Ever since Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meditated for 48 hours at Kanyakumari in the southern tip of India, the concept of meditation has become a topic of discussion and lively debate not only in India but also in other parts of the world. While PM Modi’s staunch critics have termed his meditation a mere photo op, astute observers disagree and believe that it is a meaningful and significant spiritual practice on his part that should neither be taken lightly nor face unkind criticism.
For thousands of years, deep thinkers around the world have resorted to occasional long periods of meditation, staying silent, and understanding the concept of human life from an objective perspective, especially to introspect on the origins of birth and destination after death.
In India, the concept of meditation has been developed and advocated for centuries as much as prayer to God, whereas in other parts of the world, there seems to have been more emphasis on relying on prayer to God rather than on the practice of meditation.
The difference between meditation and prayer
There is a subtle difference between meditation and prayer.
In the case of meditation, the foremost thing that comes to mind is the question about the origin and end of life and the continuous effort to discover the truth within oneself.The practice of meditation leads to the conclusion about the futility of the process of life itself and the view that the pursuit of material gains in the process of life is akin to the endless pursuit of shadows.
Meditation allows one to feel the bliss of a higher power. Some deep thinkers say that power resides within oneself. Indeed, the practice of meditation along with deep introspection allows one to develop a sense of indifference towards what is happening around, surrendering one’s ego and promoting a mindset of having no ill will towards anyone.
On the other hand, when an individual offers prayers in a temple, mosque, church, gurdwara etc, the concept is one of complete surrender to the Almighty God and praying to remove difficulties and bring benefits in the course of life, ultimately praying to reach the feet of God.
The subtle difference between meditation and prayer is that during meditation, an individual goes through a deep thought process to understand the “facts of life” and takes the thought process to a very high level. There is no self-interest during meditation. Though religions suggest that a combination of prayer and virtuous living is the way forward, there is generally an element of self-interest in the case of a person who prays.
How to achieve peace of mind
Hindu philosophy, or any other religion, does not require an individual to meditate or pray all the time in life, but on the other hand, religions advocate living a life of goodwill towards all, which will bring about mental peace and enable the individual to attain a sense of bliss (what is called ananda in Hindu religious texts).
Praying to God is one way to seek mental peace, but meditation is another, perhaps better and more powerful way to achieve this state of mind.
Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi’s Teachings on Meditation
Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, one of the great Hindu philosophers of the 20th century who spent almost his entire life in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India, advised everyone to introspect and meditate on the question, “Who am I?”
This introspection should be the only theme while doing meditation practice. During meditation, of course, the mind is not closed, because the human mind cannot be closed at any time. Instead of trying to close the mind, the next possible step is to introspect on who you are. During that thought process, the events of the world are not the focus, but the focus is on understanding and realizing the “Ultimate Truth”.
We need to cultivate our meditation practice
The most important goal in man’s life is to achieve spiritual peace, which is impossible if he constantly pursues the goal of attaining material gains and physical pleasures throughout his life. But it is vain for an ordinary man to expect to go through life without striving for the attainment of such material goals, however worthy they may be.
At the same time, even in a materialistic life course, it is possible to attempt to reach a state of spiritual peace. To achieve this, it becomes essential to elevate the mind to a higher level as one ages, when the craving for spiritual peace becomes stronger and the aversion to material gains becomes more pronounced. This cannot be done suddenly in old age if one has not practiced meditation from a young age.
Obviously, everyone needs to regularly practice meditation for at least a few minutes in their daily lives to condition their mind to think at a higher level. In other words, meditation can be started at any time of life, even at a young age. This meditation should be done regularly with a clear awareness of the value of meditation and its importance.
PM Modi’s meditation
After addressing over 200 public rallies, participating in nearly 70 road shows and giving over 60 interviews to various media outlets during India’s recent election campaign, Indian Prime Minister Modi sat down for 48 hours of meditation at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari, the spot where the great Indian philosopher Swami Vivekananda meditated over 100 years ago.
Modi could not have found time for extended meditation for introspection in his extremely busy schedule today and after completing an intense election campaign he must have decided to give himself 48 hours just for meditation.
Apparently, Mr. Modi wanted to detach himself from worldly matters by meditation, focusing on the higher aspects of the life process while reflecting deeply on the ultimate purpose of life. Of course, Mr. Modi, like anyone else, has the right to act on his inner calling to meditate. It is unjust for others to question Mr. Modi’s meditation.
Though Modi returned to his normal life after the meditation, the practice must have left him with a stronger resolve to do universal good towards every man, woman and other living beings and to lead a life free from malice towards anyone.
One criticism that seemed to shock some was why Prime Minister Modi was allowed to be photographed sitting in meditation.
A possible explanation is that Modi wanted to spread the message about the importance of meditation and encourage others to follow and emulate him. There is nothing wrong with such an aim.
It is noteworthy in this context that when Modi launched the Clean India campaign, he personally picked up a broom and started sweeping the ground to set an example. When Modi launched the Yoga programme, he personally participated in yoga practices. On both these occasions, Modi was photographed and widely publicised, clearly with a view to spreading the message so that others would follow his example.
