For my ten loyal readers. 
I just wanted to let you know that I have upgraded my WordPress blogging program (long overdue!), and am fiddling with the look of the page. There is a discrepancy between the old MySQL4 database I was using, and the new MySQL5 database. Some posts are showing up with an odd character here and there. I am rolling through the posts correcting them. I’ve gotten through the first 25, or so, and have about 250 more to go.
Please bear with me.
Cheers!
Life is a mystery. That much seems certain. No matter how you look at it, eventually you come up against a wall of “I don’t know.” That’s what the mystics through the ages have told us. Still, we keep looking, hoping to find some great answer to the question life presents.
The funny thing about questions, and answers, is they can be very different depending on how you ask them, who you ask, where the asking is coming from (it’s underlying motivations, concepts and context), and where it is going to. The same question asked from different places has a very different feel, and possibly different answers.
I propose the following as a model of determining the answers that could be given to the great question of life. It is based off of the types of bodies used in Advaita Vedanta exploration and inquiry. Note that in Vedanta, “body” does not necessarily mean the flesh and bone. It means the energetic/physical/emotional/spiritual structure of a certain level of consciousness.
First up we have the Gross Body. The gross body is the body of flesh and bone that immediately comes to mind when we say “body.” It includes the brain, the physical component of what we call the “mind.” It is typified by the waking state of consciousness, and is our work-a-day interface with the world. The concerns of this “body” are the concerns of the animal, namely: Security, Food, Reproduction and Shelter. When one of these concerns is in question, the instinct driven gross body is concerned with fulfilling that need. When they are all fulfilled, and not in immediate danger, the gross body can relax. It’s questions are answered, and in a word the answer is – Comfort. When one is not hungry, not in immediate threat, not exposed to dangerous environmental conditions, and when the continuation of the species is not in imminent question, the gross body is comfortable and at peace.
Next up, the Subtle Body. This is the body of the intellect, dreams, and planning. It is typified by the dreaming state, but note that day dreams and imagination is also covered under the umbrella of the subtle body. The typical term applied here is mind, but the full support for the functioning of this body extends beyond the physical organ of the brain. In order for this body to exist the energetic support of the whole organism is needed, and research is showing that the energetic presence of this body extends beyond the limits of the skin. The concerns of this body are ones of planning, dreaming, goal setting, and analyzing of input. Thinking and inquiring. The interesting, and unique factor about this body is that its answers to its concerns are: more questions. Almost as soon as we learn to speak, the bane of parents the world over is on our lips from waking to sleep, “Why?” We want to explore the realm of thoughts and concepts with a passion, always digging deeper. “But, why? But, why? But, why?” The font of questions is never exhausted. As we grow the questions become more sophisticated, but they don’t go away. Every “answer” always seems to lead to more questions in the realm of the subtle body. As we become indoctrinated adults, conforming to the accepted social/cultural norms of our time and place we may bury some of these questions, but the dirt covering them is always thin and rarely well compacted. The questions crouch ready to burst free at a moments notice.
Socrates is the paragon of this mind, never deadened by “growing up.” He was an absolute devotee of the question. His end is a wonderful illustration of the power of questions, and the possibility of upsetting apple carts with them.
Now we come to the Causal Body. This is the body of raw being. Pure suchness. The very fact that you are. It is typified by the state of deep sleep. The common experience is that we experience nothing in this state, since there are no object here (unlike the toe stubbing rocks of the gross body/waking realm, and the neon glowing rocks of the subtle body/dreaming realm) there is nothing to form memory with. However, when seekers would bring their doubts of the validity of this realm to the sage Ramana Maharshi, he would respond with, “If you have no perception in the deep sleep state, how is it that when you wake you can say you slept well?” Something continues through this state, some thread of knowing, the subtlest expression of, “I am”, “I exist.” It is that continuity which makes up the experience of these individual unique lives. Long term meditators (those with 10-20 thousand hours of accumulated practice) and/or enlightened humans sometimes report a phenomenon of a continuing awareness that penetrates even into this realm. What most of us must be satisfied with is a vague pleasantness of a night spent sleeping safely.
Here the question is one of pure existence. Continuity of the individual self as a unique expression of reality. The answer is presence. That fundamental knowing that “I am”, the raw feeling of being you without reference to any memory, circumstance, or context. As long as that is so, the question is answered.
Now we start getting spooky. The next “body” on the Advaita Vedanta scale of things is called Turiya. Literally it means, “the fourth”, often referred to as the witness. It is the body which witnesses all the other states. This is the capacity to know that I am comfortable, I have questions, and I am. The unique facet of this body is that anything which appears within it cannot be it. If it is seen, it is not you as the witness.
The only question here is, is something occurring? The answer is silence. The witness has nothing with which to speak, or formulate an answer because anything which could speak, or formulate is something which can be seen and therefore is not the witness. Silence; vast, simple, embracing, complete is the expression of Turiya. It is the void and silence which allows everything else to be.
Thirty spokes converge upon a single hub; It is on the hole in the center that the use of the cart hinges. We make a bowl or cup from a lump of clay; It is the empty space within the vessel that makes it useful. We make doors and windows for a room; It is the empty spaces that make the room livable. Thus, take advantage of what is visible, by making use of what is not visible. ~ Lao Tzu in the Tao Te Ching
Last we come to the most tenuous, and most absolute. Even talking about this body is actually impossible. We have to be happy with approximations. This is the “body” of Turiya-tita, the non-dual. The stark reality of not-two. This is the truth of all of reality, swallowed in one gulp. Nothing left out, nothing excluded, no boundaries. All of what is, no parts, only portions. The witness and what is witnessed felt through as inseparable. Just this. It. What is. Here there is no answer, because there are no questions. There is nothing outside of, or in addition to what is so how could a question even arise. Just suchness, the paper upon which all words are written.
So, there you have it in a nutshell. The great answers to the great questions of each facet of this wonderful reality from the totality all the way through to a unique individual self manifesting as a human being.
If you are relatively comfortable, know that you are, are aware of the space between objects and the silence between sounds, exist as a portion of what is, and still have questions then all your questions are answered.
Easy speezy!
I have tons of questions, and love them. I’d love to hear yours, or your comments, or whatever. Until we meet again, cheers!
As of today I have been meditating for 765 days straight. I am on a personal vow to meditate for 1,000 days in a row. I intend to continue after the 1,000 days, but will likely shift my style of practice. In any event I thought someone out there might find what I’ve learned during these 2+ years of some use.
So, here’s my simple guide to meditation:
*drum roll*
Get your “thing”
This “thing” will be the focus of your concentration for the duration of the meditation. It doesn’t matter too much what your “thing” is. My “thing” changed a couple of times early on, and once again around day 300. The “thing” can be a word, a thought, a concept, a sensation, an object, a process, a riddle, whatever. A popular “thing” amongst meditators is the breath. Another popular “thing” is a candle flame (either real or imagined.) Other possibilities could be, “peace”, “what is the sound of one hand clapping?”, an icon of a favorite religious figure, sage, or saint. The “thing” is your anchor.
When your mind drifts, and it will, you will eventually notice it has drifted. This can take a short time, or a long time. Whatever. When you notice that your focus as drifted, re-focus on the “thing.” Don’t make a big deal of it, don’t beat yourself up, and try not to be startled about how often your mind wanders. Welcome to the human condition.
Posture
Don’t strain. You can meditate in any of the three positions a human being can take, Laying, Sitting, Standing. I find laying down for meditation to be a bit challenging as it is very easy for my mind to stray into dream-land, or for the relaxed state I get into to slip into sleep. Your mileage will vary.
What ever posture you should keep your spine straight. When standing or sitting, do not use a support to lean against, unless such activity causes you pain. Don’t slouch. Stack your spine upright, on a stable hip girdle. Balance your head on top of that. Relax the shoulders. Make your stance, or seat stable and supportive. You may be here for a while.
When laying down, the spine, hips, and head should be in a line from the tail-bone the the middle of the top of your skull. Look for a feeling of flowing through this set up.
Breathing
Don’t strain. I like to take three preparatory breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth. Nice, deep, long. Then I close the mouth lightly, swallow any saliva present and start breathing in & out through the nose at whatever rhythm the breath wants to take.
Duration
Start out easy. Don’t get too ambitious at first. I started at 15 minutes, and found that quite enough of a challenge, thank you very much! I added a minute a week, until I got to 32 minutes, and that’s where I’ve been ever since. On some days I might throw in an extra session of 15-32 minutes, but that’s a rarity. If I attend a group meditation, I do whatever they do. So, I have meditated for periods of up to 90 minutes. At home though, it’s always 32.
Why 32? Well, I have a meditation timer app on my iPhone. It allows for up to three chimes during the period, one at the end of a prep period, one interval, and another at the end. I give myself 2 minutes at the start to get my posture settled, do my preparatory breathing, and secure my mind on my “thing.”
Works for me.
That’s pretty much it, with one cautionary point:
Experiences
You will have them while meditating. You’ll have them anytime you do anything, in fact. But, during meditation, as the mind settles and you begin to open actively to your inner spaces, they will probably take on lofty tones from time to time. They’re totally cool! Celebrate them. Then get back to your “thing.” These insights are your mind wandering. That’s not bad, but it’s also very easy to get sidetracked by them.
I highly suggest you start a simple journal and note them down when they happen. I find them so memorable that I can wait until after my meditation period to jot them down. If that doesn’t work for you, then just come out of meditation for a moment, don’t leave your place, but jot the insight down as succinctly as possible. Then get back to meditation for the rest of your chosen duration. If you are like me you will find these insights coming when off your meditation cushion. Note those down too. I find it very useful to take time every day, or two, to make a more full journal entry reflecting on these insights. You can go back and review the entries after some weeks, months, or years, and see what progress you have made. It’s a blast, and after putting hard time in meditating, you deserve it!
What I’ve outlined is basically the concentration/contemplation style of meditation. There are others. If you get into a groove with meditation I suggest doing some research and see what piques your fancy. You might consider sticking to one type until you “get it.” You will know what that means when you get it. A fairly standard goal for concentration meditation is to be able to keep your mind focused steadily on your “thing” for a full minute. (Believe me, that’s much harder than it sounds!) It’s all good, as long as it’s done.
My current plan:
After I complete the 1,000 days of concentration I plan to go on to 1,000 days of what’s called insight meditation, or vipassana. Basically that involves paying attention to all phenomenon that arise during the meditation period, getting a feel for how the mind moves it’s focus, it’s undulations and habits.
After that 1,000 days I plan on getting into Tonglen, or compassion practice. That involves taking in the pain/suffering/injury of an expanding sphere of sentient beings and returning healing and compassion. You start with a single person, breathing in black light from their hurts and breathing back white light of healing and compassion. You keep the black light in yourself, absorbing the negative karma out of the world. As time goes on you expand the number of people to say, your building, then your city, then your state, then your country, then the world, then the Kosmos. Sounds like quite a trip to me.
Of curse, this plan (like all plans) is subject to revision.
What’s your meditation style? Have you had any meditation experience? How was/is it?
I’d love to hear from you.
Warning: What follows is a bit of a rant. If that’s not your vibe as of this now, move along. Have a great day!
First, for the non-rant. Check out this cool article over at Thank God for Evolution, Reality: God’s Secular Name. Most excellent. My favorite is the Philip K. Dick quote it opens with, “Reality is that which, when you stop believing it, doesn’t go away.”
I have being seeing some version of the phrase, “Enlightenment (whatever that means)” with ever increasing frequency in the portions of the blogosphere, and the wider internet around which I stomp. Today I did a constrictive google search on the phrase and got 27,500 hits. Shiva knows how many I would get with a few variations thrown in.
In a word, I hate that phrase.It offends me on several levels. First, it is often used as a shield against debate, shared inquiry, questioning, or flat out BS calling. It’s a way to spout on with a facade of authority while remaining closed to (and defended against) differing opinions. I see it as a very cowardly way to share an opinion. (BTW – I have been guilty of using the phrase too, so don’t go hunting to find a quote to throw in my face because you will succeed. However, I saw the fence-sitting and wishy-washyness enough to stop using it. When I start using it again tomorrow you can wag your finger and say, “Hah!” Cool?) Personally, I prefer, “I have no real idea what enlightenment is, but here’s my take, FWIW.” (Your mileage may vary.)
Second, what the hell kind of good essay writing/theorizing do these people think they are engaging in? If you don’t have a good working definition for a term, don’t make it a corner stone of your point! Please!
Whatever that means? Well, I’ll tell you. Here are my personal working definitions. They are what I use to wrestle with the concept, and they have been most fruitful for me. Take ‘em, or leave ‘em. It’s all good. If you don’t like one of these (or if you do) I would love to hear your personal working definition in the comments.
Those are my current working definitions of what is fundamentally undefinable. Just like any term it exists for convenience (and not confusion damn it!), and is subject to change and evolution over time just like any term or thing. (Remember when “bad” did not possibly mean “good?”) Also, just like any word said ever, it’s an opinion. You can only ever speak about things, you cannot speak them into being so. The word enlightenment is just a word, and only useful insofar as it allows for effective and useful discourse. The state itself, just like the truth of a comfy cafe chair from which to issue forth blog rants, cannot be spoken into existence, it can only be spoken about.
I freely claim, and assert the truth of all four of the above definitions within my own experience and life as being so and fully functional.
Cheers, and thanks for listening!
I eagerly await your commentary.
First for an oldy but a goody: All things are impermanent. That is their nature. Everything, everywhere, in all occasions, changes. The change may be slow, or it may be fast. It may be major, or it may be minor. It may be by choice, or by conditions. It may be wanted, or feared. But, no matter what we do, and no matter how hard we try to oppose it, everything changes. That includes us.
The analogy I have always loved for this is that of a river. The water ebbs, flows. It rises and falls. It rushes and saunters. Always it moves.
You could not step twice into the same river; for other waters are ever flowing on to you. ~ Heraclitus
Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be known. ~ Winnie the Pooh
He who postpones the hour of living is like the rustic who waits for the river to run out before he crosses. ~ Horace
Life is like that. We float along in it. It is constantly changing, all of life’s parts. We are not free of that tide either. Everything about us in these lives, as these bodies, ebbs and flows. We struggle with this changing nature of what is. We want to hold onto the good parts, get rid of the bad parts and keep the things that are the way we want them that way.
We hold life against its own stream. The rivers keeps coming, buffeting us and the burden of hoped solidity we grip so tightly.
Instead we can hold our beliefs lightly. We can allow them to move a bit. We can delight as they are changed by the impact and alchemy of ever changing life. We can revel in their impermanence, sure that fundamentally we can never be bored with life’s continuous, relentless unfolding. We can even be willing to let a belief go to float away downstream when it becomes inappropriate to hold onto, when its usefulness as been fulfilled.
This is not always an easy thing to do. But, it does have the luxury of being in agreement with the way things seem to be.
Dedicated to looking at the self.
