06.25: Glue the mind to meditation, not mediation

Many of the problems that confront us in our daily lives often seem to have an inbuilt mental glue. They stick to our minds constantly – and especially during our mantra meditation; we frequently find our mind doing mediation about problem-solving, not meditation on Krishna.

Gita wisdom helps us understand that the glue is present in not the problem, but in our own mind, or, more precisely, in the misconceptions residing in our mind. When we misconceive that our personal sense of security depends on worldly conditions, then any problem that threatens the worldly status quo appears to be a personal threat. Naturally, we become mentally occupied, even obsessed, with tackling that threat, thereby unwittingly glueing our mind to that threat.

At such times, when meditation starts seeming like a waste of time that blocks us from real problem-solving, we need to address the root cause of our unwillingness or inability to meditate: our misplaced sense of security.

Putting our sense of security back in its proper place requires intelligence sustained by conviction (buddhya dhrti-grihataya), as indicated in the Bhagavad-gita (6.25). This involves two steps:

1. Intellectual recollection: Reminding ourselves that the only authentic security is in our spiritual relationship with Krishna; that alone is lasting, everything else is passing.
2. Mental reorientation: Redirecting our minds to seek security in that divine relationship through meditation.

This two-step inner change will help us see meditation in a fresh light: not as a distraction from the real issues of life, but as the most real issue of life that lays the foundation for dealing with all other issues of life. This reformed vision will not only enable us to meditate wholeheartedly, but also empower us with inner calm and clarity to mediate more effectively.