Getting Started with Meditation

by Jesse Diaz

Every aspiring meditator this day and age is beset by a crisis that would seem alien to truth seekers, ages back. The crisis I speak of is one of choice. Back in the day, choices of tradition or teacher were limited depending on one’s culture and good fortune to encounter somebody with skill, knowledge and the ability to instruct. Dubious teachers have always been hazards along the way for a determined aspirant, though usually for lack of options rather than a glut of them. Nowadays, however, it indeed seems that if you can dream it, you can buy it -to slightly modify Dr. Frank N. Furter’s inspirational adage.

So how is one to proceed? Are we compelled to accept the fact that BS abounds at every turn, and give up? Are we to acquiesce to the BS and just blindly trust whatever teacher happens to advertise most on craigslist? Fortunately, now that I am writing this article for you, these are two choices that you will not have to make. I will give you a third alternative and some sound advice as to how to proceed in carrying it out. Although you will still have to choose which socks to wear when you get up in the morning. My advice is this: do your homework, find what works best for you and undergo a lot of trial and error to fit meditating into your lifestyle in a way that is fruitful and satisfying. Also, don’t eat yellow snow.

Step 1: choosing a tradition

Everyone has heard one hippy or another espousing the view that “It’s all the same thing man. All the religious traditions are just going at it from different angles”. This statement is usually followed by clicking noises and the garbled sound of bubbling water echoing through a plastic tube. To the discontent of our lovable hippy friend (although he probably doesn’t really give a crap, because he’s totally farking high), the sobering and sad fact is that not all traditions are created equal. Although, not all of them are as exclusive and anti-heathen as we might believe at first glance, either.

It would be remiss to overlook the fact that in “THE WEST”, views on religion do tend to be far more exclusive and hostile compared with those of “THE EAST” (I hope you can sense my contempt for these overly generalized concepts). I personally feel that the best way to approach meditation is to have a relaxed and sober attitude toward religion, in general. While these are not the same thing by any means, they have been associated for thousands of years and the practice of one has been bound up with the institutionalization of the other since the early centuries B.C.. I mention this now, because if you are not squared away with what you think about religion, you will find yourself doing the pee pee dance in the doorway of every shala, dojo and vihara in town.

If you are a super logical, rational dude or dudette, who doesn’t appreciate talk of God and souls, then yoga might eventually challenge you on that level. Even Buddhism, considered to be the most rational of eastern philosophies, is rife with talk of other realms, a notion of rebirth, belief in ghosts and psychic powers. It is my personal view that we need to chill out about our hatred of the supernatural and just kind of accept going in that the tradition we are about to engage is colored by, rather than composed of, beliefs in the supernatural.

There are trends though, pertaining to personality and inclination. Theravada Buddhism, will certainly appeal to the more rational among us. The Hippy bong guy might be more inclined toward yoga, with it’s self affirming soul concept, inspiring recourse to faith in an intervening god, as well as it’s advocacy for dreadlocks. Those ambivalent types among us who want it all, or at least a little bit of both, might be intrigued by Vajrayana Buddhism. The point is that you will never know what is right for you, until you get your beak wet with a smattering of traditions.

As for the question of if they all lead to enlightenment, I say that this question can only be answered by the aspirant, as he or she proceeds along the path. I take my main practice as Theravada Buddhism, but I feel that one can possibly become enlightened from many other traditions. They all have their strong points. Without naming names, there are also traditions and texts, even supposed Buddhist texts, which I call foul on and regard as completely extraneous to the practice of meditation.

Step 2: choosing a teacher

Trial and error my friend. You may be really grooving on Raja or Kundalini Yoga, but suddenly find a teacher from Zen that totally jives with you. You may be all against the Islam but find that you totally dig the beauty and truth of Sufi teachings. This finding may coincide with meeting a great instructor that eventually really takes you places. People can all be awakened, partially awakened, or at least have an understanding about what it means to be awakened, regardless of tradition. I personally am very suspicious of teachers or schools that are exclusive and derisive of other schools. I say follow people whom you find wise, when you have a sense that they are deeply smelling that ineffable rose of spirituality. Also, don’t be disillusioned when you realize that the person you once idealized is a fallible human. Forgive and forget. There are stories of unenlightened teachers who help their pupils to become enlightened who are then fortunate enough to be taught and led to enlightenment by their former students.

The guru, while an important figure, should not be worshipped or ever lord over the pupil. Many Yoga and Buddhism schools are totally bogged down by teacher idolatry. A good master is one who can listen to, relate to and work with the pupil as an equal. Evaluate your own personal level of trust and comfort with a given person, and don’t compromise that. Don’t cede your own personal power to that other person. It is, once again, up to you to decide when enough is enough and when it is time to leave one teacher and find another. While not being paranoid about it you want to take care of yourself. You certainly don’t want some philosophy grad-school drop out to realize his Yoda fantasies through you. Or do you… Luke?

Step 3: practice

The practice of meditation is an incredibly personal thing. The Buddha, with his final words, said that all compounded phenomena were subject to decay and he implored us to strive on heedfully in our quest for spiritual liberation. The teacher won’t follow you into death. You are beholden to no person. It is you and you alone who are responsible for where you are heading from one moment to the next.

Choose your practice based on careful study and self assessment. Listen to what your teachers and friends have to say about you. Weigh this advice honestly with yourself. People who lack this basic sense of humility and ability to reflect on themselves are wholly incapable of meditation, in my honest opinion. For people like this, meditation is simply a way to enhance your image or make yourself feel superior to others. This is wasting your own time. On the contrary, it is better to consider your shortcomings, denial, weaknesses, wishful thinking, compulsive tendencies, and then choose the meditation that will counteract all of that. You don’t have to dwell on your bad points and get down on yourself. Just simply fess up, accept that these are the things you are trying to fix, and then do something about it. Feel good about that fact, too, for Pete’s sake.

Samatha meditation will help you to concentrate and calm your nerves, while Vipassana establishes you in moment by moment mindfulness and clarity. In Ashtanga Yoga, tapas will discipline you on a bodily level and contemplating the ideal self will help you to actualize potentialities within yourself that you did not realize you could embody. Over time, with a little effort, a regular practice should come together. Adjust this practice when you feel that it is either becoming too easy or is becoming an impediment to your progress.

Ask yourself questions. If you are going with Buddhism, you can ask yourself if your Vipassana practice is helping you to develop the 7 faculties. You can measure your progress in Samatha against the schema laid out in that system. Ask yourself probing questions to gain some measure of understanding about your development. Are you becoming a more patient, kind and loving person? Are you just repressing aversion and lust, simply putting on a show for others to see, cause you want them to think that you’re the next hottest thing since our boy Jesus came down and made some noise? These are serious things to consider. Being honest with yourself will give you the power to assess and adjust. Nobody is forcing you to become a better person, so why bullshit yourself about it? You just own it, know it’s a problem for yourself and change it. The yellow snow may look like delicious, banana flavored goodness, but after eating it a thousand times…

Street Art by Icy and Sot

Street Art by Icy and Sot