Principles of Meditation & Entrainment

I'm glad I could clarify what was intended. My apologies if anything I wrote seemed to be critical of the value or worth of anyone. All people, even those who have performed the most vile acts, have an innate worth as a Being. Not all activities or experiences are of worth, however. Some lead of the opposite way from where we would like to go.

It is odd you should mention Ayahuasca. Have you read Graham Hancock's book, "Supernatural"? In it he documents his own use of native pharmaceuticals to induce altered states and, as he believes, peer into other realms. When I read this book I was, quite honestly, somewhat disturbed by his use of psychotropics. You will note that he was advised by many knowledgeable researchers and medical professionals that exposing himself to these substances was medically unwise and dangerous and that they would not do so themselves, not even to further their own research. He comments something to the effect that these other researchers simply didn't have the nerve to do the "real" research by experiencing the psychotropics first hand. Then he proceeded to go about his testing. In the beginning of his book he relates that he had recently lost his father which sent him into deep despair and depression from which he had been unable to pull himself. He describes how he was beyond caring about anything at that point. It was within the context of this despair that he began his experimentation. This was, I think, foolish and reckless on his part. This was the depth of despair acting in him, not a rational research ethic.

Being Native American myself, I can verify that some indigenous cultures do in fact employ various substances to induce altered states of consciousness. I would add to that, however, that while many native cultures are aware of the properties of hallucinogenic and psychotropic plants and substances, the vast majority do not believe in using them in this way. Our current culture seems fascinated by these things and because of this there is media attention given to exploring their use. This attention perhaps gives the impression that such use is far more prevalent than it actually is. In fact, most native cultures would advise you to avoid the use of such things.

So you are right, Coenrad, Ayahuasca is no way to go. Neither is a .38 or any other caliber.

Your question about knowing God is well taken. My hesitation to speak too much about it stems from the personal nature of such knowledge. It is so easy when discussing God in the context of a forum such as this to tread on someone else's feelings about sacred things. At the same time I hold my own experiences sacred and would be remiss in according them their proper respect were I to detail them too openly for any and all. Before opening up such possibilities perhaps we should get Michael's permission. He might prefer we not open up such a potentially charged subject where offense is so easily taken.

I will tell you that my own knowledge has its origins in deep personal tragedy from many years ago when I was a young man. My wife and 5 year old daughter were taken senselessly. It is not something I discuss with others in a setting such as this. In fact I rarely discuss it at all. In time I wrote a short piece of poetry related to my daughter. Perhaps it will give you some little sense of what transpired:

A memory, a vision of an early summer afternoon
She comes into my room, showing off her Cinderella ball gown.
Sky blue, lace and frills, much too grown up for my baby,
all of five years old. “Silly Daddy,”
she says, “don’t you know blue is my favorite color?”
Her dark, almond eyes smiling,
she dances, twirls and poses,
this little girl of mine.

A memory, a nightmare, a later summer evening.
Out of the dark, a stranger comes calling at our door,
to say my child will never more dance or pose,
or wrap her arms around my neck,
nor play again in the warmth of the sun.
I see her one final time, tears blur the familiar details.
Ears straining, I listen for her small voice, “Silly Daddy,”
I long to hear, “don’t you know blue is my favorite color?”
I search her face, this angel mine,
but her dark, almond eyes
smile no more.

It required years before I returned to the land of the living after this experience. During that period I barely slept. I lay down at night and part of me feared I would never wake again. Another part feared I would. When sheer exhaustion finally drove me into unconsciousness I often woke to find I was sitting up in bed screaming into the darkness all around, my bed linens saturated with perspiration from the nightmares that haunted me. This was my existence for several years. It was, so to speak, my personal Gethsemane.

There came a point at which I could go no further. I was physically, emotionally and spiritually empty and exhausted. I had the good fortune to have been introduced at that time to a Native American holy man from the Lakota Nation. Under his guidance I learned to process what I had experienced and to integrate it into myself in such a way that there was no longer an internal war going on. Among the many things he taught me was a technique for meditation (though he did not call it meditation) that I use to this day. It involves the use of silence.

My experience of God evolved out of learning to enter the silence. It would be very difficult to accurately describe how to enter into silence as I was lead to do in any way that would make sense. In my experience, eventually, all meditation techniques point towards entering into the silence. They may not begin that way. Mantra, for instance, is clearly not silent at the beginning. But what it leads to is, if one pursues the technique to its true conclusion. When one reaches the silence and remains there one finds that it is not empty and devoid of everything, but rather that it is literally filled with pure, infinite potential. There truly is nothing more rich and full than Silence. Yes, this is something of a paradox. At the moment this is perceived one touches the Being of God on a personal, experiential level.

Perhaps, with Michael's permission, we could devote a thread to a more detailed discussion, but hopefully that gives you an idea of how I arrived at my experiences. I do not think everyone has to descend down into the same depths of despair that I did before they experience God, but in my case I believe those years of intense pain accelerated the process for me beyond what I would have known otherwise.

 

Ta-tsu-wa

Your advice and guidance are sincerely appreciated, your pain, while yours, hurts, I know some of the loss you speak of, his name was Jonathan Christian Morgan, I weep typing his name...(put a word in for him, me when you next connect with the "Boss", please)..I promised to make the most of my life to make up for the loss of his; thus far, I have failed misserably, I am deeply sorry for what you had to endure.

Ayahuasca, I read a lot, Gregg Braden and the usual suspects, there I learned of indigenous cultures who had "spiritual technology", years later I almost got to Machu Picchu, and in that journey was supposed to meet with a Shamanic teacher in Sao Paulo, also learn Reiki, thats the closest I came to it, wound up in a shack in Thailand instead (should have my compass repaired, shouldn't I ).

I had something as an 11 year old boy, I could talk to the night sky and feel something, somehow things just worked out for me, life was still rough at home and in my head, but talking to the night made it better, it is this that drew me to meditation, that sense of being connected.

Thank you for the words on silence...I hope to find what you have in it, if I could dedicate my life to searching for it and finding it, then helping others find it, it would be a life well lived, there is so much pain out there, in here.....we all have a lot of work to do, most of us don't know where to start, or the belief that we can, until another shows us the way, the last bunch of those lived and died 2000 +/- years ago but we forget as the Muslims say....its closer to you than your jugular vein.

Most Sincerely
Coenrad

 

Ta-Tsu-Wa, Coenrad, I am incredibly saddened at reading what you have both posted. Such tragedies that no-one should ever have to face in a lifetime.

I wish that you both find the Peace and Love that you so deserve in your Hearts and in your Souls.

Peace, Light and Love to you Both.

Chris

 

None of us leads a life that could not be improved upon. I've learned that what matters most is the general direction I'm heading with my life and not necessarily where I am at any particular point in time. We move forward, we slip back, we detour a bit to the left then a little towards the right. Slowly but surely we press forward. As long as we continue consistently in that forward direction we honor ourselves as well as all those around us. There is no failure in this.

 

Your sentiments are appreciated, Chris. I agree, no one should ever face the sort of pain Coenrad and I have faced, but in fact many people have and many more will. There's a Buddhist saying that I find very relevant.

"In life, pain is inevitable but suffering is optional."

What I learned from my personal experience is that pain was brought into my life by another, completely outside of my control. But the suffering I went through after that for those long years was of my own making. I am fully responsible for it. I didn't understand that at the time which is why it went on for such an extended period. It arose because of something that's been discussed on this forum in many threads, namely, because inside I did not want to accept the reality of what had happened and of the position it left me in. As long as I fought against what was, I prolonged and magnified my own suffering.

I would never want to experience what I went through again, but it has played a great role in shaping who I've become, and I would not trade that for anything.

 

As im still identified with my feelings (at least most of the time) i had a hard time reading what you have experienced Ta-tsu-wa. I can only imagine how much you must have been growing from this. I once heard only the oldest souls travel through such experiences... i have yet to find out why.

 

What about natural brainwave patterns occuring during traditional meditation ? As far as I know, not whole brain is tuned to one particular wave naturally, but LifeFlow and others are syncing it to ie. 10Hz.
Isn't traditional meditation more "rich" and "full" ?

 

Ta-tsu-wa thankyou for all you have shared in this community. I have not been an active member for very long but I have spent many hours reading the threads that attract me.

I do not wish to make comments on your personal experiences as they are yours and beyond my comprehenssion but I would like to wish you and everyone else on this forum joy and peace on your travels through eternity.

Jack

 

hi I am a newcomer and have a few questions .... mainly about the compromises I can make

I live in a nery noisy environment and unless I stay up until 3 in the morning, it is impposible for me to get total silence. Is it ok if I do meditation in less than ideal situations... such as in a libaray, where it is a quieter.

And my other question is concerns how bad is it for me to break out in the middle of meditation. I find it very hard to keep my eyes closed and remain seated for the full period of time. It is not discomfort that I feel but rather a overwhelming desire to move. I've broken my meditation twice and after I felt relieved, but not myself.
Is this a generally not a good idea? Should I stick out the meditation till the end?

 

Hello, Orchid, and welcome to the community. I read in one of your other posts where you referred to yourself as a "professional daydreamer". If in fact you do quite a lot of actual daydreaming, that state of consciousness you enter into when you're lost in a daydream is grounded largely in Alpha brainwaves much as the initial stages of meditation tend to be. In other words, the stage is already set. All that need be done by you is to change the the content from free-form mind wandering to quiet meditation. Half your battle has already been won.

Let me ask you, when you're "daydreaming", are you not in the same noisy environment that you are when practicing meditation? I'm guessing that at least some of the time, perhaps even most of the time, you are. And yet the environment probably does not feel like such an obstacle towards daydreaming as it does towards your meditative practice. The reason it does not impact so adversely upon your daydream time is because you have inwardly accepted the noisy environment as a part of the field in which your daydreams occur. There is no opposition to the environment when daydreaming. It simply "is", and very likely you don't give it much more thought.

So it should be with your meditation practice as well. When first learning the practice of meditation it is often suggested that a quiet environment is conducive to the process. While this is generally true for most people it is certainly not an absolute requirement. For some folks it's not even an option. In that case you'll need to find a way to stop looking at the noisy environment as a factor to be overcome and conquered and find a way to use it as a part of the process of entering into meditation. When noise becomes an ally rather than an opponent it serves to improve our practice.

Part of the solution may come as a result of the technique for meditation you choose to employ. Some are naturally more antagonistic towards outside distractions while others tend to incorporate and use the distractions for their own purposes. In this, you'll need to take a page from the Japanese book of Aikido. Learn to turn whatever comes against you aside in a way that transmutes its nature from that of opposition to that of augmentation.

Buddhist techniques such as Vipassana and similar Mindfulness techniques are especially helpful in this area. Mantra, if that is what you are using currently, is a great technique, but at least in the beginning it may not be the most effective when it comes to handling outside distractions.

Another factor to consider is whether or not you have made a true commitment to the practice of meditation. By that I mean, is it a genuine priority in your life. I also noted in another of your posts that you attributed some of the issues you face in your life to "lifestyle" which you "can't yet build up the courage to change". Without knowing the specifics of what you're referring to, it can be said generally that some aspects of our lifestyle can be such that they are in opposition to both the practice of meditation and to the benefits towards which that practice leads us.

For example, if I am a practicing alcoholic who never sees a moment of sobriety, or a heroin addict with a $500 a day habit, or if I have some other type of habit that dominates my time while eroding away at my body and mind in catastrophic ways, and I have determined I am not in a position to change these behaviors at the moment, my practice of meditation is not likely to see substantial results. It is akin to that old joke Groucho Marx used to tell about the man who goes to his doctor and says, "Doctor, when I move my arm like this it hurts," to which the doctor replied, "Well then, stop moving your arm like that!" This is what Einstein referred to when he said that the definition of insanity is "doing the same old thing in the same old way and somehow expecting it to produce a different result."

If certain lifestyle behaviors are severe enough that they inhibit the state of meditation it is probably not reasonable to expect we can continue on in these habits and suddenly the meditation practice is going to become effective. What it comes down to is what you really want for yourself, how much you want it, and what you're willing to commit to 100%.

There's a story about a young Taoist monk who approaches his master with a question. "Master," he begins, "I seek the enlightenment you have attained but cannot find it in my practice. What must I do?" The master motioned the young monk over to a small pool of water and instructed him to look deeply into the pool where he would find the answer to his question. So the monk looked into the pool but saw nothing but the algae growing on rocks at the bottom, the reflection of his own face and the sky above him, and a few carp swimming slowing beneath the surface.

"I see no solution," he said to the master. "Look deeper into the pool," the master replied. So the monk bent down lower and peered more urgently into the water. Suddenly the master grasped the back of the monk's head and pushed it under the water. At first the monk thought this to be some sort of test, so he simply waited for the master to raise his head up out of the water again. After a minute the monk began running out of air. He began struggling to raise his own head but the master held his grip firm and would not allow the monk a breath of air. With each passing moment the need for fresh air grew greater and greater. The monk struggled wildly now but the grip of the master was powerful and unyielding. With his lungs now burning from lack of oxygen the monk began to lose consciousness, certain the master intended on drowning him. At that very moment the master pulled the monk's head up out of the water where he gasped for air in huge gulps. The master waited until the monk had recovered a bit, then said,

"When your need for enlightenment becomes as intense as was your need for air a moment ago, only then will you find it."

Often we tell ourselves we "want" the benefits that meditation can bring, but we never elevate that "want" to the level of a true "need". It remains something of a wish or a whim. "Wants" and "wishes" seldom attain the power to produce changes that a real "need" or genuine "conviction" produces. If lifestyle factors block your progress in meditation then accept that this is what's happening and accept that it is unlikely to change until your own priorities change; until you determine that the practice of meditation is something you "need" and not just something that "would be nice".

A great place to begin to make these sorts of internal changes is with the teachings of Srikumar S. Rao. He is a college professor of Marketing at Long Island University. He developed and taught a class that was at first aimed at business life but when applied to personal life has equally transformational effects. It has become one of the most popular classes at the university and is often referred to as "Raoism". This class is available in CD format in a program called, "Personal Mastery" and I highly recommend it. His methods deal with producing internal shifts in a natural way without the need to attempt to force or coerce ourselves. If you're looking to realign your priorities and goals, this course would be an excellent place to begin.

Regarding your other question, about coming out of meditation prematurely, don't be overly concerned with it. The practice of meditation should be a relaxing, calming process. If you need to shift your physical position or move, then do so gently and return to your practice. This will produce much better results than being in abject misery and attempting to ignore that fact. Your mind will fixate upon the discomfort which will assure you are anything but calm and peaceful. Perhaps one way to do this is to tell yourself up front that for each 10 minutes you sit you are going to give yourself a few moments to stretch and shift positions. If your mind knows that such regular pauses have been scheduled that will take away one of its excuses for attempting to intrude on your practice time.

 

hi Ta-tsu-wa and thanks for your answer

I can fall into daydreaming with the noise but I don't want to because my dreams often become violent because the noise for the most part is my neighbor arguing with her boyfriend. But other than that the noises are often quite sharp and sudden, such as door slamming, a sound which quite quickly (and painfully) rips me out of any meditative state or daydream.
Most of the time I am wear headphones or am out the house.

For personal reasons I won't go into the details about my life. It is not an addiction or caused by any substance abuse and while I agree with you about whims and wishes there are certain realities that have to be accepted.

I look at meditation as an aid and I know all too soon I will hit a wall. Enlightenment isn't my goal. So maybe it is a bit pointless...well at least I am enjoying myself in the meantime and my psychiatrist says I seem at bit more at peace.

but since I can't go into details it is perhaps best that I leave it there

Sounds interesting, I am at least willing to listen, do you have any links to his work?

 

It sounds like you live in NY city. People stacked on top of one another and paper thin walls.

Substance addiction is merely one example. The "lifestyle" issue could be anything at all.

Not pointless at all. Again, the story speaks of enlightenment, but that is simply the example used. The desired improvement could be anything; greater peace, better health, better relationships, expanded knowledge, deeper wisdom, etc. The principle the story illustrates is that what we set our sights on is often available to us in direct proportion to our perceived level of need.

Search Amazon.com for "Raoism". That should get you where you want to go.

 

Thanks

Ta-tsu-wa, many, many thanks for caring for those that you have never even met that is reflected in all of your posts on PM.

Your "work of art" thread was created just before my birthday. Reading it today has indeed been the greatest belated gift that I could have had as it harkens the need to pursue meditation properly.

Your life experience shared with us is humbling indeed.


shine on

jim

 

My view on meditation

I came across this today and want to first say: Thanks to Ta Tsu Wa for taking your valuable time to be so detailed about what meditation is - as a topic.
It seems we have to question at every moment on what to expect whenever we venture out into new realms (in this case meditation), and this is human, i understand. As well, this is what society demands of us. Society wants us to have expectations and demands that is why so much of our lives has become commercial with all the products and services that are available.... We have to make a decision once and for all and ask ourselves: why am I here? who am I living for ? and what is the purpose of my life ? We can meditate on these questions for years to come and we will all have different answers.
For me meditation is a process of unlearning all that we have learnt and to not have expectations.. to go through life experiencing the newness of each moment, whether it's answering a question from a stranger on the road, or taking on a new challenge at work, or cooking a meal for the family. It is making the committment to go forward with the challenges life offers on an empty mind (without expectations) and becoming delighted with the results. This is meditation , a state of mind that is in flow with existence without having to think whether i should be in this state or not (so no thoughts, no expectations and no judgement).
It is something we have to cultivate by watching our thoughts and this is why we use a mantra or count or watch our breathing while we sit quietly and listen to Lifeflow.
Movement meditation is another method, this is what I do:

1) walking with awareness as you step one foot in front of the other and being aware of lifting the back heel as you step forward with the other foot (the focus here is on walking only, if thoughts interfere, watch your thoughts and ask them to get back in line because you are focussed on walking right now)
2) practicing yoga with breath is meditation in movement

It is 3 years and counting since I consciously began this process of unlearning, not setting expectations, watching my thoughts, walking with awareness, practicing yoga, checking my feelings, watching my breath as I speak, as I think, and as I feel and it is still a work in progress. I started Lifeflow in October 2009 and I feel this has contributed towards enhancing my concentration and awareness.

 

Principles of Meditation & Entrainment

Nicely done Ta-tsu-wa, great effort. I just read it (a quick glance to tell the truth, since right now I'm at work ) and it's really very helpfull. I would like to ask your permission to print it please, so I can read it over as many times as can (hopping something will stick inside my blonde head ), without being constrained by the need to use my PC.

 

Well I hope he doesn't mind people printing it off. I did, so I could read it in bed.
I think anyones concern would be if material were printed off and published elsewhere, especially for someone's own financial gain, but I'm sure if it's for your own use then Ta-Tsu-Wa will be ok with that... I know I would be.

Hugs

Giles

 

By all means, feel free. I'm no attorney (I leave that to my lovely wife) but I'd guess comments posted to message boards are probably automatically entered into the Public Domain unless the board's TOS contains a specific provision to the contrary.

In any event, print to your heart's content. I seriously doubt that anything I've written is original anyway. If you hunted around you would almost certainly find someone else who'd previously expressed ideas similar to mine and probably did a better job of explaining the concepts, too.

 

Legally speaking, generally the copyright remains with the person who created the material (i.e. yourself in this case), but you have given permission by proxy to the website to store and display it in public. It would be illegal for anyone to copy it to their own website or publish it via other means without your permission, unless the T&C of this website had specifically stated otherwise upon your joining, which I don't believe it does.

Hugs

Giles

 

Thaaaaaaaaaaaaank you

Thanks guys, both of you. You made me smile for the first time today (not a good day at all). Oh and Ta-Tsu-Wa, yes I could've searched around the world as you say. The point it's not if the idea is original or not. All that values is your effort to make it simple and understandable, your desire to help the others. Yeah I could have found a destination, but I'd miss the journey towards it

Hugs

 

Thank you

Thank you Ta-Tsu-Wa, this a clean and clear cut. You have just expanded my awareness and peception of meditation. I will print and keep this where I can reach and read and reread it many times.

Again thank you.
Michael