What is meditation?

"What is meditation? It is a technique, which can be practised? It is an effort, that you have to do? It is something, which the mind can achieve?"

Osho: “It is not. All that the mind can do, cannot be meditation--it is something beyond the mind, the mind is absolutely helpless there. The mind cannot penetrate meditation; where the mind ends, meditation begins. This has to be remembered, because in our life, whatsoever we do, we do through the mind. Whatever we achieve, we achieve through the mind.

And then, when we turn inwards, we again start thinking in terms of techniques, methods, doings. Because the whole of life's experience shows us, that everything can be done by the mind. Yes, except meditation everything can be done by the mind; everything is done by the mind, except meditation.

Because meditation is not an achievement--it is already the case, it's your nature. It has not to be achieved; it has only to be recognized, it has only to be remembered. It is there, waiting for you--just a turning in and it is available. You have been carrying it always and always.

Meditation is your intrinsic nature--it is you, it's your being, it has nothing to do with your doings. You cannot have it, you cannot not have it, it cannot be possessed. It's not a thing. It's yóu. It's your being.

Once you understand what meditation is, things become very clear. Otherwise you can go on groping in the dark.

Meditation is a state of clarity, not a state of the mind. Mind is confusion. Mind is never clear. It cannot be. Thoughts create clouds around you--they are subtle clouds.

A mist is created by them and the clarity is lost.

When thoughts disappear, when there are no more clouds around you, when you are in your simple being-ness, clarity happens. Then you can see to the very end of existence; then you can watch until the end of the existence; then your gaze becomes penetrating--to the very core of being.

Meditation is clarity, absolute clarity of seeing. You can't think about it. You have to drop thinking. When I say "you should drop thinking", don't rush to conclusions, because I need to use language. So I say: "drop thinking", but when you start dropping, you will miss, because again you reduce it to a 'doing'.

'Drop thinking' simply means: do nothing. Sit. Let thoughts settle themselves. Let mind drop on its own accord. You just sit gazing at the wall in a silent corner, not doing anything at all. Relaxed, loose, with no effort. Not going anywhere. As if you are falling asleep awake--you are awake and you are relaxing but the whole body is falling asleep. You remain alert inside but the whole body moves into deep relaxation.

Thoughts settle themselves of their own accord, you don't have to jump in between them, you don't have to to set them right. It is as if a river has become muddy ... what to do? Are you jumping in, trying to make the river clear? You will make it more muddy. You simply sit on the shore. You wait.

There is nothing that needs to be done. Because whatsoever you do, will make the river more muddy. When someone has been wading through the river and dead leaves have surfaced and the mud has come up, the only thing that is needed is patience. You simply sit on the shore. Watch, indifferently. And when the river moves on, the dead leaves will be taken away and the mud will start settling down because it cannot stay there forever. After a while you will suddenly notice: the river is crystal clear again.

Whenever a desire is passing in your mind, the river becomes muddy. So just sit. Do not try to do anything. In Japan, this ' just sitting ' is called Zazen; just sitting and doing nothing. And one day meditation happens.

Not that you can bring it to yourself; it comes to you. And when it comes, you recognize it immediately. It has always been there, but you didn't look in the right direction. The treasure was with you but you were busy somewhere else: in thoughts, in desires, in thousand and one things. You were not interested in the only thing ... and that was your own being.

When energy turns inside -- what Buddha calls 'parabvrutti': the returning of your energy to the source' -- then suddenly clarity has been achieved.

Then you can see the clouds thousands of miles away from you and you can hear the old music in the pines. Then everything is available for you.

Osho, Ancient Music in the Pines # 7⠀