The calmer and more balanced we are within ourselves, the more easily we express our creativity and happiness. You see, creativity already resides in every part of our consciousness and can be awakened. If there is no creativity within us, we cannot acquire it from anywhere else. It's like placing corn kernels in a pan and letting them pop into popcorn. Similarly, creativity is inherent in our consciousness—it simply waits to be activated.
Meditation helps us feel free inside, to feel like children again, helping us release inhibitions, reservation, common mental patterns, and to remove all the barriers we place when communicating with others.
If the mind swings between the past and the future, it means it is not sharp and clear in the present moment. Creativity requires a sharpness of awareness—the ability to perceive more clearly.
Perception, observation, and expression—these three aspects are essential in every activity. They fully and truly blossom when the consciousness is well rested.
Creativity and skillfulness are natural outcomes of meditation. Regular practice of meditation makes us skillful in everything we do, allowing us to remain happy and keeping our smile radiant, no matter what happens.
Our consciousness extends beyond the boundaries of our body. The mind and consciousness are like a field. And this field is filled with knowledge, creativity, and it is infinite.
Everyone who has made a discovery or created something has done so because it already existed within the field of their consciousness. We receive recognition because we access what is already present in our awareness. Sometimes we achieve this effortlessly—it simply flows through us. If you ask a poet how they create such beautiful poems, they will say, "I don’t know." Whether it is a scientific discovery or an artistic work, the mystery remains. The source remains unknown. Reaching and dwelling in that unknown field is meditation.
Meditation does not happen through effort; it is quite the opposite—effortlessness. The body and the mind follow opposite laws. On the physical level, the more effort we put in, the better the results we achieve. But on the mental level—or the level of creativity—the fewer the efforts, the greater the results. When the mind learns to let go and relax, new ideas begin to arise. If, for example, we’ve forgotten something, the more we struggle to remember it, the longer it takes to come. But once we let go, fresh ideas unexpectedly come to us. This is why the mind follows laws that are opposite to those of the body. Meditation is based on the union of these laws (those of the body and those of the mind) and happens only when we are completely free from effort.
By Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
First published in Rishimukh
Image – Niladri Dutta
