It is possible through meditation to find shelter from
much of the wind that agitates the mind. Over time, a
good deal of the turbulence may die down from lack
of continuous feeding. But ultimately the winds of life
and of the mind will blow, do what we may.
Meditation is about knowing something about this and
how to work with it. The spirit of mindfulness practice
was nicely captured in a poster of a seventy-ish yogi,
Swami Satchitananda, in full white beard and flowing
robes atop a surfboard riding the waves off a
Hawaiian beach. The caption read: "You can't stop
the waves, but you can learn to surf."
Can Anybody Meditate?
I get asked this question a lot. I suspect people ask
because they think that probably everybody else can
meditate but they can't. They want to be reassured
that they are not alone, that there are at least some
other people they can identify with, those hapless
souls who were born incapable of meditating. But it
isn't so simple.
Thinking you are unable to meditate is a little like
thinking you are unable to breathe, or to concentrate