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Tibetan_Ice
Canada
758 Posts |
 Posted - May 12 2010 : 12:57:53 AM
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Hi,
Sadly, I still don't get it.
I meditate every day, two or three times a day, using the "I AM" mantra.
Almost all of meditations result in being immersed in a sea of visions, colors and lights. It is like being in a storm on the ocean and I am really fighting to even think or repeat the mantra. I have to put in a whole lot of effort just to get one complete mantra out without being sidetracked into 'vision land'. A lot of effort! It feels like I'm doing pushups or climbing stairs!
Even when I start to focus on the "I" in the "I AM", the I becomes a thread of color leading to a scene or object or face. I don't get it. Is meditation supposed to be like that?
What is inner or deep silence? You'd think that after three years of regular meditation I would get it.
Tonight I was observing my thoughts and I came to the question "What if inner silence is exactly that, absence of the voices inside your head that keep talking out the thoughts?" In other words, what if inner silence is strictly on the 'sound' level? Does inner silence mean the absence of the sound of thoughts? Does it mean "No more voices talking in the head"?
Most all of my thoughts are verbally repeated to 'me', that is, a voice in my head says the thought out loud and then 'I' grasp it (or the witness hears it). There are many voices that do this. I say 'most of my thoughts' because some thoughts are pictures or visions, and when that happens, there is no voice that repeats anything. Isn't light silent?
Does inner silence simply mean shutting down the mechanism that sub-vocalizes one's thoughts in the head, like what happens when you listen intently? If you really listen intently and you don't hear any thoughts speaking to you, is that inner silence?
Comments anyone?
:)
TI
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Victor
USA
910 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2010 : 01:37:47 AM
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| "yogash chitta vritti nirodha" (yoga is the quieting of the waves of the mind). Thats it basically according to Patanjali. All those visions or inner dialog are waves of the mind, scenery. We all get them in many diffferent and highly personal ways. The goal is for the mind to be like a clear crystal or crystal clear pool without ripples. Not so easy, even after a number of years but one gets glimpses |
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manigma
India
1065 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2010 : 03:12:02 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Tibetan_Ice
What is inner or deep silence?
When all the questions end. |
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karl
United Kingdom
1812 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2010 : 04:17:30 AM
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Space to know.
The mind cannot be empty of thought for it is a thought itself and needs to generate more to confirm it's own existence. Some generate lots, some little it is of no consequence. It will happen of it's own accord and does not follow a staged progression that can be measured.
The lessons tell it how it is and I can't add to them. Accept the thoughts while putting awareness on the Mantra. Best analogy is the windscreen wipers of a car when it's raining and instead watching the road ahead instead of looking at the wipers.
3 years, 30 years, 300 years it really makes no difference. It's happening, trust that, your frustration is part of it. |
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emc
2072 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2010 : 04:27:12 AM
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| Who is the one watching and listening to all visions, voices and thoughts? Who is noticing what is going on? That "perceiver" or witness is absolutely still and silent, whatever comes before its "senses, eyes, ears etc". Who is the perceiver of all the energetic fuss, who is conscius of it? Keep asking that, the question is the important thing, not finding the answer (!), and sooner or later you might be presented to Silence. |
Edited by - emc on May 12 2010 06:26:21 AM |
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Shanti
USA
4854 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2010 : 08:16:54 AM
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I agree with what emc said.
It is a step back from all of what you have described above. One step back and you are actually observing it all from the stillness/inner silence. We don't experience the inner silence like an object, we just live from it.
Self Inquiry samyama style will definitely help.
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wakeupneo
USA
171 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2010 : 12:14:31 PM
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Inner silence IS WHO YOU ARE. Everyone tries to still the mind, you are the stillness.
Notice... I am conscious of______. We constantly live live this. always conscious of something.... Get rid of the 'of' and just be conscious. Be that. Be YOURSELF.
Everything that can be perceived is not you. Bring it back to the source. Everything the is perceived is simply superimposed over you.
Why chase the clouds when you are the sky?
love,
j |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2010 : 12:56:41 PM
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Hi TI,
quote:
What is inner or deep silence? You'd think that after three years of regular meditation I would get it.
As your mind begins to become calm during meditation, you will begin to notice spaces opening up. These are the spaces of silence between thoughts and between the mantra. At first, they are crowded out by everything else that is going on in the mind, but gradually the spaces of silence expand until they become the predominant thing going on. It is like the sunlight breaking in through the clouds. Gradually, fewer and fewer clouds, and more and more sunlight. Eventually the silence takes over. This is the "thoughtless state". There is no thought "I am off the mantra" and so no need to pick up the mantra. Everything is silence and stillness.
Then, gradually, we begin to notice that inner silence is present all the time, even when there is noise in the mind. It is like the background from which sound emerges, and into which sound disolves. Lights and visions can happen in silence without touching it in any way.
As emc and Shanti said, it is just one step back.
Good to hear that you have kept up a regular practice for three years. Consistency is the key!
All the best
Christi |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2010 : 1:12:34 PM
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Hi TI,
p.s. One of the ways of recognising inner silence, is by it's principle characteristic which is joy. The more time we spend residing in inner silence, the more joy bubbles up from deep within us. At first it is a trickle, and eventually it becomes a fountain.
Trust the process. |
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Kirtanman
USA
1651 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2010 : 5:04:03 PM
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Hi TI,
There are some great answers in this thread, and I just wanted to add my comments and agreement to what emc, Shanti and Wakeupneo have said.
Inner Silence is the space in which all the visions, etc., take place ... the screen upon which the movie appears.
Tattvam Asi (You Are That.)
The movie screen is the same whether the display on the screen consists of car chases and explosions ... or a beautiful peaceful sunset.
Wholeheartedly,
Kirtanman
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Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2010 : 6:19:29 PM
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Hi Kirtanman,
quote:
Inner Silence is the space in which all the visions, etc., take place ... the screen upon which the movie appears.
Tattvam Asi (You Are That.)
That's interesting that you should say that. I had always thought that both the screen (witness) and the movie (witnessed) rise within inner silence, and dissolve within inner silence, both being dependent upon each other for their existence. I thought that the phrase Tattvam Asi referred to a state of inner silence beyond both the witness and the witnessed, beyond duality? |
Edited by - Christi on May 12 2010 6:20:53 PM |
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Kirtanman
USA
1651 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2010 : 8:53:02 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Christi
Hi Kirtanman,
quote:
Inner Silence is the space in which all the visions, etc., take place ... the screen upon which the movie appears.
Tattvam Asi (You Are That.)
That's interesting that you should say that. I had always thought that both the screen (witness) and the movie (witnessed) rise within inner silence, and dissolve within inner silence, both being dependent upon each other for their existence. I thought that the phrase Tattvam Asi referred to a state of inner silence beyond both the witness and the witnessed, beyond duality?
Hi Christi,
I'm with you all the way on the dynamics described above .... subject and object, even the more refined sense of self that is the witness, arise from and are experienced in, the true inner silence that is beyond duality.
When I say "screen", I'm not referring to the witness state ... but rather, as you point out ... that inner silence is the actual self, preceding, containing and making possible all subject-object duality.
I could have been a bit more clear, perhaps, in my expression, and have written "Inner Silence is the space in which all the visions, the perceiving of the visions, the sense of being the one who is the perceiver of the visions, etc., take place ... Inner Silence is the screen upon which the movie appears.
The main point I was emphasizing to TI, as others were as well, including you, it seems -- is that if he starts noticing the silence/stillness of the actual experiencer; of awareness itself, rather than the activity of the experienced objects or experiencing perception .... he'll be more likely to experience inner silence, and self as that inner silence; that's all.
And that's why I said "Tattvam Asi" --- self is inner silence; awareness is inner silence; we are all that ... not the display, the space in which all display takes place.
Simply put, awareness is the screen on which everything appears (although it might be more accurately said "the space in which everything appears/is experienced"), our self. All else, whether it be something as dramatically objective (meaning: something one sees, even if subtly) as a vision, or as subtly subjective as the witness state ... all these are experienced in and by awareness alone.
Screen is/was just a metaphor, used to highlight the fact that stillness/silence is always here; we just tend not to notice it for quite a while in sadhana, other than in very small/brief snippets, because all our conditioning is oriented toward noticing form and motion .... and so we entirely miss that the silence/stillness we're seeking ..... is what we're ever actually noticing with.
And so, I don't think we disagree; apologies if my phrasing wasn't clear, initially.
Also, apologies for not including you in my mention of those whom I was adding my comments to .... I enthusiastically support what you're saying, as well ... and it seems we're all saying essentially the same thing to TI:
The group suggestion seems to be .....notice the sense of stillness that's the actual experiencer .... "it is just one step back" .... the experience (for example, the vision) the experiencing (the perception of the vision, even if it's inner perception) .... these are not still.
The experiencing awareness is always actually still, silent ..... not thinking about it, or feeling it ........ but the awareness itself ... just one step back.
Great input from all; I hope it's useful, TI.
Wholeheartedly,
Kirtanman
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Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2010 : 9:42:33 PM
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Hi Kirtanman,
Thanks for the clarification. You confused me with your "screen and movie" analogy. |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2010 : 10:08:38 PM
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Hi Kirtanman,
p.s.
I once heard a different analogy using the screen and the movie idea. It goes something like this:
The Cosmos (form) is the movie, and the screen on which the movie is played is the witness. The light of the projector is awareness. The projector is emptiness. Inner silence is the movie, the screen, the light of the projector and the projector itself.
Or as one man said "emptiness dancing".
Christi |
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Tibetan_Ice
Canada
758 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2010 : 11:19:03 PM
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Hi Everyone :)
I must say. It is sure nice to have so many people respond. It makes me feel like I am part of a community, a great community. :)
I think all of the posts are great and have helped me 'remember' what I've been 'forgetting' and have also presented some new ideas. Thank you everyone. :)
emc:
A while ago I read something about turning the little head around (the one that is inside the big head) to try to see who is watching the mantra. I've also noticed that during some meditations the sense of "whom is watching" is growing stronger but I have not succeeded in turning my attention around backwards, or when I do, all I sense is a dark form. Also, at the end of all my meditations I spend a minute and ask myself "Who am I?". So thank you very much for your response.
I will continue with my attempts. I've also ordered Yogani's book on Self Inquiry... I hope you are doing well.
Shanti:
Your response hit me quite hard. I think stepping back is a good suggestion and it makes me feel like it's not really that far away. :)
A few years ago I used to start up the mantra and then let it go on repeating, and then sort of sink backwards and downwards. I would treat the mantra like "setting the mind on autopilot" and would devote a minimal amount of energy/awareness to it. I think that technique caused me to have an experience of, after the meditation, watching my body go through the activities of the day from about 3 feet back. It was the same kind of experience as when I had my motorcycle accident and watched the whole thing from about 30 feet away. I think the key ingredients were 'taking it all very lightly' and dropping back and downwards. I'm wondering now if maybe I was dropping downwards closer the heart space..
So yes, I've ordered Yogani's "Samyama" book. I'm getting quite a collection now :) Thanks again. Bless you!
Christi:
Yes, perhaps I'm getting caught up in form and not putting enough emphasis on the space or stillness between the forms. My mind seems to be more interested in 'seeing the source of the mantra', 'watching the mantra' and 'watching the mantra dissolve' than giving equal attention to the spaces or stillness in between. It is hard for me to drop the 'over-acheiver' mentality. I feel I have to do a perfect job of repeating the mantra, but then when the meditation is over, I feel like I've been robbed. I will try to spend more time in the cracks.
Thanks for the congrats. Funny, I also regard 3 years of consistent practice as an accomplishment and at the same time, I think it was really nothing and wish I could just live in a cave and have someone bring me a bowl of rice every day.
You know, I did hit a wonderfully blissful state twice over a year ago and it was during the 'testing' of breath meditation. Both times it made me so happy that I started to laugh and ruined the meditation. I'm the kind of person who laughs at funerals so I'm thinking I have a deeply ingrained personality disorder and that I'd never be able to sustain a serious meditative state when I hit that blissful state. Perhaps I'm avoiding the bliss because I just know that I'm going to laugh again and spoil it all. Maybe I've conditioned myself.. Thanks for the insight.. :)
Kirtanman:
Thank you for response and for summating the suggestions.
quote:
...starts noticing the silence/stillness of the actual experiencer; of awareness itself, rather than the activity of the experienced objects or experiencing perception .... he'll be more likely to experience inner silence, and self as that inner silence; that's all.
I think this is good advice and will definately put more emphasis on that suggestion.
Victor:
Yes. I have had glimpses. Occasionally, along the path I find a bread crumb or two. There has to be a whole loaf of bread somewhere close by. Or better yet, a bakery!
Manigma:
That is very profound.
Karl:
Yes, I'm frustrated. But I will persist.
WakeupNeo:
Quite right. Great analogy.
Thanks again everyone.
:)
TI |
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cosmic
USA
821 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2010 : 11:20:11 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by wakeupneo
Why chase the clouds when you are the sky?
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emc
2072 Posts |
Posted - May 13 2010 : 03:31:27 AM
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T-I, You are in a community! You are assimilated. Resistance is futile! I'm glad you started the topic.
Christi, Kirtan and all, I think the reasons for a possible confusion are due to three things:
1) people use the words consciousness, emptiness, silence, stillness, awareness, witness, big mind etc in a very mixed way, each giving them a different meaning, sometimes not differentiating between them at all, but using them as synonyms. So what one person means by consciousness is what another would label awareness... and some would say consciousness and awareness are the same... etc etc
What is generally agreed upon, though, is as you say - there's a duality of "everything/nothing" or "form/non-form" and beyond that there's a factor X holding, enabling the duality to arise. (Speaking with Nisargadatta's terms the non-form would be "Consciousness" and the Factor X the "pure awareness" or "The absolute") So, when discovering either "non-form" or factor X or both of them, we arrive at the second reason for confusion:
2) They are both silent and still! However, the factor X, the pure awareness, the absolute, is most often said to be "undescribable", not possible to label at all. So not even silence or stillness or emptiness would apply, cause they all have opposites in the realm of form: sound, movement, fullness!!! Some therefore call it the "nothingness", trying to find a word that's pointing towards it.
3) The final reason is possibly connected to 1). We don't necessarily realize all the way to the Absolute at the first realization! Many realize and become One with Consciousness (non-form, the nothing side of duality) and realizes the co-dependency of the two sides of the coin and experience Oneness. But they have not yet seen or realized The Absolute. So when people - realized to that "level" - speak about Consciousness or awareness they may still have no taste of the Absolute, which may confuse a discussion like this even more...
I don't have a clue what people have realized who participates in this particular topic, so it's not pointing to anyone here. It's just something I've seen and experienced among realized beings.
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Edited by - emc on May 13 2010 03:53:33 AM |
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manigma
India
1065 Posts |
Posted - May 13 2010 : 04:36:03 AM
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Whatsoever happens in the world is caught every moment by the senses and is being relayed to the mind and the mind accumulates this information. The hands touch, the tongue tastes, the nose smells, the ears hear, and the eyes see and all this is being relayed to the mind.
All the five senses are the doors of the mind. There is one more sense, and that is your inner sense. This sense catches whatsoever is happening within you. It is also a sense. Whatsoever is happening within you, for example in the state of samadhi, this inner sense goes on recording all that is happening. Peace? Silence? Bliss? Realization of God? Whatever is happening, it keeps track.
This inner sense is like a microphone that is directed inwards. It is the receptivity of the within. Inside, one sense is enough, five senses are not required there. Outside, five senses are required because there are five basic elements and to record each one a separate sense is required. Inside, there is only one Brahma -- five senses are not required, only one sense is enough to register the inner experiences.
Thus man has six senses -- five extrovert and one introvert -- and mind is the mechanism in between connected to all of them. Just this one branch goes within and catches all the inner experiences.
Whatsoever is happening within is passed on by this inner sense to the mind. Mind need not go anywhere. Thus when a person returns from samadhi the mind itself hands over all the records to him, that such and such a thing happened when you were not here.
If you leave your tape recorder here and go away, then when you come back after an hour the tape recorder will give you a complete record of all the words spoken here and the various sounds that happened. It is not necessary for a tape recorder to have life. Mind is not consciousness; it is matter, and a subtle mechanism. This mechanism goes on collecting data from either side. Hence a seeker returning from samadhi infers through mind what has happened.
The more clarity of mind, the more authentic the information given by it. The more confused the mind is, the more incorrect the information. For example if your tape recorder is defective, it may record things but the recording will not be clear. The sound will be distorted, mixed up or deformed. Some parts may be clear, some parts may not be.
Hence the mind is first to be purified through right listening, right contemplation and assimilation. When the receptivity of the mind becomes pure, so that it can produce an authentic copy of whatsoever is happening, only then occurs the entry into samadhi.
http://www.balbro.com/heart/beat14.htm
Free your mind! - Morpheus (The Matrix)
And jump. |
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amoux
United Kingdom
266 Posts |
Posted - May 13 2010 : 05:09:02 AM
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quote:
I once heard a different analogy using the screen and the movie idea. It goes something like this:
The Cosmos (form) is the movie, and the screen on which the movie is played is the witness. The light of the projector is awareness. The projector is emptiness. Inner silence is the movie, the screen, the light of the projector and the projector itself.
Or as one man said "emptiness dancing".
Christi
Thank you for this - it brings some clarity here
Wonderful thread.
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karl
United Kingdom
1812 Posts |
Posted - May 13 2010 : 05:56:47 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by emc
I don't have a clue what people have realized who participates in this particular topic, so it's not pointing to anyone here. It's just something I've seen and experienced among realized beings.
It doesn't matter of course. You can only help in so much as your capacity will allow. I'm happy with that because there is no more than that. |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - May 13 2010 : 09:42:48 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by emc
T-I, You are in a community! You are assimilated. Resistance is futile! I'm glad you started the topic.
Christi, Kirtan and all, I think the reasons for a possible confusion are due to three things:
1) people use the words consciousness, emptiness, silence, stillness, awareness, witness, big mind etc in a very mixed way, each giving them a different meaning, sometimes not differentiating between them at all, but using them as synonyms. So what one person means by consciousness is what another would label awareness... and some would say consciousness and awareness are the same... etc etc
What is generally agreed upon, though, is as you say - there's a duality of "everything/nothing" or "form/non-form" and beyond that there's a factor X holding, enabling the duality to arise. (Speaking with Nisargadatta's terms the non-form would be "Consciousness" and the Factor X the "pure awareness" or "The absolute") So, when discovering either "non-form" or factor X or both of them, we arrive at the second reason for confusion:
2) They are both silent and still! However, the factor X, the pure awareness, the absolute, is most often said to be "undescribable", not possible to label at all. So not even silence or stillness or emptiness would apply, cause they all have opposites in the realm of form: sound, movement, fullness!!! Some therefore call it the "nothingness", trying to find a word that's pointing towards it.
3) The final reason is possibly connected to 1). We don't necessarily realize all the way to the Absolute at the first realization! Many realize and become One with Consciousness (non-form, the nothing side of duality) and realizes the co-dependency of the two sides of the coin and experience Oneness. But they have not yet seen or realized The Absolute. So when people - realized to that "level" - speak about Consciousness or awareness they may still have no taste of the Absolute, which may confuse a discussion like this even more...
I don't have a clue what people have realized who participates in this particular topic, so it's not pointing to anyone here. It's just something I've seen and experienced among realized beings.
Yes, I think you are right. I believe a lot of the confusion has been caused by certain advaita teachers, who have put an over-emphasis at first on the witness state, to the exclusion of the world (the witnessed), and secondly on the invisible Absolute to the exclusion of the visible Absolute.
But of course this whole universe is nothing but the outpouring of the invisible absolute, and cannot be seperated from it.
As it says in the Isha Upanishad:
"For the enlightened one, all that exists is nothing but the Self"
Form, the formless, the manifest, the unmanifest, the stillness, the movement, the whole enchilada.
Christi |
Edited by - Christi on May 13 2010 10:35:57 AM |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - May 13 2010 : 09:57:13 AM
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Hi TI,
quote:
Perhaps I'm avoiding the bliss because I just know that I'm going to laugh again and spoil it all.
You can't spoil bliss by laughing. It's just not possible. |
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Tibetan_Ice
Canada
758 Posts |
Posted - May 16 2010 : 11:26:37 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Christi
Hi TI,
quote:
Perhaps I'm avoiding the bliss because I just know that I'm going to laugh again and spoil it all.
You can't spoil bliss by laughing. It's just not possible.
Hi Christi :)
Perhaps I didn't use the right words. When I laughed, it brought me right out of the bliss state. So it spoiled the meditation. I'm sure the bliss state didn't get spoiled and is still waiting there for me..
:)
TI |
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Tibetan_Ice
Canada
758 Posts |
Posted - May 17 2010 : 12:22:51 AM
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Hi,
I confess, I still have to no idea what inner silence is. Although, now I'm sure that it isn't the 'lack of the little voices in your head that say stuff to you'.
I've had satori moments where all of a sudden the nature scene has become crystal clear and radiant(magical). I've had moments during meditation where I've gone off somewhere and I only knew that I was gone because I could 'see' the return from it.
Some call it awareness or emptiness, but how can one be aware of awareness unless there is an object of awareness? If there is no object of awareness, how can one be aware of awareness? If one is aware of awareness, does it suddenly expand to encompass all forms in the world?
I thought inner silence was nirvikalpa samadhi, where you quit breathing and the mind stops. I don't believe that inner silence is dispersed amongst the forms of creation because if you see a form, you aren't silent.. I guess that's just where I'm at now. I don't see how someone can have just a little bit of inner silence.
Today, I've decided to follow the idea of "Control the breath, control the mind" to see if I can actually stop the mind. So, I'm now performing a customized spinal breathing following a strict 4-4-4-4 breathing pattern. (4 seconds inhale, 4 seconds hold, 4 seconds exhale, 4 seconds hold). I'm going from root to brow, with root lock and sambhavi, tongue on roof of mouth and I'm using "AUM NAMAH SHIVAYA" to time the counts. Then I do the mantra repetition.
So far what I've discovered is that doing this breathing pattern subdues the outer conscious layers fairly rapidly and has helped to get way deeper faster, almost to the point where I feel like I'm in beyond the dream state. (but I can still see things in there). However, during meditation I passed through a phase where, if I'm not hallucinating, I found the main I Thought. It is quite dense and has alot of accumulations around it. It is bright and shiny and looks kind of like a cloud of cotton candy, light pink and light blues.
Controlling the breath like that also stimulates the ecstatic conductivity quite a bit. We'll see if I can get to inner silence with these modifications without overloading..
:)
TI |
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manigma
India
1065 Posts |
Posted - May 17 2010 : 02:26:15 AM
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The objects are perceived by your senses and the mind.
The ego colors/interprets the objects perceived.
The mind itself is natural and simple. And consciousness is always silent and aware.
Object -> Sense -> Mind -> Ego -> Consciousness = No Inner Silence
Object -> Sense -> Mind -> Consciousness = Inner Silence
It takes time and effort to get rid of the Ego (Vigyanmayi Kosha) permanently.
http://www.sanatansociety.org/yoga_...has_yoga.htm
Know that you are natural like the planet Earth hanging in the space. There are so many things always happening on earth.... volcanoes erupting, storms, earthquakes.... but the earth always remains silent.
The Earth is always in Samadhi and so is the whole Universe.
Why not man? |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - May 17 2010 : 06:16:58 AM
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Hi TI,
quote:
I confess, I still have to no idea what inner silence is. Although, now I'm sure that it isn't the 'lack of the little voices in your head that say stuff to you'.
I've had satori moments where all of a sudden the nature scene has become crystal clear and radiant(magical). I've had moments during meditation where I've gone off somewhere and I only knew that I was gone because I could 'see' the return from it.
Some call it awareness or emptiness, but how can one be aware of awareness unless there is an object of awareness? If there is no object of awareness, how can one be aware of awareness? If one is aware of awareness, does it suddenly expand to encompass all forms in the world?
I thought inner silence was nirvikalpa samadhi, where you quit breathing and the mind stops. I don't believe that inner silence is dispersed amongst the forms of creation because if you see a form, you aren't silent.. I guess that's just where I'm at now. I don't see how someone can have just a little bit of inner silence.
Personally, I find it usefull to think of inner silence as a gradual progression, rather than as a fixed state. At first it is experienced as those moments of peace and clarity during meditation. Gradually it expands and is experienced as the witness, as the abiding sense of being the subject, the silent observer of everything which appears in awareness. Beyond that it deepens further, and there is a kind of 180 degree shift in awareness. The speration between inner and outer dissolves, and everything is seen to be One. At rest or moveing, it is all One. All of this happens in inner silence and is a natural progression.
In the main lessons, Yogani uses the term inner silence mostly as being synonymous with the witness state and sometimes as being synonymous with Pure Bliss Consciousness (Sat Chit Ananda).
Here is Yogani giving a definition of inner silence:
Inner silence is at the heart of yoga. Without it, there can be no yoga. In the second lesson we discussed how yoga is the joining of the subject (observer) and the object (observed). The object is not so hard to find. It is everything we perceive in our heart and mind, and out through our senses. The object is everywhere. And so too is the subject. But the subject is not always so obvious. The subject is the inner silence we have been talking about here so often.
What is inner silence? It has many names in the traditions: sat-chit-ananda, the Self, the witness, unconditioned awareness, the void, emptiness, Father God, Shiva, samadhi, Tao, and so on... In the lessons we often call it pure bliss consciousness. So many names for what amounts to nothingness. But the nothingness is alive. It is aware. It is everywhere. And it is somehow blissful within itself. It is the "I" in you and me that remains constant. It is the universal "I" that expresses as all that we see, yet remains mostly hidden within, except to those who have cultivated Self-awareness through yoga."
From
What is inner silence
All the best
Christi |
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What is inner silence?
