By Master Manisekaran

Almost everyone who meditates is inspired by the potential of enjoying a state of joy from within.

We have all experienced moments of joy within us and almost all the time it was due to external situations, events or happenings such as the birth of a child, unexpected good exam results and so on. Yes, the joy is from within, but the source that triggers it is from outside.

Yet there is another type of joy. This comes purely from deep inside. It does not depend on external sources nor does it derive its pleasure from the thinking processes; it is beyond the workings of the senses or the thoughts.

What is this joy and how does one reach it? Is it a conditioning? Believed and propagated for centuries by some meditators, or a real experiential state? It could be both, one or none.

Some have it conditioned in their consciousness and tend to imagine something special taking place within them. This is maybe due to them forcefully suppressing their thoughts to achieve a thoughtless state or allowing fantasies to arise, while thinking that they were indeed having divine experiences.

However, through common sense, coupled with clarity of understanding the processes of the inward journey and knowing the scientific benefits of meditation, one can achieve great success in meditation. The result of such an exercise is a soft permeating joy coming from within.

There’s neither conditioning nor fantasy. It’s an unmistakable independent state free from the workings of the senses and thoughts.

Enjoy.