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dv2014
USA
93 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 09 2014 : 12:15:30 PM
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It seems in AYP, cultivating inner silence or witness seems to be the key step and everything else such as moral conduct and yama/niyamas are supposed to evolve within us, as a result.
I have always been a bit sensitive and easily swayed by emotions and moods and that affects my day-to-day life, work and productivity. In that past, I have tried to master it from 'outside' with only limited success (and developed some guilt as well), but as I go through AYP lessons, I now hope that things will get better as I make progress in meditation.
On the other hand there are people who are extremely disciplined, focused, not affected by emotions. They are in general successful in whatever they undertake. Does that mean that they are more in touch with their inner witness? But these people often tend to be a little selfish, less empathetic, less sensitive to other's emotions etc. For some reason, I always thought being sensitive to other's emotions is a good quality and is a sign of spiritual progress - but not necessarily so? What is the true sign of rising inner witness? |
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BlueRaincoat
United Kingdom
1734 Posts |
Posted - Sep 11 2014 : 4:03:13 PM
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Hi dv2014
In my experience, inner silence/the witness is juts that: silence - the mind becomes quieter - less involved in streams of thoughts and emotions. As a result, you see an improvement in your your cognitive abilities - the attention span seems to widen, you become more perceptive/able to take in more information every instant. Emotionally there is less turmoil from unresolved tensions. With less agitation, you get a feeling of contentment streaming from the inside. That doesn't lead to less empathy – there is plenty of room inside for both inner silence and feeling for others people's distress. I don't think there is a contradiction between self-discipline and empathy. They are different/separate qualities, but there can be people who have a lot of both or not very much of either. What I find is that inner silence puts you in the position to offer more to others - while you empathise with other people's unhappiness you find more strength in yourself and that means you can help others more. 
I used to be pretty easily ran dawn by other people's distress. To the point that I was avoiding situation where I'd have to deal with people in a lot of distress. For me the solution came with growing older and going thorough some rough times myself. It's about realising deep down that distress didn’t break me. It spurred my growth in some ways. People are stronger than you might think. There is a lot of strength in each of us and once you discover it in yourself, I think you realise everyone has it. While you offer help and support, you can also maintain a quiet confidence the person you are helping has the strength to get through the difficulty.
I hope you will find your own inner silence. If you stick to your meditation routine you should begin to have some glimpses of it pretty soon. |
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Anima
484 Posts |
Posted - Sep 11 2014 : 6:36:22 PM
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I don't know.... This is a good place for support to "keep at it," though.
We will all discover what we need to.
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dv2014
USA
93 Posts |
Posted - Sep 11 2014 : 11:34:16 PM
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Hi BlueRaincoat
Many thanks for sharing your experience!
I have been a lot more 'grounded', stable, and tolerant to people around me for the past few months - perhaps an effect of meditation. I used to be too much a slave of my moods and emotions, often those triggered by people around me or situations outside of my control. If I watch a touching movie or read a novel, it stays with me weeks on end to the extent that it hinders my other activities at home and at work. The 'hangover' is terrible. Somewhere inside me, I sort of had a feeling that tells me, it was all OK, I am just the sensitive type, I was just appreciating the 'art' in a deeper level. (maybe I developed some ego in being able to do that!) But I now realize that this type of emotional outpouring is not necessarily productive and is not a sign of spiritual progress. Perhaps, what we need for spiritual progress is the ability to stick to a routine and apply the spiritual methods methodically - more of an engineering problem than creative art work?
And the real outpouring love has perhaps an element of detachment in it - long way to get there!
Hi Anima Deorum - Sure, so grateful to have a forum like this!
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BlueRaincoat
United Kingdom
1734 Posts |
Posted - Sep 13 2014 : 10:14:10 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by dv2014
this type of emotional outpouring is not necessarily productive and is not a sign of spiritual progress. Perhaps, what we need for spiritual progress is the ability to stick to a routine and apply the spiritual methods methodically
I completely agree with you dv2014.
I think there is something to be said about real outpouring love and the lessening of the ego. As the ego becomes less, I realise that love (or pain for that matter) just flows through me. To quote St. Augustine, we are just "honoured vessels". And it's worth putting in the methodical work to make sure the "vessel" holds whether it's graced with streams of love, joy or sadness. |
Edited by - BlueRaincoat on Sep 13 2014 10:35:23 AM |
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jonesboy
USA
594 Posts |
Posted - Sep 13 2014 : 11:02:28 AM
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Hi dv2014,
With practice we start to experience silence during our meditation practice. Over time and Samyama is good for this we start to notice this silence during the day. The emotions we feel are really just physical sensations nothing more. The trouble is the story we give the emotions. Once silence takes hold we are able catch ourselves before we get caught up in the movie like experience of our thoughts. Samyama teaches us to let go of the feeling and thought into silence. The silence ends the experience of pain/hurt the thought brought us..and stays away.
Silence and even more so once the heart chakra is opened brings joy/happiness/bliss. It starts in little ways. An openness to others then maybe loving kindness to others as you walk the ales at the local store. At this point silence and joy is filling your day. Your feelings/mind stories trap you less and less. You realize that what you give is what you feel is what you are. The emotions of others no longer consume you, they flow through you. With calm, patience, confidence and love radiating out in return.
To be honest, it is even better than that. But i don't want to go over the top on you.
Just start a steady twice a day practice. Get the big 3 under your belt that being DM, SBP and Samyama. I believe that Heart Breathing should be next. Open the heart and everything changes Throw in a couple of books "Loving What Is by Bryon Katie and Real Love by Greg Baer". After at least 6 months of practice you can go through The Presence Process by Michael Brown. That really will help you learn how to deal with your emotions and how to integrate them. And of course, always try to be the witness to your thoughts.
That was my path. A lot of life changing stuff right there. Powerful tools to help along the way.
Good luck and Welcome |
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dv2014
USA
93 Posts |
Posted - Sep 13 2014 : 3:40:39 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by BlueRaincoat
As the ego becomes less, I realise that love (or pain for that matter) just flows through me. To quote St. Augustine, we are just "honoured vessels". And it's worth putting in the methodical work to make sure the "vessel" holds whether it's graced with streams of love, joy or sadness
Thank you, BlueRaincoat!
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dv2014
USA
93 Posts |
Posted - Sep 13 2014 : 5:22:23 PM
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Hi jonesboy,
Thank you very much!
Perhaps, I should add that I'm practicing a meditation from Pranic Healing tradition (more about it at: http://www.aypsite.org/forum/topic....PIC_ID=14591). I went through some difficult times in the past and it was through that meditation that I got back on track. The 'guided' aspect of that meditation was helpful at that time. The crown chakra activation mentioned in the above post remains a concern - I am now trying not to focus on the crown much.
I was not inclined to Pranic healing and other traditional approaches mainly because most of them impose prerequisites such as adherence to yama/niyamas and reverence and devotion to God or Ishta. They didn't come to me naturally. It was attractive that in AYP these are considered an effect, or natural outcomes as nervous system purifies. Having said that I have been practicing pranic healing meditation for more than a year now. Rest of my family is inclined that way, and at some point I stopped debating and accepted that as my path. Internally I was attributing a superiority to AYP and to myself in turn, in being able to appreciate its lessons and open approach. Perhaps that was not good and what I need now is surrender to the path that has come to me, which now seems to be the twin hearts meditation of pranic healing.
I am still getting a lot of information and knowledge from AYP lessons and books.
Thank you for mentioning samyama and heart breathing - I have been reading about them lately. I guess anybody can practice samyama once there is some inner stillness. It seems heart breathing can also be done along with other approaches as per lesson 220 (http://www.aypsite.org/220.html). Thank you for the book suggestions, I'm going to get them.
Thank you!
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Edited by - dv2014 on Sep 14 2014 10:32:08 AM |
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inner witness and being sensitive
