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anthony574
USA
549 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 18 2007 : 11:35:59 AM
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Good morning!
Meditation for me a week back has been very good, I really noticed some positive changes and moving toward inner silence. For some odd reason, the past 4-5 days meditation has been a little frustrating...now, it's like I'm back to square one (albeit with a little mor patience). I noticed this while in the midst of meditation when I found myself repeatingly off the mantra and simultaneously playing a Backstreet Boys song (I don't like them by the way!), contemplating the nature of the old pagan science of the 4 elements, and wondering what Kirtan means. And it gets more innane and random from there. I hope this is just a phase because I was really enjoying those silent meditation sessions. |
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weaver
832 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2007 : 12:03:25 PM
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Hi Anthony,
Yes, the monkey mind will (seem to) return many times! 
This is a natural manifestation as the purification reaches deeper layers, where there are still impurities left. They might then come up to the surface of consciousness and seem like disorderly thoughts. So, the process is the same, once we become aware of this, or that we reflect about the meditation is not silent, we just go back to the mantra...
So, the meditation process is as "good" and efficient when this happens as when it seems to be silent and peaceful. The purification work is still being done. |
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Jim and His Karma
2111 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2007 : 12:12:32 PM
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| The more ways and times your daydreaming (or whatever) knock you off your mantra, the better. The gentle, aware return to mantra is the gem. When you require less returning, you'll lose that gem. So enjoy! |
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Anthem
1608 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2007 : 2:36:33 PM
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I agree with the guys above, nothing to be frustrated by, it shows that you are simply clearing out at deeper and deeper levels. The more you let go of your expectations of what meditation should be like and let the process do whatever it needs to do, the more beneficial and effective your practice sessions will be.
Best of luck,
A
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Edited by - Anthem on Aug 18 2007 2:38:27 PM |
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anthony574
USA
549 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2007 : 2:38:29 PM
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So Jim, you would prefer a meditation session of incessantly returning babbling and return to the mantra to the extent that you feel you have spent more time babbling than mantra'ing to a session of uninterupted mantra'ing and that nice peaceful feeling?
I'm not being sarcastic by the way, I really am wondering! |
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Anthem
1608 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2007 : 2:45:50 PM
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Hi Anthony,
Not sure how Jim will answer, but for me, I don't mind how I feel during meditation or mind what goes on during it in regards to how long I am on or off the mantra. It's about how I feel after the session that counts in my book.
This is the best measure of your practices and although how you feel on a day to day basis is important, it is less so when compared to how practices make you feel overall on a month to month basis. |
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Jim and His Karma
2111 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2007 : 9:26:34 PM
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Anthony, as yogani says, favor the practice over the experiences. This is exactly and precisely the sort of scenario he's talking about.
The practice of meditation consists of endlessly returning to mantra if/as you drift. That's what it IS. Reread Yogani's lesson on meditation (periodical rereads are a great idea...I do it myself).
Now, if you have a nice peaceful feeling AFTER practice, i.e. during every day life, great. That's the sort of evidence you watch for to verify that you're going at the right pace and not over or underdoing. But we're definitely not aiming for any given experiential result DURING practice. Be wary of such aims. Best to just let the practice do you. You're not going on a trip, you're not seeking peace or God or this feeling or that while you practice. Just say "I am" a lot, and return to mantra when you drift. Don't manage it...and beware of the expectations that accummulate like barnacles on a ship's hull. |
Edited by - Jim and His Karma on Aug 18 2007 9:29:43 PM |
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The Monkey Mind Returns
