Meditation has no purpose?

The writer and philosopher Alan Watts (1915 - 1973) is quoted as saying:

"We could say that meditation doesn’t have a reason or doesn’t have a purpose. In this respect it’s unlike almost all other things we do except perhaps making music and dancing. When we make music we don’t do it in order to reach a certain point, such as the end of the composition. If that were the purpose of music then obviously the fastest players would be the best. Also, when we are dancing we are not aiming to arrive at a particular place on the floor as in a journey. When we dance, the journey itself is the point, as when we play music the playing itself is the point. And exactly the same thing is true in meditation. Meditation is the discovery that the point of life is always arrived at in the immediate moment".

Meditation is the discovery that the very point of life is always arrived at in the immediate moment.... this "Present moment", the "Here and now", and the same is true of Tai Chi. When we practice Tai Chi we are not aiming to arrive at a particular place or achieve a particular goal, we practice Tai Chi in order to practice Tai Chi, the "Supreme Ultimate".

When we bring meditation and Tai Chi into our lives in this way the benefits of the practice then become a gift, a bonus not a means to an end. We learn to enjoy the practice, the practice of just sitting, just walking, just practicing Tai Chi.

Dogin Zenji taught that zazen, (sitting in meditation), is to just become present in the process of zazen itself; this is shikantaza. It is not something you acquire after you have done zazen. It is not the concept of the process; it is to focus on the process its self. (John Daido Loori (2004) The Art of Just Sitting page101).

So what is the "Gift" that is meditation? Sitting meditation is very healing. We realize we can just be with whatever is within us – our pain, anger, and irritation, or our joy, love, and peace. We are with whatever is there without being carried away by it. Let it come, let it stay, then let it go. No need to push, to oppress, or to pretend our thoughts are not there. Observe the thoughts and images of our mind with an accepting and loving eye. We are free to be still and calm despite the storms that might arise in us.

Sitting meditation is like returning home to give full attention to and care for our self. We sit upright with dignity, and return to our breathing. We bring our full attention to what is within and around us. We let our mind become spacious and our heart soft and kind. Like the peaceful image of the Buddha on the altar, we too can radiate peace and stability. The purpose of sitting meditation is to enjoy. Don’t try to attain anything!

If our legs or feet begin to hurt during the sitting, we are free to adjust our position quietly. We can maintain our concentration by following our breathing and slowly and attentively change our posture. At the end of the sitting meditation session, allow a few minutes to massage your legs and feet before standing up again.

There are numerous suggestions for guided meditations in Thich Nhat Hanh’s book “The Blooming of a Lotus”.