Dear Ananda Friends,
I have had wonderful experiences in meditation, but these are rare. Often, I just sit and think about stuff with my eyes closed.
I know it's part of the learning journey, but sometimes I feel like it's pointless to proceed. I guess I am looking for encouragement. Any advice?
—daniel , USA
Dear one,
There is not a yogi alive who couldn’t relate to your experience, unless, of course, they are a Self-Realized Master. The rest of us have to contend with just the sort of thing you are describing.
Whenever I feel discouragement creeping into my practice, I think of the story Yogananda tells in his Autobiography of a Yogi, in the chapter, “An Experience in Cosmic Consciousness.”
It begins with young Mukunda (Yogananda’s name at the time) trying to sit in meditation, with his “laudable purpose unshared by disobedient thoughts. They scattered like birds before the hunter.”
Sounds familiar?
What happened next, of course, is the dream of every aspiring yogi. Yogananda’s Guru came, and with his touch, imparted the vision of Cosmic Consciousness to his disciple.
Next time you doubt your ability to meditate, remember this story. Say to yourself, “Some day, this will happen to me too. I just need to keep trying.”
