts and feelings we know very little.
The first purpose of meditation is to become familiar with our inner life. As we begin to witness our negative thinking and our obsessing about the future and the past, they cease to control us.
Awareness is curative; through the regular practice of meditation we pull free of the tyranny of always having to react to our thoughts and feelings. We become aware of the mystery of life that lies beyond our thoughts about it.
The ultimate purpose of meditation is to to remember God - to become aware of our surroundings as God created them. This means seeing things as they are without the lens of “me” and “mine”. I call this “True Seeing”.
"True seeing" is the certain knowledge that:
Nothing is mine - To God belongs the east and the west; wherever you go there will be the presence of God. God is Omnipresent, Omniscient. (Quran 2:115)
God is in control of all things - Such is God your Cherisher and Sustainer, there is no god except He, the Creator of all things. You shall worship Him alone. He is in control of all things. (Quran 6:102) and
Everything I see is temporary - Know that this worldly life is no more than play and games, and boasting among you, and hoarding of money and children. It is like abundant rain that produces plants and pleases the disbelievers. But then the plants turn into useless hay, and are blown away by the wind. In the Hereafter there is either severe retribution, or forgiveness from God and approval. This worldly life is no more than a temporary illusion. (Quran 57:20)
“Truly it is the remembrance of God that hearts find peace” (Quran 13:28)
What Is Meditation?
Meditation is the practice of release. Is not all of our suffering caused by the gap between what we think ought to be happening right now and what is actually happening right now (Reality).
Meditation is that conscious act of turning our awareness away from how we think things ought to be towards how they appear in this present moment. In other words: turn away from our "small-selves" towards God and His way
We have misidentified who we are through our focus on thoughts, feelings, and perceptions. As we lose interest in these through meditation, we find our real identity: the vast Mystery that surrounds us. Consequently, meditation is often called “coming home.”
Meditation is barrier removal , removing the false so that the real can shine. It is unlearning everything we think, feel, and have experienced to allow The always present God to shine in our awareness. It is not an attempt to discover something new, but is a remembering of what actually IS. It is release – releasing our ideas about who we are, who others are, and what the world is.
How to Meditate
There are literally hundreds of meditation techniques. Experiment until you find one that is right for you. But one of the best ways is to simply sit in silence and "take what you get". Don't try do do anything, don't try to achieve anything but simply submit to the silence that is always available in the present moment. Don't analyze anything, or try to control anything (your thoughts, the noises around you or anything). Just trust that God will lead you home. As thoughts, feelings or sensations arise, we just note them, release them, and gently surrender yourself to the silence and God’s guidance.
The four R’s are:
Take what you get from the session. Often the ‘best’ meditation sessions are those that seem most troubling.
Barriers to Meditation
To summarize: meditation is just barrier removal - the barriers of “me” and “mine” and any ideas of how things ought to be; thus remembering God.