I know, I know...meditation again? Really? This is just a recap for the lovely attendees of the Tuesday night Meditation Gathering at Center of Symmetry. Don't worry, one of these days in the near future I will get around to posting about the many and varying philosophies and practices of using our innate creativity to bolster human potential! However, for now, it is meditation once more! (In the meantime, maybe read a little "Courage To Create" by Rollo May with just a dash of Jung's take on "Active Imagination." And if you are feeling frisky, add a dollop of Natalie Rogers on top to satisfy that creative sweet tooth! Oh yeah!)
This past Tuesday I was fortunate enough to have been graced with the presence of open, willing, and curious individuals. Such a dynamic group, that connectivity seemed almost instantaneous. That, my friends, is what magic is in my humble opinion. For those who expressed interest in continuing this particular meditation as a part of your practice, I would love to recap my variation of the Taoist Inner Smile meditation.
The Inner Smile meditation is used to cultivate Jing energy, which is both your passionate, creative energy and your life force energy.
Find a place where you feel comfortable, safe, and calm (if possible). Check in with your posture, and adjust your position so that your spine is straight to allow maximum capacity for breathing. After a round of deep and mindful breaths (becoming aware of the moment of inhalation, where inhalation becomes an exhale, and how the breath moves through your body), imagine a person sitting before you. In you mind's eye, smile to them. Become aware of any physical or mental shifts that occur during your exchange with this person. Imagine a golden light emanating from your smile that reaches out to the person in front of you, and watch as that positive, golden light gently flows through their mind, down their throat, into their heart space, filling their belly, down through their root, into the ground, and circulating back to you. As it flows back to you, envision this compassionate, joyful light creeping in through your toes, dancing up through your legs, filling your root, sauntering up your spine as it illuminates each vertebrae, opening your heart space, flowing into your throat, and expanding inside your mind as it gently flows back through your smile, and out to the other person. Now, try physically smiling to that person. (Don't worry no one's looking.) Try to become aware of any subtle shifts that may be taking place. Repeat the energy exchange that you envisioned in the first exercise. Does anything change within your thoughts? Does physically smiling cause any sensation to arise within your body?
Now, imagine that the person sitting before you is someone you dislike or have negative feelings toward. Take a good long minute, while being mindful of your posture and breath, to examine their face. Look deeply into this person's visage, and in your mind's eye, smile. Are you able to imagine smiling to this person? Again, see a positive, compassionate light emanating from your smile and reaching out to the other person. Envision the same sequence of energetic exchange that you experienced in the first exercise. Positive, compassionate energy flowing from your smile, through the other's body, and circling back through your own body, opening your heart space and illuminating your mind. Next, (yep, you guessed it...) try to physically smile to this person whom causes negative feelings to arise within you. Are you able? Again, repeat the circulation of compassionate energy, and bring your awareness to areas of tension, shifting, or curiosity. Try to look upon this person with intrigue rather than disdain.
The person before you begins to dissipate, as you notice that someone was sitting behind them. You can't quite make out their face, and so look deeper into the features with curiosity and intrigue. You realize that you are looking at a version of yourself, and in your mind's eye...you smile. Releasing your positive, compassionate energy to the person before you. Letting go of any preconceived notions or knowledge we have of this self; just allowing them to be before you. Regard their presence, as the golden light swells within their body and circulates back through the space between you. Repeat that exchange of energy a few times, and then physically smile to your self. Allow the circulation of golden, cleansing light to resume until you feel complete in your process.
Finally, envision your self walking into you, and sit with your self as you tend to your breath. Breathe deep into your belly, and allow a long, slow exhale. Now, physically smile to yourself, no other being present, as you see your positive, compassionate energy flowing from your smile, out into your surroundings, penetrating deep into the earth, circulating back up through your body. Open up your heart space, and illuminate your mind. Bring your awareness to your breath, and come back to the present moment when you feel complete.
I suggest keeping a journal on hand for any insight or sensation that may arise. Also, if you plan to use this activity as a normal part of your practice, it is beneficial to document your transition between meditations. I believe that there are many experiences and emotions that are often skewed when articulated verbally, so I also keep art supplies on hand for any non-verbal communication I wish to document. It is a great enhancement to your journaling experience.
As a mindfulness practice, try smiling more. Bring your awareness to the connection between yourself and that person, and then smile secretly to yourself, and have a wonderful day!
Showing posts with label meditation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label meditation. Show all posts
Friday, November 12, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Meditations on Randomness
I swear i will start writing about other forms of expression, just as soon i get this out of my system...
Jack Engler asserts that self is “evolving developmentally out of our experience of objects and the kinds of interactions we have with them.” I don’t believe you realize just how true this statement is until you are trying to get your mind to be quiet for meditation. First you clear the immediate mind activity thinking, “Okay I have made reference to the large events or issues of the day. I should be able to go back to my breath now with minimal interruption.” Then there is a second tier of not-quite-so-important information that begins to bubble to the surface of your mind, which you acknowledge and then think, “Okay I have made reference to the medium sized events or issues of the day. I should be able to go back to my breath now with minimal interruption.” So on and so forth until you are acknowledging a small purple flower that you may or may not have seen in your periphery at some point in the day, and wondering if that baby you heard crying in the distance has a single or two-parent household and what impact that may have on the infants life in each circumstance. We really do have each of those sense encounters, whether tiny or large, floating around in our awareness. Sometimes it feels like an assault.
It isn’t always that chaotic, but many times it is. It causes me to wonder how I am possibly registering so many bits of information at one time, and storing that information somewhere. Then, I feel a little angry because I can remember all of these minute things, but then I often have trouble recalling factual, academic information on command. It seems easier for me to recall my experiential memory than any other kind. I know there must be positive aspects to this, but at times it seems to be a nuisance. I can bring myself back to my breath again and again, but I can’t stop wondering if all those little bits of miscellaneous information are helping or hindering my growth on earth. My mind buzzes frequently with seemingly random events; sometimes these events come together in my mind to show synchronicity on earth. That portion of the random information processing gives me hope because it seems to show some sort of connective order in the universe that I don’t always have strong belief in. Other times all that random information just seems to shuffle around like too many decks of playing cards that are missing members of certain suits. Either way, this has been a focus of mine this week, trying to honor the randomness before coming back to my breath.
Jack Engler asserts that self is “evolving developmentally out of our experience of objects and the kinds of interactions we have with them.” I don’t believe you realize just how true this statement is until you are trying to get your mind to be quiet for meditation. First you clear the immediate mind activity thinking, “Okay I have made reference to the large events or issues of the day. I should be able to go back to my breath now with minimal interruption.” Then there is a second tier of not-quite-so-important information that begins to bubble to the surface of your mind, which you acknowledge and then think, “Okay I have made reference to the medium sized events or issues of the day. I should be able to go back to my breath now with minimal interruption.” So on and so forth until you are acknowledging a small purple flower that you may or may not have seen in your periphery at some point in the day, and wondering if that baby you heard crying in the distance has a single or two-parent household and what impact that may have on the infants life in each circumstance. We really do have each of those sense encounters, whether tiny or large, floating around in our awareness. Sometimes it feels like an assault.
It isn’t always that chaotic, but many times it is. It causes me to wonder how I am possibly registering so many bits of information at one time, and storing that information somewhere. Then, I feel a little angry because I can remember all of these minute things, but then I often have trouble recalling factual, academic information on command. It seems easier for me to recall my experiential memory than any other kind. I know there must be positive aspects to this, but at times it seems to be a nuisance. I can bring myself back to my breath again and again, but I can’t stop wondering if all those little bits of miscellaneous information are helping or hindering my growth on earth. My mind buzzes frequently with seemingly random events; sometimes these events come together in my mind to show synchronicity on earth. That portion of the random information processing gives me hope because it seems to show some sort of connective order in the universe that I don’t always have strong belief in. Other times all that random information just seems to shuffle around like too many decks of playing cards that are missing members of certain suits. Either way, this has been a focus of mine this week, trying to honor the randomness before coming back to my breath.
Spiritual Bypassing...You can't run away from your Self...
Continuing with our meditation theme since we will be having a free Meditation Gathering at Center of Symmetry this coming Tuesday, and every Tuesday thereafter.
Jack Engler reveals the point of convergence between Psychology and Buddhism is the notion “that all psychological growth comes about by being able to renounce outworn, infantile ties to objects and to give up or modify self-representations that have restrictive, maladaptive, or outgrown.” One might then assume that the wise elders of Eastern spiritual traditions would have mastered the process of purging those “outworn” aspects of oneself, with a positive reverence for the renewal and growth that will arrive in its absence. The key word is “assume.” It is an absolute assumption that spiritual leaders and practitioners, who have reached a status within the spiritual community, are completely in touch with their emotions and motives at all times. Attachment to this idea of perfection in spiritual practice can lead a person into bypassing their earthen experience by immersing their self in a completely spiritual domain, for which there may be some consequence.
In fact, as John Wellwood points out, one can be doing good work in many aspects of their spiritual growth and yet use spiritual practice to avoid certain issues that they do not wish to address; he refers to this phenomenon as Spiritual Bypassing. The desire to transcend one’s earthly life, even in the name of enlightenment or ascension, can be nothing more than the next prison if one’s issues are still lurking within. Being diligent in one’s spiritual practice as a means to run away from the experience and lessons of life reflects the three poisons in Buddhism: grasping, rejecting, and ignoring. The each of the three poisons separately leads to illusion and suffering, but combined are an insidious state of being. Though one may be diligent in one’s spiritual practice through meditation, chanting, mindfulness of one’s thoughts and actions, it is still ultimately possible to grasp tightly to the idea of what an enlightened being should be like, then reject an unwholesome aspect of our self that does not comply with that ideal, and ignore that it had ever made itself known. What is happening here is not a large thought process; it can happen in the passing of a single dharma.
The issue here may partially be attributed to the archaic idea that “unwholesome” is equated with “bad.” Whether on the psychological front or in the spiritual realm, being out of alignment with your own ideals causes cognitive dissonance. If one did not realize that their anger had such a deep seed as to still be firmly rooted after years of therapy or mindfulness, then its manifestation will cause a sense of “But I identify myself this particular way, and so you cannot be a part of me. Your manifestation of unwholesomeness is bad for my goal of wellness or enlightenment.” Through the rejection of an unwholesome part of oneself, there is a rejection of learning, growth, and internal communication. If one could open to the possibility of “pain and neuroses contain[ing] their own color and hav[ing] their own strange beauty” as Wellwood sees it, one’s spiritual practice would become more fruitful and wholesome through embracing, honoring, and integrating the aspects of ourselves whose voice we’ve stolen by employing the three poisons.
If one could also recognize Engler’s idea of the constructed self, it may be possible to see the value that our relative experience has when cultivating no-self. To know no-self, one must first understand what we are deeming as self, and since self is constructed by one’s constant encounter with objects in the world, one must address those objects and any responses that also arise toward those objects in order to seek wellness and absolute wisdom. To bypass this aspect of our self would be to bypass wisdom, creating illusion, and ultimately leading to suffering though we have been diligent in our dedication to our spiritual practice.
Jack Engler reveals the point of convergence between Psychology and Buddhism is the notion “that all psychological growth comes about by being able to renounce outworn, infantile ties to objects and to give up or modify self-representations that have restrictive, maladaptive, or outgrown.” One might then assume that the wise elders of Eastern spiritual traditions would have mastered the process of purging those “outworn” aspects of oneself, with a positive reverence for the renewal and growth that will arrive in its absence. The key word is “assume.” It is an absolute assumption that spiritual leaders and practitioners, who have reached a status within the spiritual community, are completely in touch with their emotions and motives at all times. Attachment to this idea of perfection in spiritual practice can lead a person into bypassing their earthen experience by immersing their self in a completely spiritual domain, for which there may be some consequence.
In fact, as John Wellwood points out, one can be doing good work in many aspects of their spiritual growth and yet use spiritual practice to avoid certain issues that they do not wish to address; he refers to this phenomenon as Spiritual Bypassing. The desire to transcend one’s earthly life, even in the name of enlightenment or ascension, can be nothing more than the next prison if one’s issues are still lurking within. Being diligent in one’s spiritual practice as a means to run away from the experience and lessons of life reflects the three poisons in Buddhism: grasping, rejecting, and ignoring. The each of the three poisons separately leads to illusion and suffering, but combined are an insidious state of being. Though one may be diligent in one’s spiritual practice through meditation, chanting, mindfulness of one’s thoughts and actions, it is still ultimately possible to grasp tightly to the idea of what an enlightened being should be like, then reject an unwholesome aspect of our self that does not comply with that ideal, and ignore that it had ever made itself known. What is happening here is not a large thought process; it can happen in the passing of a single dharma.
The issue here may partially be attributed to the archaic idea that “unwholesome” is equated with “bad.” Whether on the psychological front or in the spiritual realm, being out of alignment with your own ideals causes cognitive dissonance. If one did not realize that their anger had such a deep seed as to still be firmly rooted after years of therapy or mindfulness, then its manifestation will cause a sense of “But I identify myself this particular way, and so you cannot be a part of me. Your manifestation of unwholesomeness is bad for my goal of wellness or enlightenment.” Through the rejection of an unwholesome part of oneself, there is a rejection of learning, growth, and internal communication. If one could open to the possibility of “pain and neuroses contain[ing] their own color and hav[ing] their own strange beauty” as Wellwood sees it, one’s spiritual practice would become more fruitful and wholesome through embracing, honoring, and integrating the aspects of ourselves whose voice we’ve stolen by employing the three poisons.
If one could also recognize Engler’s idea of the constructed self, it may be possible to see the value that our relative experience has when cultivating no-self. To know no-self, one must first understand what we are deeming as self, and since self is constructed by one’s constant encounter with objects in the world, one must address those objects and any responses that also arise toward those objects in order to seek wellness and absolute wisdom. To bypass this aspect of our self would be to bypass wisdom, creating illusion, and ultimately leading to suffering though we have been diligent in our dedication to our spiritual practice.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
The Drunken Monkey
In Tantric Buddhism, every state of being is workable and every moment is an opening for practice, even the seemingly irreverent moments. Sometimes I imagine that my mind is a drunken monkey just stumbling around, hiccupping, and breaking things while drinking out of a moonshine jug. The closer it comes to the end of the year, the harder it becomes to focus on anything. The monkey in my mind just seems to get increasingly drunk, increasingly agitated rather than mellowed by his imbibing, and more adamant in its need for my attention. When tending to the drunken monkey of one’s mind, it takes a lot of focus and energy away from more productive endeavors. So, this week has been about sobering up my drunken monkey and trying to teach it to be self sufficient once sober.
Sitting in meditation, the realization that the end of the year is so near seemed to grab me by the throat and choke me a little. Every turning of a season elicits the same response: fear, excitement, a sense of dread, and just a little panic while exploring some joyful anticipation of what's to come. Trying to meditate around those issues when my drunken monkey keeps sloshing around, waving its arms and trying to signal to me that there are so many other things I should be doing with this time, is a bit challenging. Trying to bring my focus back to the breath wasn’t working, so I started using visualizations that would alleviate the cause of my anxiety over time and aid me in accomplishing my work. If a thought or visual of me being frazzled and not accomplishing a task cropped up, I simply replaced it with the visual of my productivity and accomplishment. If a notion and vision of utter calamity or catastrophe popped up, I would go through the worst case scenario and realize that even the worst was still not quite so “bad,” then move on.
Once I could get to place of rational understanding, it would become apparent that I would be able to survive even the worst case fallable, clumsy human scenario. However, I will admit that I am still attached to the idea of succeeding in my many endeavors. I’m not sure I want to challenge that attachment too vigorously just yet; that is one aspect of my mind I choose not to experiment with for now. I just want to voice that in my own mind, and in front of all of you, in case my Buddha nature happens to be listening and feeling playful.
Sitting in meditation, the realization that the end of the year is so near seemed to grab me by the throat and choke me a little. Every turning of a season elicits the same response: fear, excitement, a sense of dread, and just a little panic while exploring some joyful anticipation of what's to come. Trying to meditate around those issues when my drunken monkey keeps sloshing around, waving its arms and trying to signal to me that there are so many other things I should be doing with this time, is a bit challenging. Trying to bring my focus back to the breath wasn’t working, so I started using visualizations that would alleviate the cause of my anxiety over time and aid me in accomplishing my work. If a thought or visual of me being frazzled and not accomplishing a task cropped up, I simply replaced it with the visual of my productivity and accomplishment. If a notion and vision of utter calamity or catastrophe popped up, I would go through the worst case scenario and realize that even the worst was still not quite so “bad,” then move on.
Once I could get to place of rational understanding, it would become apparent that I would be able to survive even the worst case fallable, clumsy human scenario. However, I will admit that I am still attached to the idea of succeeding in my many endeavors. I’m not sure I want to challenge that attachment too vigorously just yet; that is one aspect of my mind I choose not to experiment with for now. I just want to voice that in my own mind, and in front of all of you, in case my Buddha nature happens to be listening and feeling playful.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)