Begin with effort

Meditation techniques are doings, because you are advised to do something- even to meditate is to do something; even to sit silently is to do something, even to not do anything is a sort of doing. So in a superficial way, all meditation techniques are doings. But in a deeper way they are not, because if you succeed in them, the doing disappears. Only in the beginning it appears like an effort. If you succeed in it, the effort disappears and the whole thing becomes spontaneous and effortless. If you succeed in it, it is not a doing. Then no effort on your part is needed: it becomes just like breathing, it is there. But in the beginning there is bound to be effort, because the mind cannot do anything which is not an effort. If you tell it to be effortless, the whole thing seems absurd. In Zen, where much emphasis is put on effortlessness, the masters say to the disciples, “Just sit. Don’t do anything.” And the disciple tries. Of course—what can you do other than trying? In the beginning, effort will be there, doing will be there—but only in the beginning, as a necessary evil. You have to remember constantly that you have to go beyond it. A moment must come when you are not doing anything about meditation; just being there and it happens. Just sitting or standing and it happens. Not doing anything, just being aware, it happens. All these techniques are just to help you to come to an effortless moment.