The more ambitious you are, the more you need meditation

If you look at the benefits that meditation brings to your life, you will find that it is all the more relevant today. In ancient times, meditation was used to find the Self and attain enlightenment. However, it isn’t the only reward of meditation.

The more ambitious you are, the more responsibilities you must take. And the chances are, the higher the stress. The formula for stress is too much to do, too little time, no energy. Here, you are left with just two options- either you increase your energy levels, or reduce your wants. For an ambitious individual, the second option is off the list. [a]All that you can do is to increase your energy levels. How to do it? Through proper food, light exercise such as asanas, breathing exercises (pranayamas), and meditation. This daily routine, particularly meditation, is the key to experiencing enormous energy.

Meditation not only relieves you of stress and strain, but it also enhances your abilities and strengthens your nervous system and mind.

When ambitious and busy people start to meditate, they find they have more time, because they are able to focus and get more things done in a small time. Not only that, but the regular practice of meditation also leads to greater intuitiveness. It sharpens the mind through focus and expands it through deep rest.

This brings us to an important aspect of meditation: the relationship between rest and activity.[b] Rest and activity are opposite values, but they complement each other. The deeper you can rest, the more dynamic you will be in activity. Now one might think, why bother meditating when sleep is good enough to get rest? Remember, when you are sleeping, your body is rejuvenating. It is growing, and cells are multiplying. There is a lot of activity in the body– in fact, much more than in the waking state. In meditation, the reverse happens. Metabolism, which is high in sleep, reduces during meditation. Since the body calms down, so does the mind. And then intelligence awakens. Since meditation rejuvenates the body and mind at the same time, you feel energetic.

A rested and alert mind also changes the way we perceive the world around us.[c] If the mind vacillates between the past and the future, then it isn’t sharp enough in the present. For creativity, all that is required is the sharpness of the mind, the ability to perceive better. Perception, observation, and expression – these three aspects, which are integral to the success of any activity, can blossom when your mind is well-rested.

But where does this creativity come from? Is it something that we acquire, or is it already within us?[d]

Creativity is already present at every point in consciousness, and it can be evoked. It is like applying heat to pop the corn kernels. There is inherent creativity in consciousness. We are just tapping what is already there and taking the credit. Sometimes we can do this without any effort, before we even know it has already taken birth. Whether it is a scientific discovery or an inspiration for great art, the source is unknown. Tapping this field within us, being with this unknown field, is meditation.

Meditation is a profound phase of silence. Deep silence is the mother of creativity, the source of intuition, and the storehouse of energy. No creativity can come out of one who is too busy, worried, overambitious, or lethargic. A restless person can’t be an inventor. Restlessness, agitation, desire, and ambition stir up the mind and keep it engaged, planning for the future or being regretful about the past. It can hold one back from diving deep into themselves. Meditation is accepting this moment and living every moment with total awareness.

Yet, there is a common misconception that restlessness and ambition are necessary for great discoveries. [e] There is this contrary belief that since some scientists who made great discoveries were impatient to unravel the mysteries of the universe, ambitious people should be restless and agitated. For example, Archimedes was very restless, but when did he discover the principle of buoyancy? He found it when he was relaxing in a bathtub. You all have this enormous wealth of silence in your hearts. The only thing is you have locked it and forgotten the key! Just like how you forget your computer’s password sometimes. Meditationis the key to unlocking it.

(The author is a global humanitarian leader and spiritual master who founded The Art of Living in1981. As Gurudev turns 70 and The Art of Living steps into the 45th year of making life a celebration on this planet, month long celebrations are underway at The Art of Living International centre with eminent personalities from the sphere of politics, entertainment, arts, academia and faith arriving at the centre for thoughtful conversations, cultural showcases and launch of several service initiatives.)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

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