an interview with deepak chopra: total meditation
For the past 30 years, he has been at the forefront of the meditation revolution in the West and has written 90 books; however, this is his first independent book on the subject. why now?
dc: had two motivations. the first was the high dropout rate after people learn to meditate. they often do not stay with him for more than a short time. the second was the desire to find a better way to meditate so that everyone could adapt it as part of daily life.
You are reading: Deepak chopra meditation books
You say that starting to meditate in the 1980s was a turning point in your life. how is that?
dc: I was a busy, overworked doctor in boston with too much stress and not enough enjoyment in life. I have known meditation since my childhood in India, which prompted me to try it for myself. and it worked every way I wanted it to. I would like to repeat this story in the lives of my readers now.
How is the practice of “total” meditation different from other meditation practices?
dc: I think the “total” part is radically new and will make a difference. people drop out of meditation mainly because they can’t fit in during a crowded day. I propose that your mind wants to be in a meditative mode naturally, and you can access it anytime you want. it is not necessary to reserve a special time. you simply notice when you’re distracted, upset, or stressed, and in less than a minute, you can return to a calm, centered state once again. it’s very simple but also very different from how people approach meditation right now.
The Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh said: “Meditation is not an escape. it is a serene encounter with reality.” why is it so important for modern people to hear this?
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dc: because it overturns what we’ve all been taught, that reality begins “out there” with physical objects and external events. but nothing is real unless you experience it, and the experience happens “in here,” in the realm of consciousness. here is the “real” reality.
Why is understanding awareness important for the practice of meditation?
dc: Although I wrote a whole book on it, intellectual understanding is not necessary compared to the experience of the meditative state. understanding puts you in the picture, so to speak, but then you have to make the picture your own, which really involves meditating.
You say that “if it is true that we ourselves are the source of evil, then there is a practical solution to evil: detachment”. What does it mean to detach yourself and how does it make us less evil?
dc: I have felt for decades that so-called evil is not cosmic and not built into human nature. we get stuck in self-defeating and destructive states for all sorts of reasons. people do bad things because they mistakenly believe in their actions and attitudes. if you unlock these underlying beliefs and attitudes, the elements of evil evaporate. after all, we only do things we believe in. remove the belief and the action disappears.
You note that “for thousands of years people have gotten out of bed to pursue the same seven goals.” Can you share these goals and share the key to achieving all seven?
dc: all goals are achieved in three stages: first becoming aware of them, second, identifying with the goal as something valuable, and third, discovering that oneself can achieve that goal. All three steps are accomplished in awareness before taking any action, so becoming more aware is vitally important.
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safety and protection success and achievement love and belonging personal meaning and value creativity and discovery higher purpose and spirituality integrity and unity
I think everyone immediately understands all seven, but what differs is how we interpret and carry out each goal individually. that’s what I try to adopt, a strategy applicable to each one in its own way.
The book contains 52 mantras that can be used as a year-long course in mantra meditation. What is a mantra and what are the benefits of meditation with mantras?
dc: A mantra is a word or phrase that has a meaning in Sanskrit but is primarily a tool in meditation because of its frequency or vibration. By giving the mind this word or phrase to settle, certain benefits are sought, such as inner peace, wisdom, and prosperity. In a more basic way, the mantra makes it easier for the mind to settle into the state of silent awareness.
People often slow down or abandon their meditation practice during difficult times. Why is it especially important to continue meditating in stressful situations like the one we are all experiencing with covid-19?
dc: The answer, realized by more people during this crisis, is that inner peace and calm have real value. they are not simply add-ons after a tiring day. Regardless of the specific practice you choose, meditation has proven to be the most direct way to balance body and mind. In a society where being in a hurry has become the norm, meditation actually has more to offer than in a normally quiet environment.
What message of hope do you have for people struggling with the world’s current challenges?
dc: I say this: you can’t change what you don’t know. expand your consciousness and you will find that level of the mind where all solutions are found.
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