In all its various contemplations and ruminations, meditation distinguishes itself as a much-practiced Hindu tradition from ancient to present.

Meditation in Hinduism is secular in its participation and spiritual in practice.

Seeking enlightenment is one reverent aspect of meditation that has its Vedic roots in Hindu spiritual traditions. However, the most favoured and helpful feature of meditation in our daily lives is procreating or inducing a calm and tranquil temperament amidst the constant chaos of ongoing anxieties and temporal woes.

Meditation is an exercise of steering the mind toward a focus during the entire meditative period.

The focal point can be any chosen or guru-given mantra, thought, an auditory sensation like breath, a sacred sound like Om, or even an object like a flower.

Theoretically, meditation is a simple discipline, and its practice leads to serenity and peace of mind. It is an experience in relaxed contemplation cultivated thru a focused and rapt state of mind.

In this contemplative mode, the tranquillity that once perceived or sensed releases energy to energize physical and cognitive faculties while the meditator braces calm and relaxed ambiance.

As meditation’s goal is to have complete relaxation of mind, it involves no worldly or temporal thinking while ignoring the traffic of thoughts that keeps flowing. 

This posture is called thoughtless awareness. In this disposition, the meditator’s only repetitive and cognitive activity is to dwell in a focussed mind effortlessly. It is where the “power of now” can be felt. It comes with practice.

“Power of now” basically is an act of meditation on the present moment, and its very realization is an energizing act. Here the past and future are overpassed by the moments of the present. And that is what matters most to be in the meditative state. The act of staying in the moment of “now” is an experience that qualifies to be contemplative in itself.

MEDITATION IN ACTION

A work or an activity performed with devotion and concentration of mind is an acceptable Hindu meditational practice.

In this focused regime, meditation tools may differ, but the meditator achieves the same spiritual and tranquil experiences. The statue of dancing Nataraja, in addition to its other attributes, also symbolizes meditation in action.

Meditation in action opens up practically any form of activity from dance to physical yoga exercises, recreation, reading, writing, playing or listening to music, or any life’s work to be meditational as long as the mind stays focussed. 

Meditation is both a blissful and tranquil experience. And psychologically and physically, it is therapeutic.

Hindu meditation is not an elite practice. 

Impoverished and deprived society members can be meditative when performing their duties or services with dedication and captivated focus, which relieves stress while being alert and effective in performance.

In its expanded inclusion of all the class gradations of the society and any focus-based activity with a conscious feel of divinity, meditation is manifestly liberal and secular. 

-Promod Puri