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Akasha
421 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 05 2009 : 08:06:36 AM
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Hello all,
My question is this:-
When did you add the first mantra enhancment ? (i.e after starting DM)
I guess one's inner guru will say it is alright.No overload though i'm not even sure what overload is-. I've never read a description i can relate to by my own experience.
By way of practice I just do DM with SbP now and again(no asanas).Though ihave'nt properly intergated that-SBp.As doing both can seem too much to take on and not necessary ,at times I also ocassionally do nadi shodhana to balance out,a left-right imbalance which may be rooted in the energy body.(Sidenote btw:- i've probably got a dominant pingala so i sometimes breathere through the left ida nostril a number of times(nadi chedana?)before doing the switch ,back and forth(nadi shodhana)- btw i believe tis is good for left-right energy imbalances if anyone has these energy issues,say as a supplement to SbP. Though often find myself just doing practices on their own rather than in sets somttimes.Nadhi shaodhana and SbP could help kundalini/energy imbalnces,disturbances. I read in the lessons also you may need to look at other tools than those offered here.)
Have Tried a few times with no (known) ill-effects for 3 or 4 days.
It some ways it felt easier like i had more meat to put my attention on.An easier practice with effects. But as i say, there's seems to be a bit of trial and error here to see what works, while also following the lesosons. One lesson did say you could add it after a few months. I think the 'I am' has been assimilated somewhat that the enhancment is not like some others have described in taking it on at first -difficualt ot pronounce or say. That's to say it does'nt feel clunky. Just feels i'm adding few more bits to this power-tool to take' broader sweeps through the nervous sytem', just like the lessons put it.
When did you add it?
cheers
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Edited by - Akasha on Aug 05 2009 08:20:13 AM |
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cosmic
USA
821 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2009 : 5:31:53 PM
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Thanks for putting this question out there, Akasha. I have the same question myself, so I'm curious what others will say. I considered adding the 1st mantra enhancement recently because I've been using "I AM" for several years now. Decided against it for self-pacing reasons.
Now I think I'll wait until the witness is 24/7. Maybe coming up soon, since I have the /7 part at least 
Just looking ahead....
Peace
cosmic |
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yogani
USA
5242 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2009 : 7:02:22 PM
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Hi Akasha and Cosmic:
It is good to be stable in our current practice routine before taking on a mantra enhancement. If we feel borderline, and are strongly motivated, it is fine to try and see what happens. In some cases a mantra enhancement can be stabilizing (allowing for an initial "clunky period"), but not always. If it brings overload symptoms, we can back off. No harm done. But we ought not be doing that every other week. A stable routine is much more important than pressing the envelope with new techniques too often.
One thing I would not recommend if a mantra enhancement brings instability in the short term, and that is trying to handle it by reducing meditation time and other forms of self-pacing. Better to back off on the enhancement, re-establish stability with the previous routine, and take it from there.
Onward, and all the best! 
The guru is in you.
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karl
United Kingdom
1812 Posts |
Posted - Aug 07 2009 : 07:33:44 AM
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I started introducing the enhancement about 4 weeks ago and have been practising DM for around a year.
It was clunky to start with as was the start of mantra in DM. It's smoothed out now, although it does leave me feeling slightly more drained so I spend longer resting.
I did try Ansanas for a while but decided it was not the right time and it did not fit with the time I have available each morning.
Your ineer Guru will tell you it is the right time quite quickly. If you are having to force things, it's time to self pace and give up the extras. |
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grihastha
USA
184 Posts |
Posted - Aug 07 2009 : 12:36:33 PM
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I'm in mantra-enhancement purgatory at the moment.
The mantra is a continuing bugbear for me and I can't understand why, really. It puts me into a heavy semi-doze and leaves me feeling exhausted. This doesn't happen when I practice basic dzogchen-style meditation.
And to make matters more complicated, my inner guru keeps prompting me to add an enhancement. I had some luck with Sri I Am but that started to make me feel awful. Then a few days ago I found I had added Aum - Aum Sri I Am. I persevered with that for a few sessions (more to honour the guru than anything else) and if anything things got worse: lots of unpleasant things coming up, thoughts of rage and violence (sort of like bad prime-time TV), and feeling dopey and a bit sick afterwards.
BUT I haven't dropped the mantra, and I want to persevere. I'm going to drop back to the straight I AM, but what if it continues to cause internal misery? One part of me sees that this might be really heavy purification going on, but at the moment it's making me feel less spiritual as a whole. I've cut way back on my sadhana right now: it's about 8 mins spinal breathing, 3 x YMK, 20 mins DM, 5 mins samyama. I'd quite happily cut the YMK as well, but it gives the DM some clarity.
Now here's the interesting thing from where I sit: although DM is really a bit of an ordeal and there's no inner silence at all, in samyama and in ordinary sitting meditation (I do 5 - 10 mins here and there throughout the day, just watching thoughts), inner silence has increased greatly.
So something's happening. But what? Am I particularly sensitive to this mantra and if so, what's the best thing to do?
All the love,
gri |
Edited by - grihastha on Aug 07 2009 12:41:29 PM |
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Katrine
Norway
1813 Posts |
Posted - Aug 07 2009 : 1:19:18 PM
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Hi Grihastha
quote:
And to make matters more complicated, my inner guru keeps prompting me to add an enhancement
Often here....when there has been times of imbalance, the inner urging towards That will also increase. Increased Bhakti is a kind of "spontaneous enhancement".....and must not necessarily be acted upon just like that. It is my experience that when there is a kind of....urge...or ...pushing....from inside.....it is actually more effective to let it go. Let it go...and see what happens. Take your time. When Bhakti is balanced....it will make itself known in a ......calmer way. Deep and profound....but calm.
quote:
Am I particularly sensitive to this mantra and if so, what's the best thing to do?
The sensitivity to the mantra will increase as time goes by......just a faint inner whisper of it can be enough after some time. However - this sensitivity is not a problem if it is happening in balance with all the other aspects of the practise. The instant there is overload of some sort however.....the increased sensitivity will be additional fuel to the fire.
So I am glad to hear that you are coming back to just the I am. It is obviously enough right now. Stay with it for quite some time (at least several weeks) before you add anything again. And remember....you are sensitive to the mantra....that means less is more.....both from a long- and short-termed perspective.
It is very common to feel "less spiritual" as you put it...when in overload. One drowns in the objects....emotions/thoughts/images.
Now if staying with just I am still leads to heavy purification.....be sure that your grounding is solid...and also concider reducing the DM time. Anything needed to come back down to a smooth level that will work long-term.
You are not slowing down your spiritual process by doing this. On the contrary - you see to it that it may evolve smoothly. This also leaves you available to enjoy life in general. And this is also part of the practise......engaging fully in life is much easier when not in overload. Life itself gives many opportunities for spiritual growth.
I wish you all the best |
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grihastha
USA
184 Posts |
Posted - Aug 07 2009 : 1:46:26 PM
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Blessings, Katrine!
It's interesting you mention bhakti. Mine has been undergoing a radical shift lately. I've been following Ma, as I have all my life, and I find that I'm being led, inexorably, towards the Dharma: my ishta is becoming a yidam. I feel I'm being guided across a strange and overgrown borderland, and this is certainly affecting, and being affected by, DM and the mantra.
Emaho!
gri |
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Katrine
Norway
1813 Posts |
Posted - Aug 07 2009 : 1:48:22 PM
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That's great Gri
Please tell me what a "yidam" is?
And what is "emaho" ? (I like it  ) |
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Parallax
USA
348 Posts |
Posted - Aug 07 2009 : 4:15:47 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by grihastha
I'm in mantra-enhancement purgatory at the moment.
The mantra is a continuing bugbear for me and I can't understand why, really. It puts me into a heavy semi-doze and leaves me feeling exhausted. This doesn't happen when I practice basic dzogchen-style meditation.
And to make matters more complicated, my inner guru keeps prompting me to add an enhancement. I had some luck with Sri I Am but that started to make me feel awful. Then a few days ago I found I had added Aum - Aum Sri I Am. I persevered with that for a few sessions (more to honour the guru than anything else) and if anything things got worse: lots of unpleasant things coming up, thoughts of rage and violence (sort of like bad prime-time TV), and feeling dopey and a bit sick afterwards.
BUT I haven't dropped the mantra, and I want to persevere. I'm going to drop back to the straight I AM, but what if it continues to cause internal misery? One part of me sees that this might be really heavy purification going on, but at the moment it's making me feel less spiritual as a whole. I've cut way back on my sadhana right now: it's about 8 mins spinal breathing, 3 x YMK, 20 mins DM, 5 mins samyama. I'd quite happily cut the YMK as well, but it gives the DM some clarity.
Now here's the interesting thing from where I sit: although DM is really a bit of an ordeal and there's no inner silence at all, in samyama and in ordinary sitting meditation (I do 5 - 10 mins here and there throughout the day, just watching thoughts), inner silence has increased greatly.
So something's happening. But what? Am I particularly sensitive to this mantra and if so, what's the best thing to do?
All the love,
gri
Hi gri!!!
I've been seeing a pretty major shift in my experiences lately as it relates to the 'I AM' mantra as well...
I've been on 'I AM' for about 9mos now, and had pretty similar effects as you describe, coming out of sitting practices I was pretty groggy (even with a full 10 mins of rest afterward) and if I was practicing at night I pretty much would go straight to bed...I'm pretty sure there was quite a bit of purification going on...
But still I was entertaining the thought adding the 1st mantra enhancement, yet something held me back...deep down I felt I hadn't fully explored I AM as much as I needed to...and I remembered back to the way the mantra was described in Secrets of Wilder. Not so much 'I AM' as 'i am'...softer, fainter, fuzzier
And it brought me much deeper into the Stillness during DM, to the point where there are very few thoughts interrupting 'i am' and much more of the silence...and after a few sessions like this something "clicked"; I had a "samadhi-like" experience, the only way I've been able to put words to it is "Complete Emptiness filled with Blissful Energy" (I know it doesn't make much sense...oh, well)...I could have sat there for hours...and the Blissful-Empty-Energy feeling did last for hours afterward...not the typical groggy-stupor
With the newfound Stillness in DM, using just 'i am' feels like Samyama...Samyama on 'i am' (without the 15 second pauses of course)...if this makes any sense...'i am' being released again and again into stillness; rather than my typical 'i am' fending off thought after thought after thought...
And for the 1st time, last night during DM something else "clicked", and 'i am' was no longer a mantra, no longer a tool to bring me to Stillness ***'i am' WAS the Stillness*** and I was the Stillness as well
'i am' was experienced as an Energy, a Presence...that "I" was a part of, but it was so much more Vast...perhaps Infinite 
Just a glimpse...but a very beautiful glimpse that has a had a profound effect on me...
Since going from 'I AM' to 'i am', my DM has become much more blissful...and I have felt more blissful and energized afterward as well...not so groggy...but perhaps a little blissed-out
Soooo, I would follow Katrine's sage advice...I think you are going through some heavy purification using just I AM, all of the thoughts coming up during DM are obstructions being dissolved...so self-pace and ground as necessary until you feel more balanced and know that (i) it doesn't last forever, and (ii) what's on the other side of the purification is an Infinitely Beautiful experience...its who you are and who we all are...
Hope my senseless ramblings help in some small way
Much love to you |
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cosmic
USA
821 Posts |
Posted - Aug 08 2009 : 12:29:43 AM
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Thanks for the reply, Yogani. I went ahead and tried the 1st mantra enhancement. I found that it took me deeper than I AM, and my post-practice rest was a tad heavier.
There was also some crown activity in DM, but nothing uncomfortable. Felt good afterwards, so we'll see if it "took"
With Love
cosmic |
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grihastha
USA
184 Posts |
Posted - Aug 09 2009 : 10:06:38 AM
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Hi Parallax,
Great reply, thanks! It's odd, but I was at the stage you describe with the mantra and then it all broke down. I felt the relationship to samaya, I felt the mantra leading me into stillness, and then... I'd say that I've experienced a back-swing as intense as the progress I'd made, and I'm still there. At the moment I'm doing DM as an unpleasant chore, persevering only because if it was good, then bad, it'll probably be good again. It's tempting to just give up and do Zen-style meditation, which brings me to very deep stillness, but I trust Yogani.
Katrine:
Emaho - 'wonderful' or 'marvelous.' The Tibetan Dzogchen and Mahamudra masters use it a lot, as in
quote:
Nothing to do or undo
nothing to force,
nothing to want,
and nothing is missing -
Emaho! Marvelous!
Everything happens by itself.
(Gendun Rinpoche, from Natural Great Perfection: Dzogchen Teachings & Vajra Songs by Nyoshul Khenpo)
A yidam is basically the Tibetan equivalent of the ishta, except understood as the incarnation of one's own Buddha-nature. A good definition from Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yidam):
quote:
Visualized representative of your enlightened energy, or Buddha-nature. Tricky concept for Westerners; closest concept might be that of a patron saint in Catholicism, except that a yidam is not a historical figure and is not necessarily supposed to 'exist' in the same way human beings do. Other related concepts might be a totem or power animal in the Native American tradition, or even the fairy godmother in children's tales.
Emaho!
gri |
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Katrine
Norway
1813 Posts |
Posted - Aug 09 2009 : 3:47:20 PM
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Hi Grihastha
Thanks for the info on emaho and yidam.
Emaho |
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Akasha
421 Posts |
Posted - Aug 11 2009 : 10:09:50 PM
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Hi Yogani,
I'm still inclined to explore to see how the 1st enhancement goes. I have tried the basic 'i AM' these past few days but the enhanced version just seems simply more effective. I will back off to the basic if i run into difficulties. It actually feels easier to say ....... Like,i am mindful of charging ahead but also i don't lilke stalling either and , am just doing mainly DM anyway.I hope that is not short-termism. But i feel i need to test this a bit longer. I was going to try and stick with just 'ayam' but having tried a number of different yoga sytems past few years i don't want to drag my heels too much with AYP also.
When i ran into difficulties i think was forcing the mantra.And possibly not sitting completely upright..Possibly As a result of these two things I was getting a tightness in the front of chest, sternum region which i can get if the knees are higher than the pelvis, anatomically-speaking, in siddhasana.
I think i should be alright. I am usually guilty of being over-cautious and taking things slowly..maybe even too slowly.Anything odd, and i'll immediately back off, like you sugggest.
I am still learning the meaning of the terms 'stability' and 'overload' in the context of self-pacing.I understand a stable routine is a balance between daily activity and practice.And overload invariably implies enrgetic issues, usually excess energy, but could also come mean discomfort and drowsiness.
It's easier to do, and more effective, and I don't think i should post-pone utilising more brush-strokes, should that be more effective.
I don't wish to churn it over in my mind wondering when i can be more effective and i also wish to enjoy my practice.
I am never left in much doubt, if any, with your replies what i could do next. You reply was succint comprehensive and clear( as always) and such advice applies to taking on any other new technique or enhancement. YOu are basically saying we don't want to be mixing up our system with methods and approaches that don't have some kind of evolution and progression. If we switch and change too often, the nervous system does'nt get the chance to open and refine over time ,as nothing gets really assimilated for long enough so real shifts are ,at best, randomly effected.
Cosmic & Karl,
Thanks to both of you for your very valuabe input. Much Much Appreeeeciated!!!  |
Edited by - Akasha on Aug 11 2009 11:13:56 PM |
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Akasha
421 Posts |
Posted - Aug 12 2009 : 6:16:43 PM
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I am going to try and stick with 'ayam' basic, even though the enhanced version seems more effective and easier to intone...To be honest i can't really make up my mind because i have'nt road tested it long enough or know if enough work has been done with 'ayam' alone to expand on it.. I don't want to be switching back and forth, reading that one does not really want to be doing this( therefore i want the clean one-off switch), but i also want time spent in sitting practice to be optimised, and that adding the enhancment is not innappropriate or premature. The only way to know that is to test it out. But if i can postpone that, then, the longer the better.....
It is one of those self-pacing dilemmas, i guess.
We'll see how it goes. |
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First Mantra Enhancement- When.....how long?
