Then what does one have to do? You have to do some effort in the beginning; otherwise you will never come close to any meditation technique, close to any meditation school. You will have to go through effort because you have become unnatural beings. Making effort will help you to understand what meditation is. It will not lead you into meditation; it will simply help you to understand what meditation is. It will help you to understand whether you can fall into that space called meditation easily or not.

If you feel that it comes very easily to you, that you can fall in that space and you can reach that space, effort will disappear by itself. There will be no need. You can simply sit with closed eyes and it is there. It is so natural. But only once it happens, then it is very natural. And unless it has happened you will not be able to know whether you are a natural meditator or not; so effort will be needed.

Man has been made so artificial that everything will have to be made through effort. But by making effort you will come to feel and see whether you can easily float into it or not.

And you ask, “Why is such effort required to know God when this seems to be the most natural thing?” If it is the most natural thing, then it must have happened to the questioner. It has not happened; otherwise you would not be here. What is a God-realized man doing here…? There is no point. Your seeking has stopped if you have known. Yes, once you know, it is very simple and easy, but until you know it, effort will be needed.

And remember, effort is not needed for meditation. Effort is needed to undo what the society has done to you. A dehypnosis is needed. The society has hypnotized you. The society has conditioned you; an unconditioning is needed. The society has made you dirty; a cleansing is needed. A good shower – that’s what your effort is. Once you have started feeling that meditation is your innermost quality, you can go into it anytime. It is so easy, as breathing. Then all effort disappears.

And you ask, “Is God trying to test us in some way?” No. There is no God in the first place to test you. And even if there is a God, he is not in any way interested in testing and examining you. What is the point? And he is not a sadist to torture you.

Teachers are sadists; examiners are sadists. You can ask the psychologists. They say people who want to torture others, they become teachers. Some tendency to torture. And you cannot find more beautiful opportunities than small children. Torture them, test them, examine them – and for their own good! And nobody can prevent you, because you are doing it for their own good.

God is not in any way interested in testing you. The problem is not arising because of God. The problem is arising because of your society, your politics, your priesthood. They have made you in such a way that you cannot meditate. They have made such simple things impossible.