When nothing else works, meditation does.
Three most unusual situations where you can never think one could meditate!
Caught up in a life-threatening situation under water or a war between two tribes – what would be the first thought on your mind if you happen to be confronted with any of these critical situations? Most likely, you would say, “Rush to save my life!” What if you were to meet someone who told you that they actually chose to meditate in these situations? Astonishing, hard to believe, yet true.
For these people (who are just common people like us, by the way), when nothing else seems to work, when all heavens break loose and life seems to have hit a dead end, meditation comes as a life jacket, a faint light in a dark tunnel. Let’s read their experiences with meditation in some of the most unusual situations you would never want to be in.
#1 A ray in the gloom of conflict
Once I took a group of Arabs and Jews to a big camp in Germany. The idea was to resolve the conflict between the Irish and the Jews. There, they underwent some conflict- resolution programs where I used meditation as a tool.
They had a dialogue between them. I could not believe how so much negative emotions came out; it was unbelievable! And there were some moments when I did not know what to do – moments when they would not agree with each other. There was lot of anger, frustration and blaming. The only solution was that I took them into meditation.
The pain still came out but they felt very relieved after that. They were able to accept each other and live together, even if they had different viewpoints.
(Experience shared by Dafna Paz, Israel. Dafna has taught meditation to thousands in war- torn countries such as Israel and Palestine).
When nothing else works, meditation does. Meditation proved to be the only way out of this conflict situation. It helped create a feeling of acceptance in the two parties. Even though they still had different viewpoints, the hatred in them sort of melted with meditation.
#2 Holding on to his life jacket
I like to spend my summer holidays at the sea, or more accurately, under it. I have been doing SCUBA diving for more than 10 years.
One summer, I went under water for an afternoon dive with some friends. As I started to ascend, I realized at one moment that I was moving faster and faster up towards the surface. One of the divers tried to stop me but in vain. My air tank was empty and it seemed that I was in big trouble.
Fortunately, just in that moment, another boat with divers came to my help. It was more than 20 minutes before they could rescue me. I was both excited and afraid. At that time, I found that the best thing to do was to meditate.
I held on to the rope coming down from the boat with one hand, closed my eyes and started meditating. That made me calm and freed me of fear. My breathing became slow and deep. I opened my eyes and slowly came up to the surface.
(Experience shared by Zoran Imsiragic, Serbia. A daily meditator for 21 years, Zoran is a living example of the fact that meditation can be done practically anywhere!)
Meditation has the power to relax an agitated mind, help you get rid of anxiety and fear, and give you the strength and assurance that you are taken care of by a higher Divine power.
#3 Collision outside, peace within
My husband and I were going to my sister’s place on a motorbike. I had an intuitive feeling that I wanted to meditate and so I did for a few minutes.
As we were driving, a huge speeding truck hit us from behind. Before we realized, the vehicle went flying in the air and we fell down by the side of the road.
My husband was hurt, though I wasn't, and I saw him struggling to get up. Despite all this, I did not get panicky at all. I was only focused on helping him get up and taking him to the nearest hospital for treatment.
At the hospital, even as the doctors bandaged his wounds and treated him, I sat outside and meditated. My meditation helped me stay calm in the situation and also calm down my panicky husband.
(Experience shared by Deepti Sachdev, Delhi. She has been meditating daily for 18 years and is a Yes! and Part-I Course teacher. She says that her meditation has given her the ability to keep her cool in the most challenging situations).
When you meditate, it has an effect on people around you. Deepti felt that the best thing to do in that stressful situation was to meditate because it would help keep her calm and she will then be able to transmit the same emotion to her husband who was a bit uneasy after the incident.
Note: Meditation is a savior, no doubt, but it’s important at the same time to do our bit, whatever best we can, to come out of the trouble. So meditate as well as act and see yourself sail through life’s turbulence with ease.
Written by Pritika Nair
