No Help From Books

"Meditation is not a matter of trying to achieve ecstasy, spiritual bliss or tranquility, nor is it attempting to become a better person. It is simply the creation of space in which we are able to expose and undo our neurotic games, our self deceptions, our hidden fears and hopes." - Baba Raam Daas

Living in a society where media and advertising govern majority of the populous perception, it can be very hard to decipher the message of meditation. There are just so many definitions of meditation, what it is, what it ought to be, why we should do it and so on. And yes, the quote above is yet another example.

Every book store seems to have aisles full of these self-help books, each of which claim to hold the secrets to our happiness. However, if a book could take us out of suffering, then we'd all be living in permanent ecstasy by now; stress, depression, anxiety, and other such negativities would be a thing of the past. But in fact, more and more people are using those self-help aisles, implying that greater and greater amounts of people are in need of help. External resources like a talk with someone or an inspirational story or a well written chapter can certainly influence and motivate us, but that is no solution. A lasting solution comes when we fully understand the road blocks ourselves and consciously choose to overcome them.

Tumbling around from one book/quote to another, we wish to regain the mental calm, restore the love around us, and hope to find answers to everything, but perhaps its worth taking a second look within our own self. In simply examining ourselves, meditation gives us unparalleled answers about our existence.