Acharya Prashant explains the real meaning of meditation, referencing a verse from the Ashtavakra Gita which states, "You are now and forever free, luminous, transparent & still; the practice of meditation keeps one in bondage." He clarifies that meditativeness is our inner nature and is distinct from any mental exertion or activity. To meditate is to be at a point where two parallel non-events occur: firstly, there is no need for mental activity like thinking, solving problems, or planning, as no such need is felt. Secondly, even without the need to gather knowledge, all that is essential is known. This is described as "knowledge-less knowing." The speaker contrasts this with the ordinary state of mind, which seeks knowledge due to a feeling of incompleteness and insecurity. The insecure self within us needs information from the world, which is why we chase and store knowledge. This knowledge, however, is about worldly things that are themselves products of insecurity. In the great security of meditativeness, there is a great realization that is not of these worldly things. The thinking mind is always trying and never reaching, whereas the meditative mind is so sure that it has no need to try, and in this non-trying, it reaches a magical place where all is known reasonlessly and thoughtlessly. This is the ultimate magic: to love without reason and be joyful without profit. Addressing the paradox that the practice of meditation leads to bondage, Acharya Prashant explains that this refers to acquired knowledge and techniques about meditation. Such practices, learned from external sources, reinforce the very 'I' or ego that constitutes the bondage. Gathering knowledge about meditation does not dissolve the 'I'; it only strengthens it, making one more sophisticated in their cleverness. These conventional practices are like dead corpses, missing the touch of the special and the aliveness. The words about meditation are only meaningful if one is already in a state of meditativeness. The speaker likens this to a chicken-and-egg situation, which can only be resolved by being meditative, which means dropping the question itself. The true technique for meditation cannot be learned from external knowledge; it can only be known within meditation itself. It is one's own meditativeness that will automatically and reasonlessly reveal the right technique for that specific moment. This practice is dynamic and flexible, changing every minute, just as life is a fresh movement. Therefore, any practice that does not arise from meditativeness itself will keep one in bondage. The practice that arises from meditativeness is a practice touched by life, not a dead practice.
