Meditation is food and nourishment for our inner being. Just as we need time after eating a meal to assimilate and digest our food before engaging in strenuous activity, so time and the right environment is needed after meditation to assimilate the peace, light and bliss we have received.
Assimilation is essential to lock in the gains of meditation. We might see, smell, touch and be inspired by a fruit, but we can only enjoy its full benefits once we have eaten and absorbed it into ourselves. Similarly we might have high and beautiful experiences in meditation, but until they are assimilated, these treasures can easily be lost to us, our meditation squandered. Once assimilated, high experiences become our property, part and parcel with our consciousness: only then are they safe in us, and we in them.
Like digestion of our food, assimilation of spiritual wealth is a natural, spontaneous process – there is nothing we have to do outwardly for it to occur. However we do need to be careful not to interfere with and disrupt the process, for we are dealing with spiritual phenomena, subtle nerves and super-fine realities.
For peace, light and bliss to be assimilated by our subtle nerves, absorbed and flow into and through our conscious awareness, we must be calm in our body, vital and mind. Remain silent for some time, read spiritual books, sing or hum spiritual songs, walk slowly in nature or enter into harmonious discussion of only spiritual matters.
Disputes, excitement, complexity and negativity can destroy all our meditation’s gains; while sweetness, kindness, inspiration and joy protect and nurture our spiritual wealth.
Gratitude expedites assimilation. As we bathe in and become the breath and fragrance of gratitude, our meditation treasure takes root, grows and blossoms within us as our very own.