Column Chronicles: How I was taught to meditate and became enlightened, part one

How I was taught to meditate and became enlightened, part one

Frank Cotolo
November 5, 2015

Meditation is a wonderful exercise, though to refer to it as an exercise makes some people confused since meditation does not require any movement. In fact, movement ruins it. Meditation is the act of sensitivity through stillness, as it was explained to me at my first meditation class in a musky basement on the south side of London.

I was in Great Britain on business. That is, I was looking for a job; that was my business. It was stressful for a few reasons. First, I didn't speak the language. In fact, everyone knew I was an American before a uttered a word. It must have been the holster I wore around my neck, not to mention the handgun in it. A fellow who knew much about British law advised me to hide the gun and holster. We struck up a friendship, he introduced me to his single sister, she and I went to dinner, then to bed, and the next morning he sensed I was suffering from severe stress. He suggested I see a man named Yami at a location just east of London proper.

Yami was residing in a damp basement of an old house. He let me into the long, single room and said, "You need to meditate."

I told him I didn't know how to meditate and he said he would teach me and I said I did not have any money because I didn't have a job and he said I could pay him by letting me have my handgun. I agreed.

"Call me Swami," he said.

"Swami Yami?" I said with a hint of a smirk.

"That hint of a smirk on your face tells me you pay attention to sounds."

"Yes, but funny names put hints of smirks on me, too."

Swami Yami smiled from ear to ear and that day a great awakening began to take place in me. Swami Yami called it a road to enlightenment. He said I would soon realize that stress is due to thoughts and the thoughts are just concepts that my mind creates to forecast a future that does not exist. He said that there is no future for anyone, or me; that there was no past for me or anyone; and that love was a many splendid thing (he sang that last phrase).

I was curious but suspicious, especially the latter because he asked that I disrobe. I went along with it, however, because my intuition told me if Swami Yami put a hand on me I would crack his neck like a breadstick. He lighted incense and instructed me to sit on the ground. It was cold and rough on my naked derriere but I sat and waited for Swami Yami's instructions.

...to be continued.

Frank Cotolo can be found hosting the talk and interview programme Cotolo Chronicles. You can send him an e-mail at this address: frank@148.ca.