Who Can Meditate?

I want to pose the question, “Who can meditate?”

Can anyone meditate? Is everyone able to meditate?

I want to address those of you reading this book but don’t have a meditative or spiritual practice. If you are interested enough to read this far, then there must be something that draws you to the path and resonates with the experiences we have discussed.

Then, there are many of you who do come to our practice group and sit quietly with us for 30 minutes or so each week. However, if you are like most of us who practice, you sometimes have doubts about your practice:

Am I doing this right? My experiences don’t seem the same as everyone else.

I used to be able to meditate, but why isn’t is working now?

Was I ever really “meditating”? or maybe I was just sitting there the whole time, doing nothing, or doing it wrong?

These thoughts are not unusual and occur for most meditators at some time in their practice life. Basically, everyone is capable of meditating, as long as you have a mind that functions. In other words, if you are alive, you can meditate.

Then, why do some people think they can’t meditate? I can think of three reasons:

1. They tried on their own, without a teacher, got frustrated and gave up.
   
2. They tried with a teacher who was unable to communicate the practice in a way that they could relate to, got frustrated, and gave up.
   
3. They misunderstood the true nature of what meditation is, had unrealistic goals for their practice, got frustrated, and gave up.

There are probably a dozen more reasons that you or I could think of, but these things usually come in three’s. So I will stop here.

Based on the reasons above, we need to consider the following:

1. It is better if we work with a teacher, and, if possible, practice with a group, who can share their experiences. The support of others on the same path, and the knowledge of other’s experiences can help us understand that we are on the right path, even when there are some rough patches in our own personal experience. If the ability to meditate is universal, then the experiences we have will also be universal, shared by others.
   
2. There hundreds of different meditation techniques, but the basics have been around for thousands of years and are reliable. Don’t be afraid to “shop around” and find a
   teacher and practice that you connect with. There is no shortage of options in this age of the internet. It is fine to try out a group for a while, and if you don’t feel a connection, you can leave with no regrets or apologies. Most meditators I know have practiced in more than one tradition.
   
3. Be patient. Understand that meditation (and spiritual life in general) is a lifetime commitment. Progress is measured in months and years; not session by session. The only “bad” meditations are the ones that you don’t do, the ones you skip for a variety of reasons.

The nature of meditation practice is to become more aware of the way the mind works, to relax the tension we find in the thoughts we cling to, and to relax into the spaciousness of that release. This opens our mind to its own true wisdom and enables us to experience the world with more equanimity and less suffering.

A teacher you trust, a group of supportive practitioners, and a practice that connects with your needs at this time are the keys to a stable practice.