Benefits of meditation and challenges of meditation aspirant

 Benefits of mediation:

1. Worldly desires goes down as the focus shifts inwards. This brings in contentment with what is. 

2. Restless tendency of the mind settles, and calmness prevails.

3. Anger subsides, forgiveness, empathy and compassion grow. Jealousy and competition subside appreciation and gratitude grow.

4. Worry and fear subsides, trust and courage grow.

5. Confusions subsides, and clarity grows.

6. Ego refines paving way to right understanding, collaboration and cooperation for the right things. 

All this keeps happening only if we continue to practice mediation on a regular basis and most importantly with the right attitude. We can easily get out of track if we are not able to practice regularly or other situations can cause deviations in our path.

Many a times we can stumble, deviate or even feel lost. In all those moments guru helps us directly or indirectly to keep going.

What are the common challenges for a meditation aspirant?

1. Since meditation is an inward tuning activity where we enjoy our own company, we may not always find like-minded people to share our joys with.

2. When many needs naturally shed off from us, we may be looked at as a bit indifferent for not doing what many people do. It is not necessary to get into things which we have outgrown. But we need courage to move on in our way.

3. Moderation and integration of both the worlds (the spiritual and the material) is very important.

While contentment, calmness, compassion, courage is liberating. It's very important to moderately apply those qualities in our day-to-day life. Excess of anything can be dangerous. 

What meditation does not directly provide:

Meditation does not directly lead us to worldly success, power, position, health, wealth, love, respect or admiration.  It can lead us to a calm state of mind and it's up to us to utilize the calm mind to pursue our goals.