It is simple; It is easy; Just three instructions - sit comfortably, close your eyes, observe your breath. Like the understanding of all of computer science being built upon the fundamental of data being represented as a 0 or a 1. The fundamental of meditation science is very simple.
It is scalable - a person meditating for the first time in their life, to Gautam Buddha who became enlightened while practicing this technique, all people, at all levels of advancement can benefit from meditation.
It is universal, anyone can teach it and anyone can learn it; there is no barrier to this knowledge and no one can erect a barrier. No language barrier, no religious barrier, no national barrier, no caste, no creed, no gender, no political leaning is a barrier to a person who wants to learn. Simply practice awareness of your in and out breath.
It is not dependent on a guru or external source. Sometimes, the best knowledge can become corrupted and misinterpreted or simply applied out of context. This makes the good turn into the bad. However, breath awareness due to its simplicity has no gatekeepers, and cannot have any gatekeepers. Any person who practices will eventually start generating insights.
It has no entry barrier. It requires no teacher, no infrastructure, no special equipment, no diet, no age restriction, no bodily ability. If a person can breathe, they can meditate.
It is easy (comparatively) to implement in an institution such as a school or office. Simply use an existing space and practice awareness. Because (at the beginning levels and under normal circumstances), it does not require any specialized instructions, any person can host a group where people meditate together. Imagine a district administrator who wants to implement a mental health program in a place where other options are not available. Even in such places, meditation can be implemented. Note: This does not mean we institute meditation where a trained and educated psychologist is needed because, though meditation has all of these advantages, it takes time, many years of time for most of us to experience its many benefits.
It does not require a minimum amount of time. Starting with a few minutes a day, a person can gradually start to get benefits of meditation.
It does not compete with any other practice or tradition. You will not have to give up an existing religious, scientific or agnostic belief system. Meditation will refine your mind regardless of your belief system and in fact deepen your understanding of it. As the beauty of each tradition is understood by those who understand the deeper meaning of its teachings and meditation can take you there (over decades of practice).
If we combine meditation with mindfulness, then you enter another level of spiritual development. Then anything you do with open eyes, becomes a spiritual practice. Your office work, your communication, your preparation of food, all can become spiritual. You do not have to divide "work" and your "spiritual life" ... your work becomes spiritual. And your "life" can also become spiritual.
That said, it takes time; Give it a few decades. Though there are immediate results, but if I have to write honestly, through my own experience, then I must acknowledge that it takes a long long time depending on a person's starting point. Had I focused on quick fixes, I would not have recognized the role meditation played.
Meditation is also not a panacea. It has and will always have limitations, particularly in material pursuits. The most advantageous way to proceed, is with humility, doing our practice day by day, without expectations of immediate results. When it comes to a multi-decade endeavor such as meditation, the counsel of lord Krishna gave to Arjun can make the path easier - let right efforts be your motive, not the fruits that come from them. Jeff Bezos would say, be "input focused". Steve Jobs would say, "if we take care of the top-line, the bottom line will take care of itself."
Saurabh
* When we say meditation is beneficial under normal circumstances, we mean for a functional person. In case a person requires intense psychological care or is suffering from a painful physical ailment, care should be provided under the supervision of a qualified, licensed expert.
