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 Posted - Jul 07 2005 : 5:44:47 PM
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524 From: "jim_and_his_karma" <jim_and_his_karma@yahoo.com>
Date: Sat Mar 26, 2005 6:49pm
Subject: When You Think Your Meditation's Derailed..Think Again! (or just stop thinking!) jim_and_his_...
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I just realized something after a lifetime of meditation that's completely transformed
everything for me. I'm a little ashamed to say it, because I'm betting it's the most obvious,
trivial, beginner observation imaginable. No doubt many of you figured this out in your
first few sessions. It's a "duh". But I offer this for anyone who's been struggling with the
same block, and I rush to note that it has nothing to do with AYP, and, indeed, is exactly
the sort of mental construct intrusion that's supposed to send us gently back to mantra
(observing yourself meditating - even extracting deep wisdom from what you're
experiencing - is a trap of the mind).
when you're in deep meditation, with most of the more superficial chatter stilled, and your
mind finds you and blindsides you out of nowhere ("shoot! did I turn off my stove??"), it
doesn't have to bob you all the way back up to the surface and make you have to start
from scratch. Even if your peace feels utterly punctured, you're not as far away from
returning to where you were as you think. In fact, you're just a hair of a notch away. The
notion that you've been totally disrupted, and need to go drill all the way back down again
is just another trick of the mind (which has endless tricks, of course....which is why we
work to bypass it rather than do battle with it!).
Even if you're in a holy, still moment and your mind shoots to the dinner reservation you
forgot to make, paradise is not lost. Trust that you've drifted but a millimeter. Trust the
state, trust the mantra, trust everything - it's just been a flicker. The safety net is closer
than you think.
Man, this is powerful......for me, at least
525 From: "jim_and_his_karma" <jim_and_his_karma@yahoo.com>
Date: Sun Mar 27, 2005 0:06am
Subject: Re: When You Think Your Meditation's Derailed..Think Again! (or just stop thinking!) jim_and_his_...
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I just wanted to follow-up. While this same advice ("don't react to the distractions, just let
them do what they do and quietly return to mantra") applies throughout meditation, I'm
talking about deeper states. I mean when you're at that point where you've really quieted
down tremendously and are starting to really savor the silence, and some big huge crass
honking thought comes screaming through to you like a depth charge from the surface.
In past, that's always made me think I'd "spoiled" the meditation. I'd clear my throat,
restraighten my spine, and earnestly "start over", and this has clamped a limit on how
deep I could go in meditation. I could only get as deep as was possible between depth
charges!
My insight is that the depth charge isn't actually the problem...it's the notion that I'd
spoiled something. Subtract that, and the depth charge is no more powerful than any
thoughts at the more surface level. Writing it now, it seems like a "duh". But for some
reason, this really blocked me a lot for YEARS. All our blocks look "duh" in retrospect!
So even if you've gone really deep and you're feeling incredibly, thrillingly still and
focused and peaceful (and foolish enough to think you've gone beyond the reaches of the
chattering mind).......and you suddenly realize with a deep, visceral, "turn on the lights"
jolt, that you forgot to defrost the brisket......it's nothing. You've not spoiled anything.
Return to mantra, you've only moved a micron, and it's easy to get back. You can only
react if you choose to react, so choose not to. Burn out your reaction reaction.
--- In AYPforum@yahoogroups.com, "jim_and_his_karma" <jim_and_his_karma@y...>
wrote:
>
>
> I just realized something after a lifetime of meditation that's completely transformed
> everything for me. I'm a little ashamed to say it, because I'm betting it's the most
obvious,
> trivial, beginner observation imaginable. No doubt many of you figured this out in your
> first few sessions. It's a "duh". But I offer this for anyone who's been struggling with the
> same block, and I rush to note that it has nothing to do with AYP, and, indeed, is exactly
> the sort of mental construct intrusion that's supposed to send us gently back to mantra
> (observing yourself meditating - even extracting deep wisdom from what you're
> experiencing - is a trap of the mind).
>
> when you're in deep meditation, with most of the more superficial chatter stilled, and
your
> mind finds you and blindsides you out of nowhere ("shoot! did I turn off my stove??"), it
> doesn't have to bob you all the way back up to the surface and make you have to start
> from scratch. Even if your peace feels utterly punctured, you're not as far away from
> returning to where you were as you think. In fact, you're just a hair of a notch away. The
> notion that you've been totally disrupted, and need to go drill all the way back down
again
> is just another trick of the mind (which has endless tricks, of course....which is why we
> work to bypass it rather than do battle with it!).
>
> Even if you're in a holy, still moment and your mind shoots to the dinner reservation you
> forgot to make, paradise is not lost. Trust that you've drifted but a millimeter. Trust the
> state, trust the mantra, trust everything - it's just been a flicker. The safety net is closer
> than you think.
>
> Man, this is powerful......for me, at least
527 From: "azaz932001" <richardchamberlin14@hotmail.com>
Date: Sun Mar 27, 2005 7:23am
Subject: Re: When You Think Your Meditation's Derailed..Think Again! (or just stop thinking!) azaz932001
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Yes Jim
I second that, the chatter seems to go on at the same time as the
mantra sort of like in the background. I don't think is does really,
I think I read somewhere that you only think one thing at a time, so
its just a trick of the mind, one of those time things.
Blessings R.C.
>
>
> I just realized something after a lifetime of meditation that's
completely transformed
> everything for me. I'm a little ashamed to say it, because I'm
betting it's the most obvious,
> trivial, beginner observation imaginable. No doubt many of you
figured this out in your
> first few sessions. It's a "duh". But I offer this for anyone who's
been struggling with the
> same block, and I rush to note that it has nothing to do with AYP,
and, indeed, is exactly
> the sort of mental construct intrusion that's supposed to send us
gently back to mantra
> (observing yourself meditating - even extracting deep wisdom from
what you're
> experiencing - is a trap of the mind).
>
> when you're in deep meditation, with most of the more superficial
chatter stilled, and your
> mind finds you and blindsides you out of nowhere ("shoot! did I
turn off my stove??"), it
> doesn't have to bob you all the way back up to the surface and make
you have to start
> from scratch. Even if your peace feels utterly punctured, you're
not as far away from
> returning to where you were as you think. In fact, you're just a
hair of a notch away. The
> notion that you've been totally disrupted, and need to go drill all
the way back down again
> is just another trick of the mind (which has endless tricks, of
course....which is why we
> work to bypass it rather than do battle with it!).
>
> Even if you're in a holy, still moment and your mind shoots to the
dinner reservation you
> forgot to make, paradise is not lost. Trust that you've drifted but
a millimeter. Trust the
> state, trust the mantra, trust everything - it's just been a
flicker. The safety net is closer
> than you think.
>
> Man, this is powerful......for me, at least
529 From: "jim_and_his_karma" <jim_and_his_karma@yahoo.com>
Date: Sun Mar 27, 2005 0:43pm
Subject: Re: When You Think Your Meditation's Derailed..Think Again! (or just stop thinking!) jim_and_his_...
Offline
Send Email
R.C., that's correct. Let the chatter pass like clouds in the sky, distant and undisruptive. It's
not deep and it's not interesting and it's not "you".
But I'm talking about the point when the chatter is gone (you'll get there soon if you're not
there already). At that point, those "depth charges" i'm talking about seem extraordinarily
disruptive, because they intone in a vacuum which amplifies them. When they hit, it will
make you feel like you've ascended 5000 feet back to the surface. You haven't. It's a trick
of the mind (though if you heed that feeling you'll indeed ascend quickly).
The following is only tangential to both our postings, but it's something that deeply
inspires me. It's by the great Ramana Maharshi (who I'm pretty sure was a major influence
on Yogani, though I've not discussed it with him):
----
take the instance of the cinema. Scenes are projected on the screen in the cinema-show.
But the moving pictures do not affect or alter the screen. The spectator pays attention to
them, not to the screen. They cannot exist apart from the screen, yet the screen is
ignored. So also, the Self is the screen where the pictures, activities etc. are seen going on.
----
and:
----
D. How can the rebellious mind be made calm and tranquil?
M. Either see its source so that it may disappear, or surrender yourself so that it may be
struck down. Self-surrender is the same as Self-knowledge, and either of them necessarily
implies self-control. The ego submits only when it recognizes the Higher Power.
----
--- In AYPforum@yahoogroups.com, "azaz932001" <richardchamberlin14@h...> wrote:
>
>
> Yes Jim
> I second that, the chatter seems to go on at the same time as the
> mantra sort of like in the background. I don't think is does really,
> I think I read somewhere that you only think one thing at a time, so
> its just a trick of the mind, one of those time things.
>
> Blessings R.C.
>
> >
> >
> > I just realized something after a lifetime of meditation that's
> completely transformed
> > everything for me. I'm a little ashamed to say it, because I'm
> betting it's the most obvious,
> > trivial, beginner observation imaginable. No doubt many of you
> figured this out in your
> > first few sessions. It's a "duh". But I offer this for anyone who's
> been struggling with the
> > same block, and I rush to note that it has nothing to do with AYP,
> and, indeed, is exactly
> > the sort of mental construct intrusion that's supposed to send us
> gently back to mantra
> > (observing yourself meditating - even extracting deep wisdom from
> what you're
> > experiencing - is a trap of the mind).
> >
> > when you're in deep meditation, with most of the more superficial
> chatter stilled, and your
> > mind finds you and blindsides you out of nowhere ("shoot! did I
> turn off my stove??"), it
> > doesn't have to bob you all the way back up to the surface and make
> you have to start
> > from scratch. Even if your peace feels utterly punctured, you're
> not as far away from
> > returning to where you were as you think. In fact, you're just a
> hair of a notch away. The
> > notion that you've been totally disrupted, and need to go drill all
> the way back down again
> > is just another trick of the mind (which has endless tricks, of
> course....which is why we
> > work to bypass it rather than do battle with it!).
> >
> > Even if you're in a holy, still moment and your mind shoots to the
> dinner reservation you
> > forgot to make, paradise is not lost. Trust that you've drifted but
> a millimeter. Trust the
> > state, trust the mantra, trust everything - it's just been a
> flicker. The safety net is closer
> > than you think.
> >
> > Man, this is powerful......for me, at least
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