Go Beyond Mind and Body

The OM symbol reminds us that we live in the illusion of thinking we are consciousness and the only way to merge with the higher Self is to go beyond that thinking. 

So, how do you go beyond the thinking mind?  First of all you have to be able to quiet the mind and second of all you must be able to recognize the different states of consciousness your mind is in during different times of the day.  Third of all, you must practice staying aware, in the moment, merged with the ALL.  It's that easy - - -NOT EASY!  No one ever said it was easy.

Step 1 - Meditate on your thoughts and allow the thoughts to come and go without trying to control them.  See your thoughts for what they are; packets of energy.  Allow them to appear as you watch them dissipate and float away into nothingness.  After some time of sitting and observing you will be sitting in a sea of tranquility.  Now you have quieted your mind.

Step 2 - While you are going about your daily activities stop every-so-often and ask yourself  "what state of consciousness was I in one second ago?"

There are four normal states of consciousness:  waking sleep, absorption, attention, and awareness.

Waking sleep is when your body is doing one thing and your mind is thinking of something else, like walking down stairs and thinking of having a conversation with your boss.  Or, driving to work and thinking about what you did last night.

Absorption is when you are completely immersed in an object and you are not aware of your self.  Examples would be: watching an intense ball game, listening to your favorite music, reading an interesting book.

Attention is when you are observing something and you are slightly aware of yourself.  Activities and objects around you are evident but you are still focused on what is being observed.  A good example would be sitting in class, paying attention to the teacher, and taking notes. 

Awareness is the experience of being aware of yourself (the self) while at the same time aware of things going on around you.  You are in the moment - mindful of what you are doing and what is happening in the immediate environment. 

Step 3 - Once you are able to stay in the state of awareness (see above) for some time, allow your consciousness to expand out further and further into the universe.  In the beginning you may have to do this while sitting quietly by yourself.  Later on you might try walking around outside and then when you get real good at it try talking to someone while being in this expanded state of awareness.  This expanded state of awareness is called pure awareness - beyond the normal states of consciousness.

Step 1 - learn to observe thoughts and quiet the mind.  Step 2- Be able to recognize what state of consciousness you were in one second ago and practice staying in awareness. Step 3 - Allow your consciousness to expand beyond  normal states of consciousness.