I was once explaining a basic breath meditation technique to somebody but he wasn’t satisfied.
The next day, he said that his friend told him, “Forget all that. It is a waste of time. Try this other technique ‘X’.”
This technique X was just a rapid breathing technique that gives you an instant high. And there is nothing magical about it — it is just hyperventilation. In fact, you can take 10 rapid breaths right now and you may feel a little giddy from the CO2 deficit in your blood.
But even though it gives you a high, it doesn’t help you build concentration, mindfulness, or awareness — the goals of meditation.
The whole trouble with meditation is that it takes time and patience. And we want high-octane techniques that give an instant high — we don’t want to work for things that give real value.
Whatever your goals may be, the world today will offer you many choices. One set of them will be things that are simple but hard, and deliver real value. Another set will be the mysterious high-octane magic, that will promise quick salvation.
Which ones we pick is up to us.
Shortcuts are tempting but are almost always circular. The straight-line path appears longer but it gets you somewhere.
We can keep going in circles at a fast pace, or move forward steadily.
Sometimes, pace is not the most important thing.
– Rajan