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Eddie33
USA
120 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 19 2007 : 11:24:19 AM
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I want to be able to think about other stuff. All I think about is truth and bettering myself. It's very difficult to just relax and not be self-conscious. My thoughts are in constant conflict with eachother (wierd i said eachother when referring to my thoughts)\
Anyway, I just wanted to see if anyone had tips about getting my mind on different things. Like willpower. Subtle willpower I guess.
I want to be able to tlak to people without thinking what we're talking about is pointless. Stop being judgemental, etcetera. To be somewhat of an active member of society.
Umm, so yeah that's all..
seeya |
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Kyman
530 Posts |
Posted - Nov 19 2007 : 12:22:39 PM
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Art is a great way to relax and unwind. You mentioned before that you were a wrestler, is there a physical sport with an artistic or creative side to it that you can try?
Last night I thought about getting my pad out today and busting out some sketches. In the past I have sought out chess clubs, study groups, or thought about adding/removing something from my living space. |
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mikkiji
USA
219 Posts |
Posted - Nov 19 2007 : 2:20:40 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Eddie33
All I think about is truth and bettering myself. It's very difficult to just relax and not be self-conscious.
Yeah, Eddie--it's sort of a contradiction--We who are on a path of spritual awakening seek union with the true Self--to become "Self-realized" or Self-aware. BUT (Don't ya hate those buts?), the self you are continuously "self-conscious" of is NOT the True, inner, unchanging Self of Silence, but the self of ego. Note that I have capitalized the word "Self" at some points, and NOT done so at others--this is very deliberate. The large-"S" "Self" is the one I think of as the inner Self, the Atman, the silent witness of higher consciousness. The small-"s" "self" is that ego-based identity which runs about like a chicken without a head.
In one sense, our real job here is to "Get down with our big-"S" Selves, eh? (Sorry for the play on words there--couldn't help it, and I knew people would fall right into that one!)--but it's quite accurate. We DO want to be MORE Self-consciousness, but not at all self-consciousness--see the small but important distinction? To relax and be less conscious of that annoying ego-based false self we meditate to strengthen our connection to the TRUE Self, and we live in the present moment as much as we can to bring that strengthened silence out into our thoughts and actions. It takes time, and a subtle NOT trying to do anything about it. It takes LESS of things, not more--less trying, less judgment, less thinking, less of everything. Stop DOING--be concerned more with BEING. Live consciously, but not self-consciously. A subtle but important difference...
Michael |
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Steve
277 Posts |
Posted - Nov 19 2007 : 4:30:11 PM
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Hi Eddie,
A good question. What I have to say pretty much is what mikkiji just shared. Alot of this will take care of itself naturally as you continue with your AYP practices. As your inner silence from meditation deepens and samyama practice helps carry it further out into activity, the psychological-mental-emotional knots we all carry within our internal being begin to relax and dissolve. The part of you that is always thinking about truth will give way to just being in the presence of what is and the part that is always thinking about bettering itself will give way to a more natural enjoying of the play of life, your relationships with others and sharing. It is nice to know this is the direction we are all headed.
A very compatible addition that works well with AYP is to begin to incorporate a better understanding and utilization of the heart in our daily life. As the heart awakens it begins to introduce a very palpable sweetness and connectedness into life, relationships, etc. that helps to make everything more loving and joyful. It assists in freeing us and loosens the grip of the mind-ego viewpoint, which includes judging, etc. taking us to a place inside where enjoying even a seemingly pointless conversation with another becomes a delight because of what is happening underneath the surface level of the conversation, heart-to-heart.
A book I enjoyed and perhaps you would too is Jack Kornfield's 'A Path With Heart'. It is written from a Buddhist and Insight perspective. Though I do not consider myself a Buddhist or insight practitioner, what I enjoyed most, is that it shared alot of wisdom for cultivating skills required to see-appreciate the preciousness of all life and the way we can live our life from a more heart-centered base.
Yogani has indicated that our daily activity outside of formal sit-down AYP practice is actually a very critical element in sustaining and grounding the benefits of deep meditation. In a very real way, the skills of being within the heart and living from the heart in our daily life makes it alot easier to just let go of 'thoughts that are in constant conflict with each other'. Why is this so? For me, it is because the heart operates in the realm of pure feeling (love, joy, peace, happiness, (not emotion)) vs thought. Being in the heart and living from the heart is fun, it's enjoyable and it brings a sweetness to the silence of the witness. It is no longer a matter of diverting our attention from conflicting thoughts, judging, etc. as much as it is just enjoying the moment filled with the beautiful feelings of the heart and sharing with others. Nothing complicated, actually pretty simple. In every day life, living from the heart can support and help extend the ever-deepening silence and benefits cultivated through AYP. Likewise, being regular with AYP helps support the processes that awaken the heart. Perhaps, learning more about the heart will provide some practical keys for the question you posed.
Steve |
Edited by - Steve on Nov 19 2007 6:57:43 PM |
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mikkiji
USA
219 Posts |
Posted - Nov 19 2007 : 8:26:30 PM
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Steve--thank you for adding the VERY important aspect of HEART to the equation. Love IS god, they are the same--one is the path to the other, as anyone who has found either can attest to. I'd just plain forgotten that, perhaps because for so long, love had been so integral to my life and my path, I just took it for granted. My wife and I found our love so long ago, and over so long a period of time, that it took me many years to realize (although I always knew it) our love for one another and our search for Self and for god were wrapped up in one package of devotion. I think that kind of relationship is unusual, and to have found it at the age of 17 and carried it until, in fact, death did part us 37 years later, was the largest part of my journey. Heart IS so important in taking the silence of Self and adding that to the coming and going of action--more important than intellect or study--because I believe (and I have experienced) that the Heart is the home of love, god and wholeness. One is, indeed, fortunate to find a person--as I did--with whom to share this path of devotion...
Michael |
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Diverting Attention
