It is very easy to label people according to their religion, race, country, the way they dress, their size, intelligence and even their age. That's because the ego loves to compare and believe other people are inferior in some way or another. The ego needs to be in control of you in order to survive. The ego loves to be reinforced by other people agreeing with it. In that way it can feel stronger, better and superior. The values you have garnered over the years is where the ego lives. It lives within the confines of the self and all of its beliefs and prejudices. Since the ego believes it is better than most other people it believes other people should have the same values and beliefs it does.
You are wasting your time listening to your ego. If you think you can make someone else live up to your standards that genetics and the environment have programmed into you, think again. It will never happen. Remember, other people cannot help behaving as they do. If you could understand the other person fully you would not critize them, but rather see them as a true being, not condemnable. Your negative emotion would fade away very quickly and cease to exist. You would begin seeing the person in a whole new light. You would have love and compassion for the person because you know you are that person. What you see in that person is exactly what you have in yourself.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Where does Pure Awareness go?
It seems to me the ultimate test for pure awareness is my ability to ramian calm under adverse conditions like when someone "presses my buttons" that would normally make me angry, anxious or frustrated. I was driving into Gainesville yesterday and someone passed me and then swirved in front and immediately slowed down. Something like that would have really pi**ed me off not long ago. I would have said some profanity and gotten really mad and my blood pressure would have gone up. This time I saw the driver as someone who was confused or maybe effen demented and needed help. I felt sympathy for the person and even said a little prayer for him as he sped up and went on down the road.
The feeling of being in pure awareness is truly amazing. It is such a wonderful place to be, I wonder why I can't be there all the time. There is no anamosity toward anyone or anything. When I'm in pure awareness I know everything is just the way it's supposed to be. There is no need to judge because to do so would simply be an opinion on the ego's values that have been building up over the years due to genetics and upbringing. All this stuff that makes me pontifical, pompous and pigheaded is nothing but the ego. To go beyond the ego feels so great I want to be there all the time. This is how life can honestly andtruly be all the time. When the ego doesn't have a grip on me I become free from self-consciousness, negative emotions and all the other illusions that keep me from what I truly am - a being of ultimate freedom.
For some reason something takes me out of pure awareness when I least expect it. I can be totally aware of the surroundings, Presence, the Divine, free from negative emotions and in the moment and then all of a sudden "pop," I make derogatory remark to somebody or I get mad at something or someone over something that "pressed my buttons." It all has to do with the ego wanting to keep itself secure and separate from the outside world. A few days ago my dear wife said she didn't think I was aware of what was going on in the community. She said that if I were truly an aware person I would be more intuned to what other people in the area were doing. Immediately my ego popped up and began defending itself. I said, "Awareness doesn't necessarily mean to know what every person in this town is doing. Awareness is being present in the moment."
When you try to defend your actions, that is the ego talking. The ego takes everything personally. The ego must maintain a positive self-image. When you are identified with your values, your desires and feelings the ego has you and won't let you go. In other words, the ego is the exagerrated expression of your values and feelings. And the ego can be very elusive. When you think you have gotten rid of the ego it can reappear as something all together different than what you expected; another thought, another concept, another bias.
More about the ego to come.
The feeling of being in pure awareness is truly amazing. It is such a wonderful place to be, I wonder why I can't be there all the time. There is no anamosity toward anyone or anything. When I'm in pure awareness I know everything is just the way it's supposed to be. There is no need to judge because to do so would simply be an opinion on the ego's values that have been building up over the years due to genetics and upbringing. All this stuff that makes me pontifical, pompous and pigheaded is nothing but the ego. To go beyond the ego feels so great I want to be there all the time. This is how life can honestly andtruly be all the time. When the ego doesn't have a grip on me I become free from self-consciousness, negative emotions and all the other illusions that keep me from what I truly am - a being of ultimate freedom.
For some reason something takes me out of pure awareness when I least expect it. I can be totally aware of the surroundings, Presence, the Divine, free from negative emotions and in the moment and then all of a sudden "pop," I make derogatory remark to somebody or I get mad at something or someone over something that "pressed my buttons." It all has to do with the ego wanting to keep itself secure and separate from the outside world. A few days ago my dear wife said she didn't think I was aware of what was going on in the community. She said that if I were truly an aware person I would be more intuned to what other people in the area were doing. Immediately my ego popped up and began defending itself. I said, "Awareness doesn't necessarily mean to know what every person in this town is doing. Awareness is being present in the moment."
When you try to defend your actions, that is the ego talking. The ego takes everything personally. The ego must maintain a positive self-image. When you are identified with your values, your desires and feelings the ego has you and won't let you go. In other words, the ego is the exagerrated expression of your values and feelings. And the ego can be very elusive. When you think you have gotten rid of the ego it can reappear as something all together different than what you expected; another thought, another concept, another bias.
More about the ego to come.
Monday, September 5, 2011
I become so involved with God during concentration practice that full comprehension of God is eventually and vividly evident. It must be because of this deep communion with God that thoughts begin to stop on their own accord. Once my thoughts are no longer wild and erratic, my mind slowly expands out into the universe and just keeps going and going. I don't have to try to do anything, it just happens. My thoughts become deathly calm and consciousness continues to expand further and further out among all the stars and planets. Although identity with self is lost I still have a sense of Presence. Not only is there a sense of Presence but all my senses become increasingly enhanced. This morning I was meditating outside under the giant oak tree and became acutely aware of the sound of a jet overhead, traffic on a nearby highway, crows cackling, dog barking in the distance, a slight breeze blowing over my arms and the sun shining on my face.
As I sat there, Presence became completely integrated with God - the indissoluble union occured. This didn't last long, 5 or 10 minutes at the most, and then those universal, persistent thoughts appeared once again out of nowhere. A few times in the past I have been able to go back into the union but this time it was impossible. It seems like my ability to fully concentrate a second time was lost. When I first started the practice, union with God was only a few seconds and slowly grew to where it is now. I must continue to practice.
As I sat there, Presence became completely integrated with God - the indissoluble union occured. This didn't last long, 5 or 10 minutes at the most, and then those universal, persistent thoughts appeared once again out of nowhere. A few times in the past I have been able to go back into the union but this time it was impossible. It seems like my ability to fully concentrate a second time was lost. When I first started the practice, union with God was only a few seconds and slowly grew to where it is now. I must continue to practice.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Concentration continued
There is no one particular object on which to concentrate that is suitable for everyone. Each person must choose their own object. For me, I choose to focus my attention and awareness on God. The god I am talking about is not a personal god or an individual being. I see God as everything and everything is God. God is energy - the force that connects everything to everything. God is total consciousness in which all animate and inanimate things are absorbed. All things are God much like all the cells that make up the body of an organism. Everything within the body is synergistically connected, not only in the body but outside the body as well. Synergy means that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. An action in one part produces a reaction in other parts affecting everything to some degree, nothing is independent.
The challenge is not to become identified with the limited self which as been programed by the thinking mind. I have discovered that I cannot still my mind by tring to stop it. If I fight thoughts and see them as enemies, they will stay with me forever. There is no way I can still the mind by trying. Thoughts are going to come and go no matter what. I must remember that the thoughts I am having are not my thoughts but universal thoughts. I have to let them come and go without resisting. If I dwell on them for any length of time it only feeds them and makes them stronger. I disengage the thoughts of my mind by allowing them to play themselves out. I must watch them impersonally without attachment. Eventually their incessant behavior will subside and my mind becomes calm. I know the more I relax the calmer my mind becomes.
To be continued.
The challenge is not to become identified with the limited self which as been programed by the thinking mind. I have discovered that I cannot still my mind by tring to stop it. If I fight thoughts and see them as enemies, they will stay with me forever. There is no way I can still the mind by trying. Thoughts are going to come and go no matter what. I must remember that the thoughts I am having are not my thoughts but universal thoughts. I have to let them come and go without resisting. If I dwell on them for any length of time it only feeds them and makes them stronger. I disengage the thoughts of my mind by allowing them to play themselves out. I must watch them impersonally without attachment. Eventually their incessant behavior will subside and my mind becomes calm. I know the more I relax the calmer my mind becomes.
To be continued.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Practicing Concentration
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali lists concentration as one of the eight steps necessary for reaching the highest state of consciousness (samadhi). The Sutras says that the key factor in concentration is to disengage the gears of the mechanical mind from wandering thoughts and distractions of the senses so you can have total commitment to focusing on the object of your choice. The focus should be so directed and intense that mental activities form an uninterrupted flow only in relation to the object. You become so involved with the object that nothing except its comprehension is evident and identity with yourself is completely lost. This is complete integration with the object and nothing else.
A friend of mine used the power of concentration to get him through a painful, near death experience a few years ago. He was riding his motorcycle down a country road one bright sunny morning when all of a sudden an inebriated woman driving a van swerved onto his side of the road. They were both traveling about 55 MPH and when they collided head on, he was slammed into the van's grll, onto the windshield, propelled over the top and landed on the asphalt road.
Practically every bone in his body was broken. His pelvis was shattered, his leg and several ribs broken and his skull fractured. He lay unconscious for several days in intensive care with all kinds of tubes running in and out of him. The doctors said they had never seen anyone so smashed up and still alive. The gave him a 5% chance of living. Seven years have passed and he is just now beginnign to walk without a cane. He said the one thing that got him through all of the pain was his ability to concentrate on his breathing. His technique was to relax as much as possible and breathe slowly in and out concentrating on the out-breath only. On each breath out he would count up to ten and then he would start over. He said that many times he couldn't get to ten and would have to start over. But it was his ability to focus entirely on his breath that got him through the ordeal.
If you are going to practice concentration the question is; what object are you going to use? The Yoga Sutras says to focus on an object so intensly that you know the object intimately. Basically you could use a candle flame, a crystal ball or even a shoe, but are any of these objects anything you would want to become intimate with? My friend used his breath because it was the handiest and most readily object available. What object are you going to use? I'll talk about what I focus on in the next post.
To be continued.
A friend of mine used the power of concentration to get him through a painful, near death experience a few years ago. He was riding his motorcycle down a country road one bright sunny morning when all of a sudden an inebriated woman driving a van swerved onto his side of the road. They were both traveling about 55 MPH and when they collided head on, he was slammed into the van's grll, onto the windshield, propelled over the top and landed on the asphalt road.
Practically every bone in his body was broken. His pelvis was shattered, his leg and several ribs broken and his skull fractured. He lay unconscious for several days in intensive care with all kinds of tubes running in and out of him. The doctors said they had never seen anyone so smashed up and still alive. The gave him a 5% chance of living. Seven years have passed and he is just now beginnign to walk without a cane. He said the one thing that got him through all of the pain was his ability to concentrate on his breathing. His technique was to relax as much as possible and breathe slowly in and out concentrating on the out-breath only. On each breath out he would count up to ten and then he would start over. He said that many times he couldn't get to ten and would have to start over. But it was his ability to focus entirely on his breath that got him through the ordeal.
If you are going to practice concentration the question is; what object are you going to use? The Yoga Sutras says to focus on an object so intensly that you know the object intimately. Basically you could use a candle flame, a crystal ball or even a shoe, but are any of these objects anything you would want to become intimate with? My friend used his breath because it was the handiest and most readily object available. What object are you going to use? I'll talk about what I focus on in the next post.
To be continued.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
The Power of Concentration
The power of concentration was demonstrated many times by Hamid Bey (1896-1976). Hamid grew up in Egypt and spent a lot of his time as a teenager in a Coptic temple being taught how to meditate and calm his mind. In his later years, he spend most of his time trying to explain to the world that pain and fear could be overcome through the power of concentration.
Hamid could place his body at complete command of his mind and enter into a state of suspended animation. He was able to slow his heart rate and breathing to a pooint where they were virtually undetectable. Mr Bey gave lectures and demonstrations of his ability to concentrate by being buried alive for days and he would allow people to stick icepicks and long needles through his neck and other body parts without bleeding or feeling pain. He was once quoted as saying, "To accomplish the seemingly impossible physical feats which I have demonstrated hundreds of times, I make use of only one thing - concentration."
Concentration is the process of focusing the mind on something. For example, you might focus on breathing, a candle flame, a sound, a smell or thoughts. There are literally thousands of things you can use for practicing this technique. Concentration for 30 minutes or more takes patience and practice.
If you have never practiced the art of concentration you will probably find thoughts taking over your mind like a swarm of locusts invading a corn field. Before you know it, your concentration on your object of choice is gone and you are getting up to go do something "more" worthwhile. Some people are better at concentrating on images rather than tactile feelings. The object on which you focus can be perceived or imagined. It is the process of focusing that stills the mind and allows sensations to pain and discomfort to disappear. It's all the same to the mind, whether it is getting the stimulus from the eyes, the nose, the ears, the fingers, the tongue or the brain.
Next - Practicing Concentration
Hamid could place his body at complete command of his mind and enter into a state of suspended animation. He was able to slow his heart rate and breathing to a pooint where they were virtually undetectable. Mr Bey gave lectures and demonstrations of his ability to concentrate by being buried alive for days and he would allow people to stick icepicks and long needles through his neck and other body parts without bleeding or feeling pain. He was once quoted as saying, "To accomplish the seemingly impossible physical feats which I have demonstrated hundreds of times, I make use of only one thing - concentration."
Concentration is the process of focusing the mind on something. For example, you might focus on breathing, a candle flame, a sound, a smell or thoughts. There are literally thousands of things you can use for practicing this technique. Concentration for 30 minutes or more takes patience and practice.
If you have never practiced the art of concentration you will probably find thoughts taking over your mind like a swarm of locusts invading a corn field. Before you know it, your concentration on your object of choice is gone and you are getting up to go do something "more" worthwhile. Some people are better at concentrating on images rather than tactile feelings. The object on which you focus can be perceived or imagined. It is the process of focusing that stills the mind and allows sensations to pain and discomfort to disappear. It's all the same to the mind, whether it is getting the stimulus from the eyes, the nose, the ears, the fingers, the tongue or the brain.
Next - Practicing Concentration
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Space and Reality
Your mind is at peace in the space of pure awareness and perceives reality as the true nature it is. No longer do destructive thoughts and emotions disrupt these clear perceptions of what is. The new perception, the new self, is not of the senses but of the feeling - the sensitivity to energy flowing outside of your body and through your body. You feel it, it is alive, and it is you.
You must be very quiet to feel the energy. The energy is so subtle even the breath may disrupt sensitivity to it. As your breathing becomes calm and quiet you notice the hum inside like a toy train's electric transformer. You are calm, quiet and at peace in the space. You know this is what you really are. It is not an illusion, it's real. The thoughts of dissatisfaction and insufficiency that once clung like bad dreams were the real illusions. Now you are totally free within the space, unencumbered and boundless.
Next - The power of concentration.
You must be very quiet to feel the energy. The energy is so subtle even the breath may disrupt sensitivity to it. As your breathing becomes calm and quiet you notice the hum inside like a toy train's electric transformer. You are calm, quiet and at peace in the space. You know this is what you really are. It is not an illusion, it's real. The thoughts of dissatisfaction and insufficiency that once clung like bad dreams were the real illusions. Now you are totally free within the space, unencumbered and boundless.
Next - The power of concentration.
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