Acharya Prashant addresses a questioner's confusion about the value of formal meditation practices. The questioner finds benefit in sitting and meditating but is disturbed by the speaker's previous statements that this is not true spirituality. Acharya Prashant begins by stating that he does not want to spoil the party; if a practice is working for someone, it is absolutely fine. He clarifies that he has never denied that such practices work. The problem, he explains, is not with the methods themselves but with the mind that misuses them. All methods of meditation are designed to work to an extent, offering a glimpse of something beyond one's usual experience. This glimpse is meant to encourage and charm a person into making that higher state a constant reality. He uses the analogy of a sweet shop where a vendor offers a taste to entice the customer to buy a large quantity. The problem arises when people become satisfied with just the occasional taste, using it as a compensation for their otherwise disturbed and dull lives. His grudge is against this misuse of meditation, where people get stuck with the practice itself rather than moving towards the goal. The speaker elaborates that meditation practices are like a middleman or an introducer to the Truth; their purpose is to introduce and then vanish. He criticizes those who keep tasting different practices for years without ever fully committing to the Truth, which requires paying the price of the ego. The ego tricks itself into being satisfied with the practice, avoiding the real transformation. Meditation practices are for beginners. For someone who has never known physical stillness, sitting still with closed eyes is a good start, but one should not continue doing only this for years. The practice must graduate into a deeper, continuous love affair with Truth. True meditation, Acharya Prashant explains, is a continuous, 24/7 state, not a separate activity confined to a specific time. It is the light that shines on everything one does throughout the day. If one has truly fallen in love with silence, peace, and Truth, this love cannot be limited to just 30 minutes. The need for special, time-bound practices should eventually fade. The day you forget to meditate is the day you are truly meditative because it has become your nature, not a separate action. Meditation is a love affair, not a practice. Love is a decision, a total giving up of oneself, not something that can be practiced. Practicing meditation is a way of defending the ego.
