Hi Sharon, the form of meditation you speak of, which seems to be in the category of mindfulness meditation, is not different from conventional waking except that you choose not to act upon whatever stimuli come into the mind. This is indeed a form of rest and is, as you rightly inform, beneficial. In the waking state there is the knower (perceiver), there is the process of knowing (perception), and there is the known (perceived). Though in mindfulness meditation some separation occurs between the knower and the known (engendered by the attitude of passivity in the presence of mental stimuli), by remaining attentive to thoughts, feelings, etc., the meditator continues to engage, however delicately, with the objects of perception, and does not do what she could be doing, which is engaging with herself alone, devoid of any object. To experience the Self alone, the mind must not merely be passive but turn inward, away from the objects of perception. In essence, consciousness must turn back upon itself. This is accomplished by using a technique for transcending (ergo, transcendental meditation=beyond thinking), which results in disengaging from objects completely. With transcending, the tripartite structure of consciousness that is the waking state is broken, and the knower rests in herself alone, not only liberated from the bondage of the object, but awake in the singularity of Being. This unitary structure of consciousness is completely different than that of the three states of waking, dreaming, and sleeping. Coming out of samadhi, the absolute ground state of restfulness, the arrow is pulled fully back on the bow, ready to be released. Upon the platform of Being, the energy to perform action (activism!) is unlimited. Yogasthah kuru karmani—established in yoga, perform action! Gita 2.48
Hi Sharon, the form of meditation you speak of, which seems to be in the category of mindfulness meditation, is not different from conventional waking except that you choose not to act upon whatever stimuli come into the mind. This is indeed a form of rest and is, as you rightly inform, beneficial. In the waking state there is the knower (perceiver), there is the process of knowing (perception), and there is the known (perceived). Though in mindfulness meditation some separation occurs between the knower and the known (engendered by the attitude of passivity in the presence of mental stimuli), by remaining attentive to thoughts, feelings, etc., the meditator continues to engage, however delicately, with the objects of perception, and does not do what she could be doing, which is engaging with herself alone, devoid of any object. To experience the Self alone, the mind must not merely be passive but turn inward, away from the objects of perception. In essence, consciousness must turn back upon itself. This is accomplished by using a technique for transcending (ergo, transcendental meditation=beyond thinking), which results in disengaging from objects completely. With transcending, the tripartite structure of consciousness that is the waking state is broken, and the knower rests in herself alone, not only liberated from the bondage of the object, but awake in the singularity of Being. This unitary structure of consciousness is completely different than that of the three states of waking, dreaming, and sleeping. Coming out of samadhi, the absolute ground state of restfulness, the arrow is pulled fully back on the bow, ready to be released. Upon the platform of Being, the energy to perform action (activism!) is unlimited. Yogasthah kuru karmani—established in yoga, perform action! Gita 2.48
I have been practicing Jivamukti Yoga for almost 8 years now. I was introduced to meditation at the Jivamutki School in NYC. I have experienced that by watching our thoughts without grabbing on to them every day, we begin to create space in the mind and from that space insights arise, insights that are different from our normal thought process, insights that enable us to look at the world, to investigate things, to make connections in a way that frees us from the same old pattern of behavior rather than binds us to it.
I have been practicing Jivamukti Yoga for almost 8 years now. I was introduced to meditation at the Jivamutki School in NYC. I have experienced that by watching our thoughts without grabbing on to them every day, we begin to create space in the mind and from that space insights arise, insights that are different from our normal thought process, insights that enable us to look at the world, to investigate things, to make connections in a way that frees us from the same old pattern of behavior rather than binds us to it.
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Discuss
kris stanley on January 9, 2008, 4:42 AM
Outstanding!!!
kris stanley on January 9, 2008, 9:42 AM
Outstanding!!!
Raja Richard on January 22, 2008, 10:04 AM
Hi Sharon, the form of meditation you speak of, which seems to be in the category of mindfulness meditation, is not different from conventional waking except that you choose not to act upon whatever stimuli come into the mind. This is indeed a form of rest and is, as you rightly inform, beneficial. In the waking state there is the knower (perceiver), there is the process of knowing (perception), and there is the known (perceived). Though in mindfulness meditation some separation occurs between the knower and the known (engendered by the attitude of passivity in the presence of mental stimuli), by remaining attentive to thoughts, feelings, etc., the meditator continues to engage, however delicately, with the objects of perception, and does not do what she could be doing, which is engaging with herself alone, devoid of any object. To experience the Self alone, the mind must not merely be passive but turn inward, away from the objects of perception. In essence, consciousness must turn back upon itself. This is accomplished by using a technique for transcending (ergo, transcendental meditation=beyond thinking), which results in disengaging from objects completely. With transcending, the tripartite structure of consciousness that is the waking state is broken, and the knower rests in herself alone, not only liberated from the bondage of the object, but awake in the singularity of Being. This unitary structure of consciousness is completely different than that of the three states of waking, dreaming, and sleeping. Coming out of samadhi, the absolute ground state of restfulness, the arrow is pulled fully back on the bow, ready to be released. Upon the platform of Being, the energy to perform action (activism!) is unlimited. Yogasthah kuru karmani—established in yoga, perform action! Gita 2.48
Raja Richard on January 22, 2008, 3:04 PM
Hi Sharon, the form of meditation you speak of, which seems to be in the category of mindfulness meditation, is not different from conventional waking except that you choose not to act upon whatever stimuli come into the mind. This is indeed a form of rest and is, as you rightly inform, beneficial. In the waking state there is the knower (perceiver), there is the process of knowing (perception), and there is the known (perceived). Though in mindfulness meditation some separation occurs between the knower and the known (engendered by the attitude of passivity in the presence of mental stimuli), by remaining attentive to thoughts, feelings, etc., the meditator continues to engage, however delicately, with the objects of perception, and does not do what she could be doing, which is engaging with herself alone, devoid of any object. To experience the Self alone, the mind must not merely be passive but turn inward, away from the objects of perception. In essence, consciousness must turn back upon itself. This is accomplished by using a technique for transcending (ergo, transcendental meditation=beyond thinking), which results in disengaging from objects completely. With transcending, the tripartite structure of consciousness that is the waking state is broken, and the knower rests in herself alone, not only liberated from the bondage of the object, but awake in the singularity of Being. This unitary structure of consciousness is completely different than that of the three states of waking, dreaming, and sleeping. Coming out of samadhi, the absolute ground state of restfulness, the arrow is pulled fully back on the bow, ready to be released. Upon the platform of Being, the energy to perform action (activism!) is unlimited. Yogasthah kuru karmani—established in yoga, perform action! Gita 2.48
Rima Rabbath on March 10, 2008, 8:47 PM
I have been practicing Jivamukti Yoga for almost 8 years now. I was introduced to meditation at the Jivamutki School in NYC. I have experienced that by watching our thoughts without grabbing on to them every day, we begin to create space in the mind and from that space insights arise, insights that are different from our normal thought process, insights that enable us to look at the world, to investigate things, to make connections in a way that frees us from the same old pattern of behavior rather than binds us to it.
Rima Rabbath on March 11, 2008, 12:47 AM
I have been practicing Jivamukti Yoga for almost 8 years now. I was introduced to meditation at the Jivamutki School in NYC. I have experienced that by watching our thoughts without grabbing on to them every day, we begin to create space in the mind and from that space insights arise, insights that are different from our normal thought process, insights that enable us to look at the world, to investigate things, to make connections in a way that frees us from the same old pattern of behavior rather than binds us to it.
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