Is too much meditation dangerous?
Recently i’ve been meditating a lot forgetting about my body totally recently i meditated for 2 days continuously and it was like 2 minutes have passed for me but my mother is tensed for me she starts getting worried that what i’m doing and how do i sustain that long without eating and drinking. Actually i sometime go so deep in meditation that i’m not aware how to get out of meditation so my question is how can i get out of deep meditation?
—Buddha, India
Dear Buddha,
The word “meditation” applies to many things these days, and because I do not know what your specific practice is, I must answer very generally.
Long periods of meditation are not dangerous unless they adversely affect your health or render you unable to function appropriately in daily life. I will leave that issue for you and your mother to work out.
As for knowing how to get out of deep meditation, if you are truly deep in meditation, then you have gone beyond the mind altogether, and the issue of wanting to come out doesn’t arise. So if you find yourself wanting to come out, then you are not so deep in meditation that you cannot pray, and you can simply call on the aid or God or guru to come out if no other means suggests itself. (If you do not have a guru, it seems it is time for you to find one, so you can get personal guidance on your meditation practice.)
If you are concerned, prior to meditation, about coming out at a specific time, you could set an alarm clock, or for even greater reliability, ask someone to bring you out by making soft sounds (ringing bells, for example) or gently moving/touching your body at the appropriate time and talking with you. I suspect that your mother would be willing to be that person. :-)
Blessings,
Gyandev
