Is meditation important for spiritual growth?

Can a person progress spiritually if they don’t meditate? Master Sri Avinash answers this question and shares advice for beginners and advanced practitioners.

Reading time – 8 Minutes

Can we progress spiritually if we don’t meditate?

Yes. There’s not one person on this planet that is not progressing spiritually. Just to be alive, you’re progressing. Now the bit that can vary is—how fast do you want to grow?

And how fast has nothing to do with comparison or competition. It’s not a sport. In the history of this planet, spirituality has never been a sport where there’s competition. It’s just a solo, individual wish to grow at a certain rate and remember who we are, our true Self.

Now, if our wish is to grow fast, then meditation is a must, because our true Self is meditation. Not a meditation technique, but the meditation state. Meditation techniques are tools to help bring us to the meditation state—the present moment.

What is spiritual growth?

When we say ‘grow fast’, what does that mean? We know what it looks like when a seedling grows into a big tree, but when we talk about spiritual growth, what are we growing towards?

Well, we tend to identify ourself as the body and the mind, which is very limited. It’s very boxed up—it’s like living in a mansion but you only hang around the bathroom and never use the whole house. But if you ‘grow’ spiritually, your knowledge of yourself expands. You become more open and loving, and start to use more of your potential.

The highest expansiveness is called the meditation state or the supreme state. And if we’re not trying to be in that state, how are we going to grow from the limited body and mind? So the meditation state is critical for spiritual growth.

Meditation and practices important for spiritual growth

Meditation techniques are tools to help bring you to the meditation state, but even if you’re us