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Clear White Light
USA
229 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 25 2009 : 09:41:14 AM
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| Recently I have been pondering over this idea which is this; it has been approximately 7 months since I began my daily meditation practice, and as my mind has become more and more sensitive to the activities going on there, I have realized just how compulsive most of my thought processes are. Once I get a little stillness and clarity, it is as if my mind will throw up the most random garbage imaginable. Sometimes I wonder, is this just a response to fear? The thing is, I don't FEEL particularly fearful. Does anyone else have any thoughts on this? How much of our thought processes are just the result of the fear that we have of realizing our true nature? |
Edited by - Clear White Light on Nov 25 2009 11:06:30 AM |
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sagebrush
USA
292 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2009 : 09:57:19 AM
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| I am NOT yo0ur random garbage |
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Shanti
USA
4854 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2009 : 10:14:52 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Clear White Light
How much of our thought processes are just the result of the fear that we have of realizing our true nature?
All of it.
All of it.
quote:
http://i-me-and-mind.blogspot.com/2...arating.html
Our mind, through years of conditioning, has defined what it thinks is needed for us to be happy. We then define who we think we are with these thoughts. The mind works hard at keeping up the images of "I" and the "Me". It is unhappy when this image of "I" or "Me" is threatened.
It is said the mind makes a wonderful servant but a terrible master. Over years, we have progressively given up more and more control to our mind. The mind is a beautiful tool when it is working like it is supposed to.
I am not talking about the mind that helps us do math and remember grocery lists and remember birthdays … I am talking about the mind that when not able to solve the math problem goes into the story: "If I don't solve this problem, I will fail my math test and then I won’t get into any college, then I will not get a job, and I’ll be a failure!"
Conditioning has us believe we cannot function without the mind. However, many of us have experienced driving to work, getting into our car and reaching work and suddenly realizing we drove all the way without once thinking about the drive. We took left and right turns, stopped at stop signs and traffic lights, changed lanes, slowed down, speeded up... and yet we don't consciously remember doing any of this.
The mind would like to think it runs our lives and has us convinced we cannot do anything beyond the boundaries of what it has defined for us … but we did manage to drive to work without the mind giving us a running commentary on what we are doing. We do manage to eat and breath and walk and sleep without the mind saying: "Okay, now take a bite, now chew, now breath in, now breath out now move the muscles to move your right leg, make sure the left arm moves with that ...”. etc.
The mind is very afraid of letting go, becasue it thinks you cannot function without it's help and is very afraid when you start taking steps in a direction where you may not need it (the overly thinking mind) any more. It is trying to protect you like a mother protects her child who is just learning to walk. But after a point, the child can walk and the mother has to let the child go even if she is afraid. Then the child can walk confidently and the mother can now let go all the fears. Similarly, the mind is protecting us. Then we learn to walk, the mind still has its fears and is sorta letting go, but still hanging around to warn us and protect us. There will be a point when the mind will realize it does not need to protect and the fears will drop. Not all fears drop at once, slowly a few at a time. Like the mother has loads of fears, and once the child proves they are good at what they are doing, the mother's mind is put at ease and she can let go the fears one at a time.
Self Inquiry will help a lot in letting go the fears.
Yogani's Self Inquiry book is wonderful. You can read up some of it in the following lessons:
Lesson 321 – An Inquiry about Ending Suffering
Lesson 322 – The Witness as Underlying Cause of Self-Inquiry
Lesson 323 – Roles of Knowledge, Philosophy and Direct Experience
Lesson 324 – Self-Inquiry – From Inspiration to Realization
Lesson 325 – Relational and Non-Relational Self-Inquiry
Lesson 326 – Styles of Self-Inquiry and Bridging the Gap
Lesson 327 – The Evolutionary Stages of Mind
I have written some stuff on it here and here. |
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Katrine
Norway
1813 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2009 : 10:42:44 AM
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Hi Clear White Light
Thanks for sharing your inquiry 
What you are describing is a natural development for a meditator. When you - through practice of deep meditation - become more spacious inside....when the level of contact with inner silence becomes gradually more obvious....then this will often be happening too:
1.
You will notice everything better. So that means that it may feel as if there are many more thoughts now than before...but actually it could just be that you are simply noticing it now. Before...there was enmeshment in the mind....and you were not aware of it.
2.
Because you are meditating regularly now....your system is being cleaned from iside. In this purification...things will surface that otherwise will stay in the unconscious....somehow "stored" in your body. This new surfacing is the way the system is releasing.....dissolving....what "clogs" your nervous system. It surfaces...is exposed to awareness....and then it will dissolve if you leave it be.
The mind is so used to being active....so this is the mode it will go into until it gets used to being silent Therefore....you can ask questions regarding what all these thoughts racing around might mean...or why they are there etc. But - will not go into that with you :) Because in my experience....I will never know.....and I do not need to know these things. Through your daily practice....you will instead have insights when they are needed. They will come of themselves. So...better to not give the mind something to do :) When all the thoughts come.....if you simply accept them.....let them come....and let them go....and lead a normal active life between meditations....then the rest will simply take care of itself.
Both thoughts, emotions, images and sensations may surface to a greater degree once the meditation practice is well under way. If you feel it gets to be too much.....please self-pace. If you haven't already...it may be a good idea to click the self-pacing link on the right side of your screen and read about how we see to it that we are able to keep a practice going that will work in the long run. Balance is what provides for consistancy in Yoga....and a longterm consistant practice is the key to everything.
Fear too.....is like thoughts. It may come and go.....as it is already doing this anyway. If it surfaces....don't label it...and don't resist it. Just let it be the way it is. Soon enough life will expose you to the things you need in order to understand what needs to be understood. And that is sooo little The most important is to learn the bliss of being quiet. And your mind actually loves being quiet. It just doesn't remember this always....
The mind is a beautiful instrument. When it is exposed to fear or other "difficult" feelings....it is good to be gentle with it. Like one is gentle with a kid. Let it play with words and images....but be a bit firm as to how much indulgence in this game
So.....fear of our true nature.....which is limitless love....is very natural. It is both a vastness and a nothingness....and it is out of the grasp for the mind.....so therefore compassion for mind is needed more than words. In this it can relax....yes?
Fear is actually as natural as love. When allowing the fear to come and go....then in this relaxation...it will be exposed to the love that is compassion. And no matter how afraid....nothing can withstand the touch of that. Everything melts in that.....
The most crucial answer is therefore wordless and resides in your heart.....as your Silent Shining Self.
Wishing you all the best with your practices
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Katrine
Norway
1813 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2009 : 10:43:21 AM
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Hi Shanti
We cross posted |
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Clear White Light
USA
229 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2009 : 11:02:40 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Katrine
1.
You will notice everything better. So that means that it may feel as if there are many more thoughts now than before...but actually it could just be that you are simply noticing it now. Before...there was enmeshment in the mind....and you were not aware of it.
Hi Katrine. Thank you for your reply. The point above that I have quoted is something which I have definitely experienced myself. When I began daily meditation practices, it seemed as if I was able to achieve some "decent" degree of mental clarity. However, as time went on, it seemed as if my meditations because worse and worse. However, what I came to realize is that it was just my awareness of what had always been happening that was expanding. My mind was always a ceaseless jumble of activity; I was just not very aware of it before. Just as you said.
At first, I found myself becoming agitated at my mental processes, but I have realized how pointless this is. It is the nature of the mind to think, is it not? The key is not to INDULGE the thoughts once they have been identified. Indeed, identification of the fact that the thought processes are happening at all is usually enough to cause them to cease.. well, at least temporarily. :) |
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Katrine
Norway
1813 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2009 : 12:07:59 PM
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Hi Clear White Light
quote:
It is the nature of the mind to think, is it not?
Yes
Luckily...it is also the nature of the mind to be quiet. So you are absolutely right....to be aware of indulgence....through exposing the indulgence to the light of awareness....by sitting down to meditate twice a day and let mind...(with the help of the thought-sound that is the mantra)..... dip itself into silence.....this will gradually lessen the compulsive interest the mind has in all objects between meditation times.
Luckily we dont't have to think about that....simply meditate...and then get up and continue with whatever activity life is presenting you with.
May you keep enjoying
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Thought processes as a response to fear?
