Hour 2 Meditation – Why Meditate?
Purpose and Relevance in Modern Times
In the last lesson, we learned what meditation is—a state of awareness, of witnessing, of returning home to yourself. Now, another question inevitably comes up: Why meditate at all? In a time of accelerated change, constant distractions, and information overload, is meditation just a leftover from ancient times—or more relevant now than ever before?
Let us just sit with this question. Not to seek answers in a hurry, but to create space. So the answers can emerge from within you.
The Timeless Purpose of Meditation
Ever since the world began, human beings have been looking for peace, for clarity, for purpose. Meditation emerged not out of religion, not out of philosophy—but out of this great longing for inner silence.
In all traditions, the aim of meditation has been:
To know the self.
To become liberated from suffering.
In order to achieve the ultimate reality.
This held good for the Rishis in the forest, for Buddha under the Bodhi tree, and for infinite mystics, yogis, saints, and seekers down through the centuries.
The Upanishads affirm:
“Yo vai bhūmā tat sukham, na alpe sukham asti.”
“There is bliss only in the infinite, no joy at all in the finite.”
Meditation takes us from the finite to the infinite, from restlessness to tranquility, from the dream of separateness to the fact of oneness.
That has always been at the center of spiritual life. But in today’s world, meditation plays another vital function—survival of sanity.
The Modern Crisis of the Mind
Let us pause for a moment to consider the nature of the world we inhabit today:
- Constant notifications and endless screens.
- Speed without rest.
- Information without wisdom.
- Entertainment without depth.
- Connections without intimacy.
- Noise without meaning.
Anxiety, depression, insomnia, burnout, digital fatigue, attention disorders—these are not isolated problems. They are signs of a greater disconnection… from ourselves, from silence, from stillness.
We have forgotten how to be.
And then comes the ancient medicine: meditation.
Not as an escape, but as a return. A return to the breath. A return to presence. A return to the quiet intelligence of life flowing through us.
Why Meditate Today?
Let’s consider the numerous aspects of why meditation is not only beneficial—but necessary, in contemporary life.
1. To Reduce Stress and Anxiety
Millions of studies now verify what the yogis discovered centuries ago: meditation quiets the nervous system, lowers cortisol (the stress hormone), and engages the parasympathetic “rest and digest” response.
But more significantly, it allows us to watch our stress rather than become it.
Osho states:
“Meditation is the only way to transcend the mind. And only beyond the mind is there peace, is there silence.”
When you meditate, you move away from the whirlwind of thoughts. You observe them rise and fall. You are no longer the storm—you are the sky in which the storm occurs.
2. To Develop Mental Clarity and Concentration
In a world where attention is money, meditation conditions the mind to be here—fully, deeply, vividly. With consistent practice, it hones your capacity to focus, organize thoughts, and make sound judgments.
Contemporary neuroscience demonstrates that meditation makes the prefrontal cortex thicker—attention, planning, emotional control. It actually alters the brain.
3. To Enhance Emotional Intelligence
Meditation enables us to get close to our inner world. You start observing patterns of fear, anger, jealousy, or sorrow without judging them. And as the awareness grows, these patterns lose their power.
You learn to respond rather than react.
Empathy, compassion, forgiveness—these naturally grow in the garden of meditative awareness.
4. To Sleep Better and Heal Naturally
Meditation enables the body to access deep levels of relaxation. The breathing becomes slower. The heart beats more slowly. The tension dissolves. The body’s healing abilities are stirred into action.
Lots of folks employ meditation today to relieve insomnia, chronic pain, high blood pressure, and even autoimmune disorders.
5. To Discover Inner Joy and Creativity
We are usually running after happiness in external things—achievement, love, success. But actual bliss occurs when the mind is still.
Osho reminds us:
“Bliss is your nature. You don’t have to go anywhere to find it—you just have to stop going elsewhere.”
Creativity, also, is a by-product of silence. When the thought bubbles subside, inspiration runs like a river.
6. To Develop Resilience in Times of Crisis
Life has storms. Meditation won’t stop the rain, but it provides you with the shelter of awareness. You can watch your pain without being overwhelmed by it.
A regular meditator builds spiritual immunity—a profound ability to stay centered in the face of change, loss, uncertainty.
7. To Connect with the Sacred
In the ultimate sense, meditation is the gateway to the divine. Whether you refer to it as God, the Self, consciousness, or existence—it is felt only in silence.
All faiths started in meditative quiet, not in sacred texts. The mystics and saints of all traditions entered the same room: vast, silent, holy.
As Kabir has said:
“जो तू भीतरि भीतरि है, तो बाहरि क्यों डोलै?”
“If He dwells within you, why do you wander outside?”
Meditation brings you home to that indwelling presence.
Relevance Across Professions and Lifestyles
It is essential to realize that meditation is not for monks, yogis, or saints alone. Now, it is being adopted by:
- Corporate leaders to make better decisions.
- Doctors and therapists to cultivate presence and empathy.
- Students to enhance focus and memory.
- Athletes to enter “the zone” with peak performance.
- Parents to remain calm and present with children.
- Artists and innovators to access intuitive intelligence.
The uses are limitless. But the thing is one: presence. And that presence transforms everything.
Osho: Meditation is the Greatest Revolution
Of all contemporary masters, Osho presented perhaps the most extreme transformation of meditation. He freed it from seriousness, morality, and convention, and brought it into the living moment.
He said:
“Meditation is rebellion—against mechanical living, against unconsciousness, against all that keeps you asleep.”
For Osho, meditation is not a luxury—it is a requirement if humanity is to move forward. His active meditations, created for the busy contemporary mind, employ movement, catharsis, sound, and dance to lead individuals into stillness.
No longer is meditation reserved for the renunciates—no, it is for the householder, the artist, the scientist, the young, the old—for all who desire to live full and aware.
Contemplative Questions for You
- In your life right now, what habits keep you from being entirely present?
- Do you recall having a moment of profound silence or stillness? What was the experience like?
- What inner aspects would you like to develop with meditation—peace, clarity, resilience, joy?
Write this down. Learning techniques is only part of what this course is about; more importantly, we’re going to find out your own truth.
Practice for the Day
The 5-Minute Presence Pause:
- Set a timer for 5 minutes.
- Sit comfortably. Close your eyes.
- Just watch your breath. Feel the rise and fall.
- Each time the mind wanders, gently return to the breath.
- Don’t try to change anything. Just watch.
Finish by putting your hands on your heart and taking one deep breath of gratitude.
You have started. That is sufficient.