Eternal Meditation

by Alexander
(St.Petersburg, Russia.)

I'll tell you something you may find new and inspiring about all meditation practices. Something that shows meditation should be eternal.

I practiced different meditation techniques for almost 10 years, and I was desperately seeking for the best one. I tried all traditions from Zen Buddhism to Thai Chi and from the Centering Prayer to Eastern Orthodox hesychasm. All of them provided a special framework for me to undertake some specific mental or body actions.

But then I heard this story of a Buddhist travelling monk, who met firstly a group of other monks, practising some kind of yearly ritual. To them he said "It is good, what you are doing, but the Practice of Buddhism is much better" These monks were shocked, because they thought the ritual to be the ultimate practice.

Then he met a meditating Yoga and said to him: "So you are meditating - thats good, but the Buddhist Practice is way better!" And everyone he met were astonished by his sayings, until one day someone asked him about this practice, he was talking about.

He answered "So, you are asking a question on Buddhist practice? Thats is very wise of you, but it would be much wiser to practice".

This story revealed for me, that meditation should be eternal, every moment you should be concentrated on love to God and compassion and be ready to get dharmic knowledge from whatever is happening to you each moment of time. This is a very hard task to accomplish, but such an intention itself is the best meditation. The true Bodhichitta.