Meditation is not about climbing to reach higher and higher levels.
It is about climbing down.
Nor is meditation about going deeper and deeper
to discover what's down there, like a deep sea diver.
It is more like ascending and safely getting back on the boat again.
Meditation is not about self hypnosis and programing.
It is about deprogramming.
It is not about learning something.
It is about unlearning.
And it is certainly not about spiritual exercise and inner fitness.
It is about spending time in the present moment.

Human beings get easily possessed by horrible and mad ideas.
In the nineteen thirties and forties many Europeans were possessed by Nazism and today we all know what those ideas brought about.

The eighteenth and nineteenth century Europeans were possessed by similar ideas but they didn’t call them Nazism. The Colonialists, the slave traders and the slave owners were deeply convinced that they belonged to a superior race and could, without any scruples, purchase small kids cheaply and force them to work to death in silver mines, coal mines or factories.

Today Neoliberalism and Neoconservatism has captured the minds of the rich and mighty and their supporters. Neoliberalism is basically the same philosophy as the Classic Liberalism from the early nineteenth century. The basic ideas are that egoism is the only true motivation force in man and that the government shall not interfere with the market and its egoistic competitors. The market shall be absolutely free. Today we can see the result of this philosophy. The manufacturing industries moved to the third world countries where they didn't have restricting environmental legislations, labour legislations and taxations. This have created an endless misery in the sweat shops and not only a local but a global environmental catastrophe. The earth’s atmosphere is now ruined for good. We can now but wait for the end of the world.

It is very, very important for all of us to free ourself from all kinds of crazy ideas, ideologies and religions. There is still time to wake up. We can still have fun, enjoy life and celebrate. There are still tickets left.

The very first step, when you begin to learn meditation, is to learn how to observe your own thoughts. As you continue with your practice you learn how to let the thoughts come and go without getting caught up in them.

And later, after many years of practice, as an experienced meditator, you are still "struggling" with the same thing. It is, from a meditation point of view, as if you’re a first grader in school for the rest of your life. You can not advance in your meditation studies as you do in an ordinary school. You will never reach higher levels. If you do, this is a clear sign that you have got caught up in mind stuff again.

So why practice meditation for years if it doesn't lead anywhere? Well, why sleep at night? Isn't sleeping just a waste of time?

(I'm a highly advanced sleeper? If you pay me well I can teach you how to do it right.)

Words are not just words. Words are magic spells. They can turn you into a right-winger or a left-winger, they can turn you into a catholic or a protestant, they can turn you into an atheist or an New Age spiritual seeker. They can make you feel miserable and unhappy, they can make you sick or furious. They can make you kill. But they can also make you feel better.
They can give you reasons for living. They can provide excuses and explanations
they can change the world and build empires, they can make people go to war and they can make people end the war.

This diagram shows the population growth the past 9000 years.

There is a mental judge in your head
who judges everything around you.
This judge is particularly active on commuter trains
and if you recently have given up smoking.
“Oh, what a big red nose she has. That’s not pretty.”
“And look at him. He looks like a complete idiot.”
“And what about them? What boors!
They have probably sold their souls long ago.”
Then another voice might pop in:
“Don’t judge other people.
You know damn well that you have to wake up from such nonsense.
Remember that this unjust judge is also judging yourself.”

OK, now you have two inner voices.
Who will win this trial?
What do you think?
Isn’t it about time now to stop listening to both of them?
Or is it better to let them go on with their debate as they like
but not get caught up in it?
Is this a third part of you watching the other two?
It's getting crowded.
This is ridiculous.
Haven’t you more important things to deal with?
Can't you find a better strategy?
You can pick up a book or a newspaper and read something.
You can listen to some good music in your iPod?
You can go online on your laptop.
Maybe you can get some work done.

Sometimes the inner voice start to sing idiotic little songs
like a drunkard on a park bench?
"Jingle bells, Jingle bells..."
Jesus Christ. That’s too much.
Now you really have to tell him to shut up.
It actually works sometimes.

But don’t worry.
All this is completely normal.
Most people are sick and tired of their inner voices
They are sick and tired of their inner debates.
Remember that you could always have been much worse off.
I mean, some people have to take heavy drugs
or drink a lot of alcohol to escape them
and some people go completely crazy
To some people the inner voices are so bad
that they can't take it
and they have to kill themselves.

The 650 commandments.

You shall love yourself.
You shall not be judgmental.
You shall be positive.
You shall not be miserable.
You shall not complain.
You shall not beat yourself up.
You shall have a optimistic outlook on life.
You shall be focused and goal orientated.
You shall exercise.
You shall have self-esteem.
You shall radiate health.
You shall look good.
You shall be orderly.
You shall be consistent with your meditation practice.
You shall be decisive.
You shall be self-confident.
You shall be relaxed.
You shall not broad on the past.
You shall plan for the future but live in the now.
You shall be realistic.
You shall improve yourself.
You shall not be jealous.
You shall not be envious.
You shall not panic.
You shall not feel sorry for yourself.
You shall have stamina.
You shall not think to much.
You shall brush your teeth at least twice a day.
You shall love your enemy because he is your best teacher.
You shall have trust in our economic system.
You shall find an approved meaning to your life.
You shall find an approved direction to your life.
You shall get yourself approved values.
You shall be street-smart.
You shall look gorgeous.
You shall always try your best.
You shall be grateful.
You shall pay attention to your body posture.
You shall not be sloppy.
You shall not drink to much alcohol.
You shall not smoke.
You shall eat vitamin supplies.
You shall not be sarcastic.
You shall be attentive in school, and later in life, at work.
You shall be wide awake, always.
You shall not watch to much nonsense on television.
You shall not read too much.
You shall not drink too much coffee.
You shall get enough sleep.
You shall be creative.
You shall not be a jerk.
You shall believe in yourself.
You shall wear a hat when it's cold outside.
You shall breathe deep slow breaths.
You shall have a good sex life.
You shall not mistrust.
You shall not...

Some people are convinced that they are inferior
and some people are convinced that they are superior.
Some people you meet look down on you and some look up to you.
You can’t change that.
How can you expect from others to change their beliefs
when you can’t even change your own?

Some people see themselves as miserable losers
when they actually are the winners in the game of life.
What a joke!
People with good jobs and family have to eat Prozac pills
because they are so unhappy with themselves and their life situation.
They expect more from life.

Extroverted people believe
that introverted people try to escape reality
and introverted people believe
that extroverted people are superficial and try to run away from themselves.

Some people live with terrifying beliefs.
They have to stay drunk or drugged until they die.

It is wrong to criticize people who deceive themselves.
Maybe they would have to kill themselves if they had not had their delusions.
Maybe they have nothing else to live for.
What do you know?

Most people don’t know that their thoughts are not theirs.
They don't know that they have got them from their parents, teachers and friends.

This means that the decisions you make are not really your decisions.
Your goals are not your goals
and your dreams about the future are not your dreams.
Isn't this weird?

Some people try to guide you because they think that you have fooled yourself
and you feel sorry for them because you think that they have fooled themselves.