Why Meditate
By Dr. Rick Herrick

Jean Piaget, the Swiss psychologist, was a pioneer in the field of cognitive development. His model posits that cognitive development in children proceeds from the level of reflexes, to perception of objects as distinct from himself, to concrete thinking where things are seen as they are without reflection to abstract reasoning. Piaget’s four stages describe an individual’s mental construction of the world. Each stage represents an advance in a child’s ability to apply logic in arranging his world.

An important aspect of Piaget’s theory is the mechanism for change. For stages 1 and 2 which take place in very early childhood, the most important mechanism is biological; i.e., the growth of the brain and the development of the central nervous system. Stages 3 and 4 relate to concrete and abstract thinking. At stage 3, the individual sees the world in terms of concrete components based on actual experiences. At stage 4, the individual attains the ability to see objects symbolically and to reason abstractly. The key mechanism for moving beyond stage 2 is the development of language skills.

Piaget’s model is concerned with the development of intellect in children, and how each advance in cognitive ability affects the way the world is perceived. He, like most cognitive psychologists, believes that human development ends at stage 4 during late adolescence or early adulthood. Unfortunately, these important thinkers were never exposed to Vedic psychology.

Vedic psychology comes from an ancient tradition that originated in India. This tradition proposes three stages of development beyond abstract reasoning—transcendental consciousness, cosmic consciousness, and unity consciousness. As one moves beyond abstract reasoning into these higher levels, one’s view of the world and self-change dramatically. One begins to see all things as whole, as connected and related.  The person in a higher state loses his sense of individual awareness and comes to see himself as one with the essential source of reality in the universe. This new perspective leads to experiences of bliss, deep love, and inner peace. Because you no longer have self-protecting needs and motives, you are able to care for others more deeply, to relate to others more intimately. Universal love dominates your heart. This love pulses through you, which changes the way you see the world and act in it.

This development process is universal. People from different cultures and different historical periods have similar experiences. The people who live at these levels are convinced that they have found a more developed way of seeing the world, and a more meaningful way of approaching life.

The mechanism for accomplishing this change to higher levels of consciousness is meditation. While the development of language skills directs attention away from immediate sensory perceptions, which enables an individual to progress to concrete and then abstract modes of thinking, meditation frees attention from thought. As mental activity diminishes, consciousness expands.

Learning to meditate is as easy as learning to walk. All that is required is to pick a discipline and stick to it. The process of consciousness expansion, however, can sometimes be scary. In doing this work, it is often helpful to have a teacher who can explain the new experiences taking place in your mind, and help you avoid the many pitfalls and shoals along the way to achieving your goal. There is a very simple rule to follow when selecting a teacher: that person must have your interest at heart and not his own. Ultimately, each person proceeds toward the attainment of higher levels of consciousness on his own by creating his own path. Your teacher must honor this important truth regarding the process.

So, just do it! Learn to meditate. Practice it on a regular basis. All you have to lose is your sense of egocentric self, which never existed in the first place.