Recorded at the Vedanta Society of Western Washington on June 12, 2011.
In this follow-up talk on meditation, Swami Bhaskarananda explains that the real aim of meditation is to realize one’s inherent divinity, not to gain health benefits or worldly success. Drawing on Vedantic analysis, he distinguishes the true Self from body, mind, senses, and ego, and shows how concentrated meditation can pierce the “wall of ignorance” that hides our real nature. He warns against commercialized teachings that promise easy results or charge money for spiritual instruction, contrasting them with the traditional ideal of freely given guidance.
Swami Bhaskarananda then outlines the classic obstacles to meditation. From Vedanta he describes four major hindrances: sleep or mental dullness (laya), restlessness and wandering of mind (vikṣepa), inner dryness or reluctance to practice (kaśāya), and attachment to intermediate mystical experiences (rasāsvāda), including early awakenings of spiritual power. He explains how these difficulties are related to the three guṇas—sattva, rajas, and tamas—of prakriti, and suggests practical ways to respond, such as adjusting sleep, patiently watching the mind, or briefly turning to devotional practices before resuming meditation. From Patanjali’s Yoga he adds further obstacles like illness, doubt, lethargy, attachment to sense pleasures, and unstable concentration, emphasizing perseverance as the essential remedy. The talk closes with humorous anecdotes to reassure seekers that despite these challenges, sincere, steady effort in meditation truly bears fruit.
