|
|
 |
|
| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Anthem
1608 Posts |
 Posted - May 11 2009 : 11:02:06 AM
|
I have observed my mind over the last couple of years oscillate between spending varying amounts of time abiding as the witness/Being and caught in thoughts. In no particular order, the mind, depending on what is going on in life, would "switch" back and forth in the following:
Periods where the mind goes from thought to thought to thought with brief moments of rest as the observing witness of events then back to thoughts again.
to
Periods of extended Witnessing interrupted by emotionally charged thoughts that I believed required a formal inquiry process or meditation to understand my nature again as witness and abide "here and now" again.
to
True nature known, abiding as pure Being and obviously there is nowhere that we go, thoughts arise, none are reality, and they pass, the witness is uninterrupted.
The last being the most at peace and enjoyable, the end of suffering in a sense.
Recently it became apparent that there were some ideas that caused my mind to revert back to getting hung up on thoughts, so I share here in case others recognize the same or similar patterns in themselves.
The primary distracting idea arose essentially from an underlying fear of some thoughts. These thoughts would arise, the mind would fear getting stuck on them and would want to use inquiry to let them go. This in itself would be a departure from the here and now and interrupted abiding as Witness. So the realization that there was nothing to fear, I could only get stuck if I thought I would, provided more freedom from all thoughts.
There was also a lack of appreciation of the value of so called "negative" thoughts that caused the mind to contract in fear/ irritation when certain negative thoughts would appear. It could have been about anything, anger or irritation towards someone or any typical daily thought. These thoughts were sometimes viewed as digressing backwards into old patterns. Thoughts like "an enlightened mind wouldn't think such and such" would be enough for this mind to think it was moving in the wrong direction when emotional responses would arise. Also, if fear, irritation, anger would arise, the thoughts behind them would be seen as I guess mini failures of consciousness or something to that effect. "Consciousness shouldn't be angry, obviously there is a dysfunctional thought behind it that needs clearing" etc.
So acceptance of all thoughts has been integral for me to abide more frequently as uninterrupted witness. Surrender to the mind as something that will always think and chatter and that it matters not was another important realization. Very important for me also was the realization that so called negative thoughts bring about as much learning in life as positive thoughts, hence their value seen and the result being more acceptance (and learning incidentally).
The more acceptance of all the activities of the mind, the more we abide as uninterrupted witness, hope this helps others too. |
Edited by - Anthem on May 11 2009 11:03:31 AM |
|
|
Katrine
Norway
1813 Posts |
Posted - May 11 2009 : 5:44:35 PM
|
I love your post, Anthem - thank you
It is the experience here too...that...after one is able to discern the witness from the rest (through the practice of meditation).....then the most stubborn thoughts...those that trigger our interest in an habitual, stubborn way.....exactly those are the thoughts that are most likely to....deepen our experience of being the witness. Simply because the emotional charge that go with them.......when this is exposed to a consciousness already befriended with itself as the witness.....one is bound to be propelled back into being "found out as a thought"....and one is then blessed with the realization that the emotion too loses it's charge ones the lable is let go of. Funny that....how the word "fear" impregnates energy with false....conditional meaning.....
So here...the "worst thoughts".....together with the "most painful feelings"....it is these that most effectivly unveil the dynamic of how the mind pulls interest to itself....it unveils how one is tempted...seduced into taking that hike. Not through words....through taste. And while this is exposed....now without having to "decide" on self-inquiry... the other thoughtimotions (sorry...another made-up word) linked within the particular pattern in question are revealed and thus dissolved by the taste. And once aware of this....every time these thoughts are willingly embraced (and this embracing includes the resistance to embracing them).....the witness tastes the "interior" of everything as itself. There is simply no place where it is not 
The only pre-requisite required...is the willingness to stay open...even when one closes.
Here.....(and I don't mind if this is judged to be very immature).....*lol*....it is the experience here...that that which is the condition.....it never improved squat, see *lol*..................*LOL*........not one single iota .....  .......
Åååh......years and years.....all that work.....for nothing 
And yet nothing itself..... is blisstatic (oops...that just happened *lol*)
You explained it beautifully Anthem....acceptance is it!
Self-acceptance somehow....again and again....dis-covers that which one is in essence. And again and again...it is seen that all is where it is. As openness....all simply is.
And that which is.... is always implicitly well.
AA....*lol*...thanks for that lovely post
|
 |
|
|
Kirtanman
USA
1651 Posts |
Posted - May 11 2009 : 9:32:58 PM
|
quote:
Originally posted by Anthem11
The more acceptance of all the activities of the mind, the more we abide as uninterrupted witness, hope this helps others too.
Hi Anthem & All,
Great post, Anthem ... and what you describe is very similar to my own experience/process.
Including the more recent realizations along these lines:
There is no imperfection.
("perfection" meaning simply "wholeness".)
There is only knowing and not-knowing the perfection.
Experiencing as the witness anchors - and the space of the subjective witness expands (the awareness of I Am), until the experiencing is of even the most "personal" things just being objects appearing and disappearing in empty awareness.
Yet, in some wonderful, mysterious way --- humanity, and this awesome experiencing called human life, is all the more delicious, realizing this.
Partiality is just an incorrect idea, as are its emanations - attachment to "my" people, places and things, and judging people, places, things and experiences as good or bad, based on the viewpoint and exact conditioning of that "error of partiality" (aka the ego).
And, so - even when bliss gives way to feeling kind of crappy, or the stress of an "unwhole" thought is experienced .... so what?
Only the thought of partiality is a breeding ground for stories of those experiences representing some kind of failure or lack.
And somehow (Who knows how? Who could know?) - the "feeling kinda crappy" is just part of the deal, too -- the not-knowing for a moment, apparently, is just the counterpoint to the knowing - and every body-mind seems to cough up a bit of it, every now and then.
AYP has just helped those "crappy" moments to be the rare exception, instead of who I thought I was, almost without exception.
Thank You, Yogani.
(Simple words - containing a Universe of gratitude.)
The idea that enlightenment somehow means a magical state of never feeling anything human again, is just that: an idea.
Reality doesn't need those.
Reality is perfect.
C'Mon In, All - The Divine is Fine!
Kirtanman
|
|
|
|
Anthem
1608 Posts |
Posted - May 11 2009 : 11:48:17 PM
|
Thank you both for your posts, they are wonderful and full of silence and help deepen my understanding. Katrine I love your invented words and "blisstatic" just may be my favourite!
It's funny for me to note that when I began the journey many years ago, enlightenment was what I wanted, who knows why, maybe for what it seemed to promise. Somewhere along the line that idea no longer mattered and the realization that enlightenment doesn't even exist in the absolute sense that it was imagined was liberating in itself.
Also along the way, the idea that no more suffering was wanted was for a long while central and was massively motivating and lead to much opening. This gave way, at some point, to fully understanding that all suffering stemmed from the lack of understanding of my true nature and that knowing this meant true liberation. How funny and ironic that we set out for one thing in the beginning and in the end we want to find our Self because there is no lasting happiness out there and it is the only eternal peace and joy...another facet of the cosmic joke!
I think this becomes an on-going life long journey to fully know ourselves in all the manifestations of existence, to heal our misunderstandings and help along the way.
I agree Kirtanman, reality is perfect. |
|
|
|
YogaIsLife
641 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2009 : 05:48:35 AM
|
A simple (yet powerful) realistion I had recently: I don't have to believe my thoughts. None of them, whatever they may be. I have a choice. And I realised I spent most of my life believing my thoughts and not even knowing. I think this is how the majority of people operate. That is why witnessing is so important: the only way to be free of the identification with thoughts. Because once you cling to them, it will only generate more thougths and you are caught up in that loop.
The mind is like a machine, or a wild horse, or a kicking mule. But it is great to realise one is not the mind or the stuff it produces. And yet greater to know that it is there to serve us, not to rule us.
The mind makes a fine servant but a terrible master as Yogani so well put it, in my opinion.
quote:
The idea that enlightenment somehow means a magical state of never feeling anything human again, is just that: an idea.
Fine quote Kirtanman. |
|
|
|
Shanti
USA
4854 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2009 : 07:54:47 AM
|
quote:
Originally posted by YogaIsLife
A simple (yet powerful) realistion I had recently: I don't have to believe my thoughts. None of them, whatever they may be. I have a choice. And I realised I spent most of my life believing my thoughts and not even knowing. I think this is how the majority of people operate. That is why witnessing is so important: the only way to be free of the identification with thoughts. Because once you cling to them, it will only generate more thougths and you are caught up in that loop.
 |
|
|
|
YogaIsLife
641 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2009 : 10:28:26 AM
|
I just had this idea: imagine a culture where children are taught from early age that they are not their minds or thoughts and encouraged from early to get in touch with their own true selves or essences (otherwise known as "the witness"). Wouldn't this be a very different world?
Maybe the future...who knows... |
|
|
|
tadeas
Czech Republic
314 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2009 : 11:00:12 AM
|
| YogaIsLife, have you read "The Island" by Aldous Huxley? May be of interest to you ;) |
|
|
|
YogaIsLife
641 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2009 : 12:01:08 PM
|
| hmm, interesting tadeas. I will check it out. |
|
|
|
Yonatan
Israel
849 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2009 : 5:12:27 PM
|
YogaIsLife, yeah this would be really awesome when the time comes and this would be happening..
I think it would happen not too far in the future.. there are schools now that invite buddhist teachers to teach mindfulness meditation to kids (I really like that!!) so i guess we'll see how this progresses..
Katrine, I loved your post, it resonated a lot with me and is exactly what is happening with me now..
Thanks *heart* (wish there was a heart smiley..)
Love,
Yonatan |
|
|
|
Katrine
Norway
1813 Posts |
Posted - May 13 2009 : 02:18:10 AM
|
That's great Yonatan
..... *.....*.......
.....*...*...*......
.....*.......*......
......*.....*......
.........*.......
|
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
| AYP Public Forum |
© Contributing Authors (opinions and advice belong to the respective authors) |
|
|
|
|
the oscillating mind and inquiry
