Meditation Articles Series

The secret to happiness seems to lie in having no expectations.  Are you like me that whenever you had, or still have expectations of someone or something you invariably end up disappointed?  It comes about because that person or thing didn’t live up to what I had expected.  In other words, I was let down.  After all I had made a long list of how they should or shouldn’t be, do, and have.  When you think about it, it can really turn into a nightmare to have any expectations at all.  Think of all the mental effort that goes into expecting something from someone else, or something else.  Expectation equals disappointment.  Disappointment leads often to misery.  Misery causes contraction in both the mind, and the body.  Mentally it manifests as judging, comparing, criticizing, ridiculing and condemning.  Physically it creates stress, and stress as we know leads to all sorts of body imbalances, like high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer and so on.

So when you meditate drop all expectations.  Let go any expectation of an outcome.  If you don’t it will only cause you frustration and lack of fulfilment.  It’s like, for example, the person who meditates for the high state of bliss.  When that doesn’t happen they are discouraged in their practice.  Approach meditation with acceptance, allowing whatever to arise in each moment to be as it is.  And even if an expectation does arise, allow that too!