How I got into Meditation ?

I have a bunch of friends (from different circles), who often talk about spirituality, Meditation etc. I used to feel that I am too young to think about these things. I have a friend couple, who, both of them are into Meditation. After having long discussions with them (in person as well as via emails/chat), I realized that, these guys know a lot more that I do, about life in general. They have a definite perception of so many things in life, that I could not have even thought of.
While I was discussing these things with friends, I was also reading about different meditation philosophies and techniques. After doing a considerable and careful study, I realized that:
- Purpose (or goal) of all the techniques is the same: to reduce (and eventually, get rid of) the thoughts that pass thru our mind, and experience the inner peace.
- Philosophies might be different on surface, but underlying principle is the same: to bring out the best in you, and become a good person.

Different people can have different goals, as far as spirituality is concerned (merging with the ultimate/God/Master etc). My goal for turning to meditation was (and is) simple: to achieve peace of mind, to stop worrying, to become a good person, and to (be able to) enjoy life.

My enlightened friend told me that these are just the by-products of the meditation, which you will get anyways. Of course, no harm done by having these goals.

So, I chose the meditation path named 'Sahaj Marg' or 'Easy Path'. Since I do not intend to promote it, I shall not go into the details of it. More info can be found at srcm.org .

In the next posting, I shall mention about my meditation commencement and practice.