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CarsonZi
Canada
3189 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 14 2011 : 1:10:56 PM
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Namaste everyone 
I've been wondering about this topic for a couple of years now and had previously decided not to ask about it as I assumed it would eventually shift (which I still assume it will) but what I have been experiencing is so consistent that I figured it can't hurt to ask.
What has been happening 99.9% of the time when I'm able to include samyama in my practices, is that when I reach the sutras of "Health" and "Strength" is that I will lose consciousness for long periods of time. The length of time I lose awareness varies a bit, but it's usually between 1 and 10 minutes depending on how I have my timer set. I can easily manage to keep about 15 seconds between each of the previous (and the following) sutras, but as soon as I drop "Health" into silence I will lose awareness for a period of time. It happens both times I drop "Health" into silence and it also happens (albiet generally for a slightly shorter time period) with "Strength." These two sutras will involutarily take up more than half of my time in samyama.
What I am wondering about is why this happens. My first inclination was to believe that this happens because I have some health issues (nothing too serious, but there is some stuff going on, mostly energy related) and there is some deep purification happening. My second inclination is to think that this happens simply because these are the "middle" sutras and it has nothing to do with the actual sutras themselves and it would happen in the middle of samyama no matter which sutras were being used.
So I guess my question to you all is this: Do any of you experience a loss of awareness in the middle sutras of samyama? If others experience this than there is a chance that this has nothing to do with the deep purification that may or may not be happening with my personal health issues.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Love!
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BuddhiHermit
United Kingdom
84 Posts |
Posted - Oct 14 2011 : 1:36:32 PM
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| I suspect it is because you are in love with health. |
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trip1
USA
739 Posts |
Posted - Oct 14 2011 : 2:26:06 PM
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I haven't practiced formal samyama for some time, but can definitely recall "disappearing" about halfway through the sutras when I was. I never tried to pinpoint an exact sutra that it was happening on, so can't really comment on that, but I can definitely identify with the overall experience that you describe.
It is interesting that you are losing awareness on the sutras which correspond with things happening in your life, and that might carry some subconscious weight in the intention behind those sutras, but this is just speculation.
Been meaning to add samyama to my daily routine since the retreat, will do so this evening and see what happens.  |
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JDH
USA
331 Posts |
Posted - Oct 14 2011 : 2:42:58 PM
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Hey Carson,
I also often drift off into nothingness during samyama. I will be gone and wake up later, sometimes up to an hour later. Same thing with the middle sutras being more common departure points. But I'd say I'm equally likely to drift out anywhere between Radiance and Wisdom. I suspect on the first sutra I'm still paying some attention to the activity of samyama, staying aware by minding the process. By the second one I've gone into autopilot so I may drift off anytime in the middle. If I make it to the last two sutras I usually finish, because I start to think about finishing and coming back.
Last week I zonked out with my neck hanging down. Just now feeling better. |
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nearoanoke
USA
525 Posts |
Posted - Oct 14 2011 : 4:44:50 PM
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Reasons:
- Not enough silence from DM. If you have silence, samyama is very less distracting and thoughts dont pull you in. You can just watch them pass by.
- Doing DM more than 20 min and that feeling of lack of concentration can get carried to samyama and we might keep losing it more. Usually if I finish of DM by 18 min rather than 25, my samyama is much less distracting
- Could be attachment to specific sutras but even for me it happens with those middle sutras may be coz in my mind I made the list to go through and the next ones in the list are hard to come by |
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Parallax
USA
348 Posts |
Posted - Oct 14 2011 : 4:58:36 PM
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Hey Carson my brother,
I have no idea the reason. But ithe same thing happens to me almost every time with Unity...gonzo...
anywhooo
Love you Tico Brohe |
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maheswari
Lebanon
2516 Posts |
Posted - Oct 14 2011 : 5:02:00 PM
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| yep it happens...i drift to nothingness sometimes from the first sutra....sometimes in the middle... |
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nearoanoke
USA
525 Posts |
Posted - Oct 14 2011 : 5:28:11 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by maheswari
yep it happens...i drift to nothingness sometimes from the first sutra....sometimes in the middle...
I can understand why it happens with you. By the way your first Sutra is Love right? :) |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4430 Posts |
Posted - Oct 14 2011 : 6:32:43 PM
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Maybe miss those 2 sutras out and see what happens?
Or... get yourself an Enso Pearl meditation timer. You can set it to sound after each sutra, until you develop the habit of remaining conscious throughout the practice.
http://tinyurl.com/6h6mgtn |
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yogani
USA
5201 Posts |
Posted - Oct 15 2011 : 12:09:43 AM
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Hi All:
"Getting lost" in samyama (or in deep meditation) is a normal part of practice, indicating deep purification and opening occurring (including release of accumulated fatigue), and it is not an aberration or negative scenario. There is nothing to correct, because the nervous system is doing exactly what it needs to do to open its inner pathways. Trying to regulate ourselves back into the concept of a more structured practice with a timer or self-conscious concern would be a negative.
The way we deal with getting lost in thoughts, or in a seemingly unconscious period, is to easily come back to the procedure of our practice where we left off whenever we become aware that we have been off. The only difference in this between samyama and meditation is that in the case of samyama, we can finish our sutras if we have time. If we are out of time and have to go, it is okay to end our samyama session before completing the sutras, taking adequate rest before getting up.
In the case of deep meditation, we end our session when our meditation time is up, including the time we have been lost as part of our meditation time. If we inadvertently go over our allotted time on meditation due to getting lost, that is okay. If we are doing samyama, we can go into that when we have completed our meditation session. Whenever we finish our sitting practices, make sure to rest adequately before getting up. Very important.
We all go through phases like what is being described here, and these experiences will evolve into new openings over time.
As for the content of such experiences, or specific karmic causes related to particular sutras, it is impossible to know. This is why we use a balanced list of sutras, and don't try to guess which ones will work best. Taking a balanced (global) approach, we can be sure that we are unwinding a full range of deep obstructions as we continue with our practice over weeks, months and years. The place we will notice the results is in our daily activity.
Good things are happening.
The guru is in you.
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maheswari
Lebanon
2516 Posts |
Posted - Oct 15 2011 : 01:29:49 AM
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quote:
I can understand why it happens with you. By the way your first Sutra is Love right? :)
yes
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Christi
United Kingdom
4430 Posts |
Posted - Oct 15 2011 : 3:58:53 PM
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Hi Yogani,
Thanks for joining in this discussion, it is something that has concerned me as well for a while now. I experience the same thing as Carson and some others here. For me it happens usually with the first sutra... love, or if not then definitely with the second, radiance... This has been the case since about the third time I practiced samayama maybe about 4 years ago. I pick up the feeling of love, let it go into silence, pick it up again, let it go again and I am gone. Not into thoughts, but into silence. The next thing I know is that the time is up (chime bell rings) and it is time for savasana. Occasionally (but rarely) I will make it to the second sutra. So by now, I cannot even remember what the other sutras are. Last week I was asked to teach samyama practice on the UK retreat and I had to ask for a printed list of the sutras. 
So my concern is.. I am not using a balanced set of sutras, I am only using one, or one and occasionally two. Certainly, love and radiance have come to play a major part in my life, more than I could ever have imagined... but should I not be working towards a more balanced samyama practice. If I get to the end of the time for samyama (I set my chime for 10 mins) and I have been lost in love all the time, as is usual, could I then carry on and do the remaining sutras before savasana? My feeling is that it would be good.
Christi |
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yogani
USA
5201 Posts |
Posted - Oct 15 2011 : 11:12:29 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Christi
If I get to the end of the time for samyama (I set my chime for 10 mins) and I have been lost in love all the time, as is usual, could I then carry on and do the remaining sutras before savasana? My feeling is that it would be good.
Hi Christi:
Yes, it would be good. Continuing with the sutras after getting lost is correct practice of samyama, time permitting, as discussed in my previous post. And note that the procedure is different when getting lost in deep meditation (we do not extend the time intentionally), which is also discussed above.
You could try doing only one repetition of each sutra and shortening the time between a bit, and build up from there once you have a stable practice.
However, everyone should be clear that it is common and okay to get lost in samyama. It is purification and opening, and no one should feel that it is incorrect practice. If the tips in the previous paragraph help, then feel free to use them. But do try to avoid using a clock chime for timing sutra repetitions. It is like using a mala with the mantra in deep meditation -- putting an external control on an internal process that can reduce its effectiveness.
In these times, inner silence is much more pervasive worldwide than in past decades, and that could be part of why so many are going so deep so quickly in samyama. It is a good thing. The suggestion above might be helpful for applying a full list of sutras in a reasonable time of sitting. Let us know.
It is all going to work out fine. We have the happy problem of managing a rapidly accelerating expansion of pure bliss consciousness throughout the world, from wherever we are sitting. Let's do it.
The guru is in you.
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Christi
United Kingdom
4430 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2011 : 04:11:17 AM
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Hi Yogani,
Thanks for the advice. I'll give it a go over the next few weeks and report back here on what happened. |
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jeff
USA
971 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2011 : 10:45:33 AM
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In Samyama, I had found that I would often end up staying with the word to feel the energy build up around it in silence. Depending on your process & intent you give to the word, you may be staying with it and getting caught up in the manifestation. This might cause the experience.
As a couple of experiments... Try the word in Samyama and try to watch/feel it go. See if you notice the energy build around it. Also, you may want to try "consciously releasing the word into the wind" of silence. Almost like letting a leaf go out of your hand.
Enjoy your Sunday.
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Specific sutra causing loss of consciousness
