Dr. Phil, The Gym, And Yoga- Oh My!

Meditation is not a solution to a problem. It is a question...


We more or less go through life assuming that there is some problem. A pressing matter that must be dealt with immediately... This transforms life into one great big search for an elusive solution.
That is to say, we assume there is some grand meaning to life, and therefore spend a great deal of energy searching for this mysterious meaning.

We spend a great deal of time worrying about this problem. We read a butt-load of wordy self-help books, then develop tons of ideas or possible solutions to our supposed problem. We have a sneaking, yet persistent suspicion that we are missing the point. This is a mentality of poverty, a sense of being without something that is essential. It is almost as if we believe we are broken or missing something, and there is some magical book or method out there which is the tool we need to repair ourselves.

Once we have identified our problem, or the mysterious missing ingredient, we begin to engineer solutions or recipes for happiness... We think that "this" or "that" is the answer. Having shopped around for sometime, it is inevitable that we will bump into something attractive, a possible answer to our ultimate question. We say, "Oh, that's it! I must have it." So we cultivate these interactions. We convince ourselves that "it" is what has been missing all along. "It" might be a boy or girl, a new job, more exercise, yoga or meditation, or whatever... The emphasis here is being placed on the fact that we are convincing ourselves.

For a time everything seems to be on the up & up. Our commitment to go to the gym everyday, or our new love affair seems to have changed our fundamental situation for the better. Then one fateful day, for some reason unknown to us, that same feeling of inadequacy resurfaces. We realize that our romantic relationship, nor our endless walks around the neighborhood ever really addressed that fundamental feeling of dissatisfaction. There is obviously nothing wrong with exercise or intimate relations. The problem lies in what we expected from these things. We used these activities to ignore the causes and conditions that gave rise to our dissatisfaction...

Photo Courtesy of Chad Fitz

We are right back where we started... However, this time it seems to be more intense. There is a frustration associated with being back at square one. We have seen this problem before, and felt like we had dealt with it, but here it is once again. We are confused, and feel stuck.

This massive let down arises from the fact that we convinced ourselves we had found the answer. So, we begin to ask such questions as, "Whats the point?", and get caught up in the pessimistic whirlwind: I thought I had answered this question... I told myself I was over this... But here I am... I have fooled myself, yet again. I give up...


At this point many people come to the practice of meditation. It is important however to address this antique motivation at the introduction of meditation practice. What I mean is, if we come to meditation with the same intention we went to the gym, we are bound to get the same results. I call it an antique because it is a useless piece of technology. Just as exercise probably produced some healthy results, meditation will probably relax you a bit, but if you come to meditation with the intention of it solving all of your problems, you are bound to experience disappointment yet again.

Meditation is not a solution to a problem. Meditation is a question, a fundamental inquiry into the dynamics that sustain ego-centered consciousness. Meditation asks one particular question that cuts straight to the core of the ego's enterprises. That question is, "What if there isn't a problem?" Meditation questions the assumption that transformed life into one great big problem in need of a complex solution. Perhaps our repeated failure to answer the question, "What am I suppose to be doing with my life?" has little to do with our insufficiency, and more to do with the fact that it is a terrible question...

Maybe there is nothing wrong, and our attempts to solve a non-existent problem is the only problem we really face. The situation may not be a sophisticated as we think. The point of life might be life itself. That is, living may be the point of life... But maybe not. There might be some huge problem in need of immediate attention. Maybe there is good reason for sitting in front of the mirror all day, grabbing the flab on your stomach or love handles, and shaking it, while you contemplate gym memberships. Regardless, meditation is not an answer to any of these questions; it is simple observation that questions the idea that a question need be asked.

Instead of churning out theories about our unhappiness, or trying to convince ourselves that this or that is the answer, meditation simply observes the situation as it is. When we develop methods for creating happiness they never work out. We always find ourselves right back where we started- confused and dissatisfied. So, lets try something else...

If you keep confusing yourself, stop telling yourself stuff. Just watch. Listen. Allow reality to speak for itself, and give thought a chance to be inspired by the freshness of the present moment! Allow the gap between thoughts to serve as the inspiration for thought. This is meditation.