A Guru's Secret to Deep Meditation (video)

Sadhguru says, “The word 'sadhguru' is not a title. It is a description. Sadh-guru means 'uneducated-guru.'”

While he may be uneducated, he used to be a great meditator in India, sitting for so long at a stretch that people became concerned he had passed away or become enlightened.

Here he gets at a deep secret about meditation: Overefforting will sink it. If one tries to meditate, one will go crazy.

The way to meditate, which is the flipside of the secret, is to cultivate meditation's supporting factors. It's like growing a sprout. There is no way to "do" it.

Therefore, the way to get it done is to allow it by first cultivating the things that support a seed initially unfolding (sprouting) and fully blossoming. What are those things?

In Buddhism, there are the Five Factors of Absorption. Absorption or jhana is another word for "meditation," which is also translated "cultivation" (bhavana, lit. "bringing into being").

In yoga, it is the Eight Limbs of Yoga or ashtanga. In Buddhism, which is older than Patanjali's systematic formulation of yoga's eight limbs, it is the Noble Eight-Factored Path leading to enlightenment. They are compatible, so it is possible to do both.

In either case, allow, allow, allow. If we do, do, do we will get do-do, which is good fertilizer (manure) to ground ourselves in, but it is no way to "meditate."

Both paths have basic elements with more detailed aspects. There are things to do in general with more specific instructions: Doing these things before sitting will allow letting go and allowing during sitting.

Go sit and just sit, like in zazen. Just observe without comment, pay attention without judgment or reaction, dropping passion, aversion, and confusion and developing in their place nongreed (letting go), nonhatred/nonfear (acceptance, allowing), and nondelusion (mindfulness).