No Effect from Meditation? Why That Is Normal (and What to Do Next) | 360° Video

AVAlexander Volchek

I want to record a short video for the meditation channel about whether you need to enter different states during meditation and have some response in the body or consciousness—perception, any kind of perception within meditation. People look for a particular state that they think should occur. They may connect it with stillness. Those further along in their practice may connect it with entering something unknown, other worlds, or receiving additional information. But if meditation means expanding perception and entering a particular state of perception, you can experience its entire range: from a headache to total relaxation of the whole system, from sharper vision to blurred perception, from extraordinary stillness—and there are enormous numbers of stillnesses, many layers and kinds of stillness—to overwhelming, terrible noise. You can experience absolutely anything in meditation. Since you are usually moving into the unknown without a clear route, not knowing where you are going, the outcome can vary completely.

An interesting question arises: how much strength do you have to change your state? How much strength to enter different states and experience what they bring? Over the past few days, I have said this directly to people in sessions and while leading groups: if, during meditation, you can remain free to perceive reality simultaneously—remain conscious, understand mentally what is happening—and also hold other worlds, that is a very deep immersion. Within it, sensations are not so much dulled as perceived entirely differently from what you wanted. You may want complete stillness, for example. In complete stillness, you have no mental thoughts even to recognize that stillness. If you are in complete stillness, you cannot describe it. There is an illusion that you can describe it afterward, once the meditation ends. But that is an illusion: afterward, you can recover and remember only part of it. The space you entered to experience that stillness will no longer be accessible to you then.

To describe a space of stillness, you need to be present within it and describe it at the same time. Right now, while speaking and recording this video, I am simultaneously in a stream moving toward a light ahead. A very fast, high-speed stream, with light in front. You move toward that light yet seem not to get any closer. I have been in this stream from the beginning of the recording. I have to keep describing it—no, holding it and remaining aware of it. And I also need to record the video. Immersion in that stream is itself quite a meditative process. A serious meditative process. People watching this video can perceive different layers. You can simply chew on some sausage in the kitchen and listen to it in the background, and still experience a flash of stillness. Or you can tune exclusively into the stream I am experiencing, the movement in this black-and-white space. You can focus and remain there, in that space and nowhere else. Only there. Even though you seem to be attending a meeting where someone is simply describing something, just talking.

Simultaneously. In particular, the meditations on my channel immerse you in such a broad spectrum of states for connecting with yourself that, as you live each day, you can reach different ranges and degrees of perception: the physical body and sensations within it, as well as full spiritual perception and spiritual vision. Spiritual vision itself has many layers. Seeing a particular world or layer is one thing; acting within it is another. I have always said acting makes a great difference. Can you act in that space, or are you simply watching television? A great difference. A very great difference. Next time you experience or see something in a meditative state, remember this video and go further, regardless of whether what you saw frightened or delighted you. Go further neutrally, in this case without emotion at all. Entirely from the standpoint of studying truth, rather than wanting an impression in your own system. If you come to meditation solely for particular sensations, to reach a certain feeling, reconsider that and examine which sensations have power over you.

If they are physical sensations, that is direct physical dependence. The same kind of dependence as on sweets or food in general. Some people do not consider it dependence, but it is. Or dependence on sex, or different kinds of bodily stimulation and impressions. Truth alone can be your reason for coming to meditation. Someone may say, “I come because I want to change something.” Many people do come because the time has arrived for them, because something bad is happening or they want to change something. They bring a specific request, a problem, an enormous desire directed outward. Others come, and when you interact with them and ask why—and this is visible in the spiritual world—you see that they came simply because of an impulse. They have no clear description—

no description of needs or a request. They simply have an impulse. They know they need to do this. They know they need to experience it. Remember: to truly enter a meditative space, you need strength. You need will. You also need a whole dimension of knowledge. I do not mean intellectual knowledge. You can follow a good, well-established cycle of meditations: dozens of sessions posted on the channel in sequence. Take one a day, or two a day, morning and evening, and watch them in order. On days when I hold open meditations, attend those too. This will bring you very powerful movement forward. Clear movement forward. Real, living movement forward for you. A movement of love and happiness.