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Table of Contents
- Introduction: A Simple Observation During Meditation
- Why Meditation Should Have No Objective
- The Moment Meditation Becomes a Task
- Every Objective Creates a Chain of Thoughts
- The Only Intention Required
- Meditation Is Effortlessness
- Conclusion: Meditation Begins When Seeking Ends
- Frequently Asked Questions
Part of the Totapari Meditation Knowledge Series
This article is part of Totapari's Meditation Knowledge Series—a structured collection of articles that explores meditation from first principles. Instead of teaching techniques alone, the series explains how the mind functions, why meditation is difficult, the preparation required before meditation, and the deeper philosophical understanding that transforms meditation from a practice into a way of life.
At Totapari, the purpose is not only jewellery. We do not want to be seen as mere ornamentation platform. This series by Totapari is for the purpose of exposition of inner clarity— the clarity of mind and the true purpose of human life and understanding. As this understanding deepens, what we choose to wear becomes more intentional, simple, and aligned with who we are becoming.
- Why Totapari Writes About Mind and Meditation?
- Know Your Mind Before You Start Meditating
- Attraction, Aversion, Fear—Functional Evolutes of Mind
- What is Intelligence, the Faculty that Guides the Mind?
- Elevate Your Mind Using Intelligence
- What Is Meditation? A Beginner's Guide
-
How to Start Meditation?
- The Prerequisites of Meditation: Preparing the Mind
-
Why Meditation Alone Cannot Purify the Mind
-
Why the Mind Resists Meditation
- The Role of Intelligence and Ego in Meditation
- Where do you begin— the First Step in Self Enquiry
- Understanding the Ego—The Wrong Identification of I
- Who Am I—Beyond Mind, Intelligence and Ego
- Conquer the World Within
- What is the Purpose of Human Life?
- Non-duality of Mind is Enlightenment
1. Introduction: A Simple Observation During Meditation
One very important observation while meditating, though my Gurudev had clearly explained it years ago.
Meditation should have no objective.
This may sound strange in the beginning because we are used to doing everything with an objective. We study for marks. We work for results. We exercise for health. We pray for fulfilment of some desire. Almost every action in ordinary life is connected with some expected outcome.
Naturally, many people carry the same attitude into meditation.
They sit for meditation thinking, “I want peace,” “I want silence,” “I want concentration,” “I want spiritual experience,” or “I want enlightenment.”
But the moment an objective is associated with meditation, meditation quietly changes into something else.
It becomes a task.
And a task belongs to the mind.
2. Why Meditation Should Have No Objective
Meditation is not like other activities.
In most activities, an objective is necessary. Without an objective, worldly action becomes directionless. If you are running a business, you need a target. If you are studying, you need a purpose. If you are managing work, you need planning.
But meditation is not outward action. Meditation is turning inward.
The moment we give meditation an objective, the mind becomes active around that objective. It starts thinking about how to achieve it. It compares, measures, expects, evaluates, and becomes restless.
Then meditation is no longer meditation.
It becomes mental activity in the name of meditation.
Key thought: If I sit for meditation with the thought, “I must become peaceful,” then “peace” itself becomes a thought.
The mind starts watching whether peace has come or not. If peace does not come, disappointment begins. If a little peace comes, comparison begins. The mind says, “Today was good. Yesterday was better. Tomorrow I must go deeper.”
This is not meditation.
This is the mind continuing its old habit in a new form.
3. The Moment Meditation Becomes a Task
The moment you create an objective for meditation, it becomes a task.
A task means something has to be done. Something has to be achieved. Something has to be completed.
And the moment this attitude enters, thought begins.
The mind asks:
- Am I doing it correctly?
- How much progress have I made?
- Why are thoughts still coming?
- When will I experience silence?
- Why did I not feel today what I felt yesterday?
- How long will it take?
One thought gives birth to another. The mind starts moving again. Meditation has not even begun, and already the mind has entered a sequence of thoughts.
This is why goal-oriented meditation often becomes another burden.
The person may be sitting with closed eyes, but inwardly the mind is still working, it has created an objective for meditation, which is self-defeating.
4. Every Objective Creates a Chain of Thoughts
Every objective is a thought.
“I want peace” is a thought.
“I want bliss” is a thought.
“I want enlightenment” is also a thought.
“I want to stop thoughts” is perhaps the most subtle thought of all.
The mind is very clever. It can convert even spirituality into ambition. Earlier it wanted money, position, respect, success, or pleasure. Now it wants silence, bliss, samadhi, or enlightenment. Mind is very notorious that way because it thrives on thoughts. But don't worry, just understand the way mind works.
But the movement remains the same.
The “I” is still seeking something.
As long as the “I” is seeking, the mind remains active. It may wear spiritual clothing, but it is still the same mind creating desire and movement.
Meditation is not the fulfilment of this desire.
Meditation begins when this desire itself is seen and dropped.
5. The Only Thing Required is Intention
Does this mean we should not even decide to meditate?
No.
One intention is required in the beginning.
“I will sit quietly and meditate.”
That is enough.
This intention brings the body to the seat. It prepares the posture. It creates the initial movement towards meditation.
But once you are seated, even this intention should slowly dissolve.
After that, nothing has to be achieved.
- Let thoughts arise.
- Do not follow them.
- Do not resist them.
- Do not fight them.
- Do not analyse them.
- Simply unfollow them.
Intention is not an objective. The intention merely brings you to the meditation seat. An objective asks the mind to achieve something after you are seated. Meditation begins when even that objective is allowed to dissolve.
This is the whole practice.
A thought comes. You see it. You do not walk with it.
Another thought comes. You see it. You do not walk with it.
Slowly the mind learns that its thoughts are no longer being entertained. Yes!! This is the Golden Rule. This is how unnecessary thinking begins to lose its strength.
6. Meditation Is Effortlessness
Meditation is not forcing the mind into silence.
The mind thinks. That is its nature. Just as the eyes see and the ears hear, the mind produces thoughts. If we start fighting the mind, we are again giving it attention.
Fighting thought is also thought.
Trying to stop thought is also thought.
Judging meditation is also thought.
Expecting results is also thought.
Therefore meditation cannot be achieved through effort in the ordinary sense. It begins with an intention and not an effort. It blossoms in effortlessness.
The only effort is to sit. After that, effort must drop.
Meditation is not doing something with the mind. It is allowing the mind to settle by not feeding its movements.
This is why meditation should have no objective. An objective keeps the mind alive. Effortlessness allows it to become quiet.
7. Conclusion: Meditation Begins When Seeking Ends
Meditation has no destination.
The moment there is a destination, there is a traveller. The moment there is a traveller, there is ego. The ego says, “I want to reach somewhere. I want to become something. I want to achieve something.”
But meditation is not about becoming.
It is about dropping the movement of becoming.
When there is no objective, there is nothing to chase.
When there is nothing to chase, the mind slowly stops running.
When the mind stops running, silence is not produced. It is revealed.
Meditation begins where seeking ends.
Sit quietly.
Let thoughts arise.
Do not follow them.
Do not resist them.
Simply remain.
That is meditation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should meditation have no goal at all?
During meditation, there should be no goal. You may begin meditation because you want peace or clarity, but once you sit, even that desire should be dropped.
Is reducing stress not a valid reason to meditate?
It may be a reason to begin meditation, but it should not become an objective during meditation. If you sit with the constant thought “I must reduce stress,” then stress remains active in another form.
Should I try to stop thoughts during meditation?
No. Trying to stop thoughts is also a thought. Let thoughts arise, but do not follow them.
What should I do when thoughts keep coming?
Observe them and unfollow them. Do not fight, suppress, or analyse them. A thought loses strength when it is not entertained.
Is meditation effort or effortlessness?
The initial decision to sit requires effort. After that, meditation is effortlessness. Any further effort usually becomes another thought.
Can enlightenment be the goal of meditation?
If enlightenment becomes a goal, it becomes another desire of the ego. Meditation is not chasing enlightenment. It is dropping the movement of the mind so that truth can reveal itself.
What is the simplest way to meditate?
Sit quietly. Let the mind produce whatever it produces. Do not follow any thought. Do not resist any thought. Simply remain aware and unfollow.
