line

Feature Article

MEDITATION - THE ULTIMATE ESCAPE

By Paul Hourihan/ed. Anna Hourihan 
 

Going away on vacation is wonderful! There is only one fault with it—we bring ourselves along. We can get away from our jobs, but we can’t get away from ourselves—that is, the ego self, the compulsive self, the ordinary self. 

One reason we drink and take drugs is so that we can temporarily escape from the limited self we normally identify with. Sexual adventure serves the same purpose, since sexual excitement pushes the ordinary consciousness out of the central place in our life for a little while and we seem to become someone new. 

Hence, also, our constant need of novelty—new sensations, new things! 

But still we can’t escape ourselves! What is the solution to this? We should make ourselves such that we won’t want to escape! The spiritually evolved individual, for example, is absorbed in his or her own Presence and is quite content. A great deep opens up within and he or she discovers at last what the rest of us are foolishly seeking to uncover through novelty, travel, sex, addictions and losing ourselves in work. 

To reach this state we have to control, renew and transform the mind. How do we do this? Through the practice of meditation. With meditation we escape from the ego self; we push this aside because we’re seeking something else. We immobilize it for five minutes, ten minutes, half an hour, or whatever we can manage without strain. During this time we give the mind a respite from its usual restless, ego-driven self. We infuse the mind with different vibrations, such as peace, love, devotion, and acceptance, which are coming from a higher level of the mind. Otherwise it experiences its usual self … and thus is continually bored. 

Knowingly or unknowingly, we are aiming for the mystical state so that the mind will experience another consciousness than its own habitual consciousness: namely, the Self, the charisma of the Divine Presence within us.  
                                        Behold, the kingdom of heaven is within you.
 (Luke 18: 21)

The true vacation is meditation—we absent ourselves from the familiar limited self to reveal the Unlimited Self within.

See also Words of Wisdom: Meditation and Spiritual Life and Articles: IS MYSTICISM ESCAPISM?  and GOING BEYOND THE SURROGATES FOR THE SELF.


NOTE: Our monthly Feature Articles cover various aspects of spirituality from an Eastern philosophical perspective, particularly the Vedantic philosophy of India. Links for past articles and essays providing spiritual guidance and inspiration are available below.


Archived Feature Articles:

2010
CHARACTER IS DESTINY
Thoughts on Right Livelihood
mostly, we Talk toO much - thoughts on Right SpEeCh
AWAKENING TO RESURRECTION
NO PROGRESSION WITHOUT CONTRARIES

MAINTAINING THE LOVE RELATIONSHIP WITH Meditation
THE PSYCHIC VS. THE SPIRITUAL

2009
THE LIVING WATER
Meditation: The Way to Transformation and the Glory of Our True Self
Attachment in Work & Meditation: SOURCE OF BONDAGE AND LIBERATION
Thoughts on Detachment
QUESTIONS ON THE PATH
WORK AND Resistance - A PATH TO Freedom
MEDITATION-THE ULTIMATE ESCAPE
BUDDHA: THE COMPASSIONATE ONE
Easter and the Law of Being
GOING BEYOND THE SURROGATES FOR THE SELF
MAINTAINING THE LOVE RELATIONSHIP WITH Meditation
MEETING THE SPIRITUAL CHALLENGES OF THE KALI YUGA

2008
CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS
OM, HANDLE FOR THE DIVINE
THE LIGHT OF THE SELF
THE TRUE NATURE OF THE WORLD
THE PERSONAL VS IMPERSONAL AND THE TRUTH IN ALL
VEDANTA: ANCIENT WISDOM FOR MODERN TIMES
MOTHERHOOD, THE MOST DRAMATIC SCHOOL
APRIL, THE CRUELEST MONTH?
From reincarnation to resurrection, continued
STUDY THE WORD
EVERY DAY IS A NEW YEAR DAY

2007
CHRISTMAS REFLECTIONS
BRAHMAN: THE ABSOLUTE
INDIVIDUALITY AND Mystical EXPERIENCE
DISSATISFACTION: THE PREREQUISITE FOR SPIRITUAL LIFE
MEDITATION-THE ULTIMATE ESCAPE
CHARACTER IS DESTINY
THE MOTHER'S UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY
FROM REINCARNATION TO RESURRECTION
KARMA YOGA – Enlightenment on the Installment Plan
CHRIST'S TEACHINGS IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT
WE HAVE IT ALL NOW!

2006
CHRIST AND THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS
THE MYSTICAL STATE VS. THE DREAM STATE
TIGERS OF WRATH: ANGER AS A SPIRITUAL TOOL
Questions Arising on the Path
Selected Poems from my quarrel with myself
BENEDICT LABRE: SAINT BY ACCLAMATION
THE BODHISATTVA

CATHERINE OF GENOA: SAINT OF LOVE 
CHRIST AND VEDANTA
PRAYER: ITS OWN REWARD
NO ONE CAN BE LOST
IS MYSTICISM ESCAPISM?

2005
TRUTH: THE HIGHEST PRINCIPLE
NO PROGRESSION WITHOUT CONTRARIES
Concentration: The Key to Success
Thoughts on Detachment