Shakespeare was ahead of his time. But, many of his lines are so important that they have become timeless. So, what does this have to do with meditation? More than one would think.
In the play “Hamlet,” Plutonius gives advice to Laertes. We have all read it or heard it in one form or another our entire lives, but it bears repeating.
Yet here, Laertes! Aboard, aboard for shame! The wind sits in the shoulder of your sail, And you are stay'd for. There ... my blessing with thee! And these few precepts in thy memory Look thou character. Give thy thoughts no tongue, Nor any unproportion'd thought his act. Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar. Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel; But do not dull thy palm with entertainment Of each new-hatch'd, unfledg’d comrade. Beware Of entrance to a quarrel but, being in, Bear't that th' opposed may beware of thee. Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice; Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgement. Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy, But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy; For the apparel oft proclaims the man; And they in France of the best rank and station Are of a most select and generous chief in that. Neither a borrower, nor a lender be; For loan oft loses both itself and friend, And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry. This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man. Farewell; my blessing season this in thee! -- William Shakespeare
There are many “precepts” in that soliloquy. All bear repeating and learning, but “This above all: to thine own self be true” is one that we must adhere to.
The words are beautiful. Shakespeare had such a way with them that today they still ring true. His lessons have been repeated down through the ages. Everyone knows the basic tenets.
To successfully learn meditation, you must be true to yourself. You must be willing to recognize yourself, to acknowledge your inner self. You must have the courage to face your truth.
Meditation, at its best, is that connection that draws your essence to The Essence. The Essence is pure. The Essence is bliss. The Essence is One. There is no separation in part. It is. To reach that bliss, that Essence, you must be pure of heart and spirit. You must be true to yourself, stripping away all facets of your worldly presentation, without ego. Truth, Essence, One does not allow for decorative presentation of self, or one’s importance to self, or ego. It requires that above all else, to one’s self there is truth. It is purity.
I guess I can best sum it up this way. You can’t pretend when in the presence of The Source, or if you prefer, God. You can’t cover your nakedness. You cannot be the person you wish to be. You can only be who and what you are. To hide behind your mask is to hide from the Source. Meditation is becoming one with the Source.
Whether you adhere to the advice from Shakespeare or whether you just have the courage to face your truth, to meditate to attain Oneness, you must be your authentic self.
Or, to put it simply as I first learned the lesson, don’t start believing the lies you tell other people.
