Back to the How and what of Meditation.

Meditate regularly, have a fixed time and place, avoid bad thoughts, avoid bad company, practice a little asceticism and cultivate the vastness of spirit presence, yearning for the supreme being (God), spiritualise daily activity, seek holy company.- 

Swami Sarvapriananda.

These were the few tips on meditation that I was able to pick off a talk the Swamiji and it was based on the teachings of Lord Krishna to Arjuna from the Bhagavad Gita. The whole idea was about how one can 'master' the mind through meditation and the key to it all is repetition, to keep doing until it becomes a habit or a routine, a part of you that you cannot avoid doing. It is initially not easy and one will tend to become discouraged  and give it up all together as a waste of time and this can happen to the best of us. It is mentioned in the teaching that we are armed to face our enemy in meditation and this is through the use our understanding of the nature of the mind. The human mind is like a monkey that can never stay still and is constantly busy with something to do no matter if it makes sense or otherwise. I find that meditation does not have to be so involved or convoluted for one to get involved in, the more simpler it is the easier for it to be practiced especially by those who lack for time and space in their busy lives. You can meditate anywhere and at anytime and it is just as effective without having to sit on the mountain top or in a cave. It does not really matter the from albeit Yoga or Tantra, Zen or simply sitting on your bed upon waking up in the middle of the night, which to me is the most effective form and time as it helps me most mentally and physically as a from realignment.

The point is one makes takes sometime and make an effort to sit and do it =meditate. Give yourself the opportunity to take a step back from the whirlwind of this thought generated illusion we call life and living. Remove your attention from the attachment to the daily routine of having to deal with petty tyrants and penny any financial squeeze and the changing of diapers and trying to convince your spouses that it ain't what it used to be anymore, so live with it. Learn to take control of your mind before it is being controlled by others and the circumstances around you. Know and hold firmly to the understanding that, you are the master of your thoughts and consciousness, or your body speech and mind, of your environment and circumstances and not the other way round; this is the essence of meditation. To become free from the illusion of mind created bondage and the illusory state of mental formations is a step towards liberation from suffering; it is a major step towards awakening to who you truly are.

In time meditation happens, there is no you making it happen. It becomes meditation in action where all that is happens in a state of awareness and consciousness without any intervening thought in the process; you do your dishes while singing Cat Steven's , Morning has Broken out of the blue instead of, why the fuck have I got to do these dishes every fucking morning?! You cook the meal with wonder and pleasure at how it would turn out and you master the art saying fuck you to your boss with compassionate smile on your face without any attachment to the outcome. It is when you are able to take on the most tedious and odious most offensive events and circumstances in your daily life effortlessly that you have understood meditation; you have become fluid like water and nothing can stand in your way. The peace of mind that comes to you through meditation is worth all the material wealth you seek in a lifetime for it is yours eternally and cannot be removed except by yourself...an absolute meditative state of consciousness is the Divine state of Being, an enlightened state a state of Absolute Liberation... in Hinduism, it is the State of becoming Brahman.   

Becoming Godlike is a tall order by a long shot in everyone's mind, however getting the whiff of a feeling like it is not a bad idea to aspire towards. It is one of those intentions of meditation that one aspires towards a higher spiritual state as befits a human being for we are created in the image of our Creator, (if one is a believer). No matter, to have a sense of reaching for the stars is not a bad idea id one needs a goal to work towards. However  it still in the simplicity of the endeavor that one finds better chance of success is attaining some form of peace of mind when one meditates and I always maintain that the key to it all, the essence of what makes meditation works is paying attention to the breath and this is one reason why I chose to do Zazen as my practice.