Breathing space.

[Tony]

Breathing space.

Meditation practice is the simplest of activities...breathing!
It's not something that you actually 'do', it does itself, just try and stopping it!
However when it finally stop, it's time to move on!!!

Watching-the-breath-meditation is used to stop the mind from wandering, and is an excellent starting point. At death there is no breath, so we do not just stop at breath meditation, it's a simple stepping stone.

What we are actually doing is resting in space. In breathing outer space we expand inner space.
Inner space is our true, empty, essence, pure, open, and lucid.

The process.
One can meditated anywhere and at any time, remember meditation is just 'being'. But just 'being' is not so familiar as we think! Our lives are busy so we need some 'breathing space'! We need to create a gap in our habitual patterning of speed, of grasping, of being the same old mental me.

Any of the senses may be used, but the breath is more in tune with our subtle inner system.
This practice slows our system down, so we are barely alert. Too alert, and we get tensions and conceptualise. It's a matter of loosening our grip on the material world, but not entirely.

So to start, find somewhere quiet to sit. One may sit on a cushion or chair. The posture should be upright, but not stiff. This allows for the breath to flow freely and keeps us awake. Hands resting on the thighs or lap, eyes open, gaze not strained, either cast down in front or straight a head. One can close one's eyes, but then we tend to drift off more easily.

Be aware of sound, touch, smell and the quality of light, and of course the breath. If you are just doing that, you are now meditating. Which is a cessation of habitual mental elaborations and activities.

Thoughts will come into the mind, just note and let them go. However our patterning is to think, especially circling thoughts! This is why one watches the breath. If thoughts are really strong one can count the breaths, on the exhalation breath from one to ten. If one gets caught up in thoughts just go back to one. Don't make this too much like mental gymnastics, just enough to realise one can just rest and be aware.

Gradually one will experience gaps between the breaths or thoughts, and this will expand.
At times the thoughts will seem worse, this is merely because you are noticing more! Hooray!

15–45 minutes twice a day would be good, but just do what you can, though a little discipline wouldn't go amiss these days. Don't try to prolong the practice, take little breaks. One is just practising letting go...and one has to even let go of the practice.

Taking a breather, is the beginning of getting out of this mental maze.
Reacting to the maze only serves to make the walls seem real, which they are not!

Non-meditation is just 'being', then one is no longer practising!


Have a Good Day.


Tony


https://projectavalon.net/forum4/group.php?groupid=62

[lyubomir]

Hi Tony,

It's always pleasure to read your comments and threads. You are on a very good way I think. If you write more about your experience it will great for everyone who read about it.

All the best!

Kind Regards,
Lyubomir

[lyubomir]

Hi again Tony,

I would like to ask you - do you practice 'Inner smile' and 'The 6th healing sounds'?

Thanks!

Kind Regards,

Lyubomir

[Tony]

Posted by lyubomir (here)
Hi again Tony,

I would like to ask you - do you practice 'Inner smile' and 'The 6th healing sounds'?

Thanks!

Kind Regards,

Lyubomir

Hello Lyubomir,

I've never heard of the 6th healing sound...sounds great!

Inner smile? That sounds like inner confidence, inner joy, inner peace.....so yes maybe!
Everything seems to have a smile about it, even the games people play, not in a condescending way, in a so be it way.
As to the other question, that is a more delicate matter as people (if they do not read the whole story) jump to conclusion,
and upset themselves. Still, it may help.


Kind regards
Tony

[Fred Steeves]

Hi Tony, do you practice meditation while going about your day?

[Tony]

Posted by Fred Steeves (here)
Hi Tony, do you practice meditation while going about your day?

Well, not as such, and yes I do!

You have asked a personal question, so I'll have to answer from a personal point of view, so I'll have to paint the picture first. In general meditation is the practice of stilling the mind, or taming the mind.There are various ways to do this depending on the individual. Once the mind is still and lucid, there is clarity (to some degree!). This clarity of being is called 'the view', it's another name for essence. In essence there is no meditation, this is non meditation.

The next step is called 'conduct'. This is the continuity of non meditation or view into daily life. So one is only meditating when one loses the view! Then one has to use mindfulness to remember the view, and then drop mindfulness (the boat!). So life is a constant practice of oscillating in and out of wakefulness.

When resting in the essence view, this is rather still and dry. Conduct could be seen as expression...essence love...more warmth and juicy! Emotions still arise but they are now medicine, and a way home. Sometimes the emotions are very very strong...at those times silence is golden!



Kind regards,
Tony

[Tony]

Conduct is extremely important.

The realisation of our pure cognisant essence, is in theory at least, quite easy to understand. We are brilliant pure knowing beings, we just haven't noticed that yet! The problem I get from reading threads is we want to be something more. Goodness knows why! It's probably that it is so simple and ordinary that people will just not accept it. They want other dimensions, shape shifting space-ships, indigo paradigms, the holy ghost! The experience of this brilliant pure knowing essence, is up to the individual and whatever root they choose to follow.

Conduct in daily activity is the 'real work', as this has to do with karma and the undoing of those fixated obscurations, emotional instabilities and beliefs systems. We can either add to our karmic load or reduce it!

Conduct needs confidence and trust.

To refresh, karma is the accumulation of reactions that leave an imprints in the mind. It's our attitude! It colours everything we encounter, and everything we encounter was created by our past...and still is being created. If we keep on reacting, the same things keep happening to us.
Plus a little extra, that we might have forgot about!

The more we look at this the more we have to be precise. It goes beyond intention, we actually have to stop re-acting! This is were meditation comes in to help, because meditation is the practice of letting go.

Confidence comes about by putting this into practise and seeing the results, and proving it!
Trust is, knowing that whatever comes up can be dealt with by not reacting.

This does not mean there is no reaction in the mind, there is, but one just notes it. Within that noting usually is the answer of how to deal with the situation arises. Trust and confidence is not reacting to others judgements of our actions, after all 'they' are only reacting.

This does not mean we do not do anything in the world, but it is measured, to deal with ego's games, of self and others.

This is the process of purification, of expanding inner space.

Somedays will be more active than others, some days are brighter, some days are duller. We try to accommodate everything as one taste. Some days forums are more aggressive, some days they are friendly...I like those days!

Everything is our teacher if viewed properly.


Tony