“We are here to awaken from our illusion of separateness.”

The human mind is constantly in a state of being conditioned and having its conditioning reinforced. For the majority of people, most of the time, this conditioning is unintentional and unconscious. This type of conditioning can be understood as underlying all the cognitive, emotional and behavioural “habits” that make up much of an ordinary life, and that often, unfortunately, involve a variety of problematic consequences.

Meditation, on the other hand, can be understood as the act of consciously and intentionally conditioning the mind. In addition, the intentional conditioning of meditation comes in two distinct forms: secular and spiritual. On the surface, these two types of meditation can appear very similar, but at their cores they are inherently different activities. 

Secular meditation is used as a means to explicitly practical ends. This includes any form of meditation that aims at such goals as improving attention, calming the mind or relaxing the body. I believe there is much value to be found in secular meditation and that many people could benefit from its adoption. However, I also believe it is important to understand that this is neither the only type of meditation, nor the most valuable.

Spiritual meditation, in contrast to secular meditation, is used as a means to spiritual ends. This includes any type of meditation that has its aim as delivering the meditator into a direct experience of boundarylessness with the rest of perceived reality. Within this boundaryless experience, sometimes called “nonduality,” the perceived boundary between subject and object - that is, between the meditator and the rest of the world - dissolves and disappears.

Nonduality can be understood as spiritual because it is a mode of being that transcends the ordinary, mundane experience of life. Instead of seeing through the eyes of our particular, human selves, we see through the “eyes” of consciousness itself. This experience can be simultaneously very simple and utterly profound.

Although this experience can be regarded as fundamentally spiritual, it also has very secular implications. As we meditate and condition ourselves to more consistently reside within the nondual mode of being, we also learn to let go of our rigid, unconscious identification with the idea of being a separate, individual, egoic self. As this happens, we are able to experience greater freedom from personal suffering, and we are also given the direct experience of being inherently connected with everything and everyone in the world. This mode of awareness can then open doors to new depths of care and compassion, which our world so desperately needs.

Proper guidance can be helpful whenever we are navigating new terrain. With meditation, we are navigating the new terrain of a conscious experience without the habitual tendencies of mind that confuse us into thinking we are separate individuals cut off from the rest of the world. 

Questions, doubts and setbacks are common for many people as they begin to meditate and also as they continue to deepen their practice. Experienced, knowledgeable and compassionate instruction can make the difference between a meditation practice that flounders and one that flourishes.