Nondual Highlights
Issue #1532 Saturday, August 23,
2003 Editor: Mark
The Quiet Awareness of
simply tuning in and seeing, feeling, tasting, touching, and
hearing the sounds in our immediate environment brings on a
stillness of mind that is universally relaxing to all who will
take even a few moments to simply be.
Combining this quiet awareness with Breath Awareness, noticing
when we are inhaling and when we are exhaling is a natural and
easy method of staying in the moment, in the quiet awareness for
a longer period of time.
These two steps in the process that is structured to lead us to
intuitive consciousness are, in themselves, meditation techniques
that quiet the inner dialogue and bring on a comfortable
relaxation. For those who's goal is stress reduction and stress
management, this is an effective tool. With practice, the gentle
relaxation and peace of mind can be entered into almost
immediately. And this simple 2-step opens a place within and
becomes a haven from the rush and chaos of life.
For those who are responding to an intuitive stirring that there
may (or must!) be something more to life than they are
experiencing, there is more to be discovered (or rediscovered).
The model for this journey to the more, or what is called an
Experience of Pure Intuitive Consciousness, asks us to enter the
Quiet Awareness, then the Breath Awareness, and next...
Heart Awareness, or what is called The Mystic Heart. In
Christianity, it might be called the sacred heart or the throne
room of God, a center in which God, the Absolute abides (of
course, this is a model that is necessarily dualistic, that is a
ladder to that "place" beyond duality and realization
that God "resides" everywhere, within and without --
all is within God or Source or the Absolute. Attachment to any
particular model is the genesis for "war" and
fundamentalism.)
In Yoga, this is the 4th Chakra, and the opening of this chakra
has many wonderful and amazing stories.
Heart Awareness is very, very subtle and can take a long time to
attune to for many people. But also for many people, the
intuitive stirring has been going on for a long time, the search
and journey into the mystic, peace of mind, enlightenment, has
taken years and years before their karma or harmony or good
fortune has brought them to the place when even the words,
"The Mystic Heart" resonate within and "call"
to them.
So, for some travelers, the very first visit to the The Mystic
Heart Meditation can be a startling, stunning, thunderbolt of
awakening.
Once settled in Quiet Awareness, using Breath Awareness, by
choice or necessity to remain in the quiet and peaceful place, we
begin to "listen" to our heart -- not the physical
heart beating, but rather for the quiet wisdom and kindness and
compassion that we think of when we speak of someone having a
good heart.
Listen for your good heart, let its message travel up to the
point between your eyebrows as you inhale, and go back to the
well for more, as you exhale.
Try to avoid any concept here. Simply listen from within,
maintain your quiet awareness and let the wisdom of The Mystical
Heart "inform" your quiet mind. No words, no
interpretation. Simply allow the connection to take place. Bring
no expectation. Simply be in this meditation.
The living body of man and the living body of the earth were
constructed in the same way. Through each ran an axis, man's axis
being the backbone, the vertebral column, which controlled the
equilibrium of its movements and his functions. Along this axis
were several vibratory centers which echoed the primordial sound
of life throughout the universe or sounded a warning if anything
went wrong.
The first of these in man lay at the top of the head. Here, when
he was born, was the soft spot, the 'open door' through which he
received his life and communicated with his Creator. Just below
it lay the second center, the organ that man learned to think
with by himself, the organ called the brain. The third center lay
in the throat, the fourth center was the heart, and the last of
man's important centers lay under his navel.
The Hopis believe that man is created perfect in the image of his
Creator. Then, after 'closing the door' (at the top of the head)
and 'falling from grace' into the uninhibited expression of his
own human will, he begins his slow climb back upward. With this
turn man rises upward, bringing into predominant function each of
the higher centers. The door at the crown of the head then opens,
and he merges into the wholeness of all Creation, whence he
sprang.
- from Book of the Hopi
by Frank Waters.
It is impossible to
describe the experience accurately. I felt the point of
consciousness that was myself growing wider, surrounded by waves
of light. It grew wider and wider, spreading outward while the
body, normally the immediate object of its perception, appeared
to have receded into the distance until I became entirely
unconscious of it. I was now all consciousness, without any
outline, without any idea of a corporeal appendage, without any
feeling or sensation coming from the senses, immersed in a sea of
light simultaneously conscious and aware of every point, spread
out, as it were, in all directions, without any barrier or
material obstruction.
I was no longer myself, or to be more accurate, no longer as I
knew myself to be, a small point of awareness confined in a body,
but instead was a vast circle of consciousness in which the body
was but a point, bathed in light and in a state of exaltation and
happiness inpossible to describe.
- fromLiving With Kundalini
by Gopi Krishna, published by Shambala.
You dance, dance, dance.
Then n/um lifts you up in your belly and lifts you in your back,
and you start to shiver. N/um makes you tremble, it's hot. Your
eyes are open, but you don't look around; you hold your eyes
still and look straight ahead. But when you get into !kia, you're
looking around because you see everything, because you see what's
troubling everybody ... N/um enters every part of your body,
right to the tip of your feet and even your hair.
N/um is put into the body through the backbone. It boils in my
belly and boils up to my head. The thing comes up after a dance;
then when I lay my hands of a sick person, the n/um in me will go
into him and cure him.
In your backbone you feel a pointed something, and it works its
way up. The base of your spine is tingling, tingling, tingling;
and then it makes your thoughts nothing in your head.
- from the documentary N/um Tchai: The
Ceremonial Dance of the !Kung Bushmen by
John Marshall, Harvard University.
The ascent of Kundalini as
it pierces through the chakras is manifested in certain physical
and psychic signs. Yogis have described the trembling of the body
which precedes the arousal of Kundalini, and the explosion of
heat which passes like a current through the Susumna channel.
During Kundalini's ascent, inners sounds resemble a waterfall,
the humming of bees, the sound of a bell, a flute, or the
tinkling of ornaments. In closed-eye perception the yogi
visualizes a variety of forms, such as dots of light, or
geometrical shapes that in the final state of illumination
dissolve into an inner radiance of intensely bright, pure light.
The aspirant may experience creeping sensations in the spinal
cord, tingling sensations all over the body, heaviness in the
head or sometimes giddiness, automatic and involuntary laughing
or crying; or he may see visions of deities or saints.
Dream-scenes of all kinds may appear, from the heavenly to the
demonic. Physically, the abdomen wall may become flat and be
drawn towards the spine; there may be diarrhea or constipation;
the anus contracts and is drawn up; the chin may press down
against the neck; the eyeballs roll upwards or rotate; the body
may bend forward or back, or even roll around on the floor;
breathing may be constricted (sometimes is seems to cease
altogether, although in fact if does not, but merely becomes
extremely slight); the mind becomes empty and there is an
experience of being a witness in the body.
There may be a feeling of Prana flowing in the brain or spinal
cord. Sometimes there is a spontaneous chanting of mantras or
songs, or simply vocal noises. The eyes may not open in spite of
one's efforts to open them. The body may revolve or twist in all
directions. Sometimes it bounces up and down with crossed legs,
or creeps about, snake-like on the floor. Some perform asanas
(yogic postures) both known and unknown; sometimes the hands move
in classic, formal dance patterns, even though the meditator
knows nothing of dance. Some speak in tongues.
Sometimes the body feels as if it is floating upwards, and
sometimes as if it is being pressed down into the earth. It may
feel as if it has grown enormously large, or extremely small. It
may shake and tremble and become limp, or turn as rigid as stone.
Some get more appetite, some feel aversion to food. Even when
engaged in activities other than meditation, the aspirant who
concentrates his mind, experiences movements of Prana-shakti all
over the body, or slight tremors. There may be aches in the body,
or a rise or drop in temperature. Some people become lethargic
and averse to work. Sometimes the meditator hears buzzing sounds
as of blowing conches, or bird-song or ringing bells. Questions
may arise in the mind and be spontaneously answered during
meditation.
Sometimes the tongue sticks to the palate or is drawn back
towards the throat, or protrudes from the mouth. The throat may
get dry or parched. The jaws may be clenched, but after a time
they reopen. One may start yawning when one sits for meditation.
There may be a feeling of the head becoming separated from the
body, or "headlessness." Sometimes one may be able to
see things around one even with the eyes closed. Various types of
intuitive knowledge may begin. One may see one's own image. One
may even see one's own body lying dead. From some or all of these
signs, one may know that Kundalini Shakti has become active. The
Kundalini produces whatever experiences are necessary for the
aspirant's spiritual progress, according to habit-pattern formed
by past action.
- Ajit Mookerjee from "Kundalini - The Awakening of Inner
Energy" in Ancient Wisdom and Modern
Science edited by Stanislov Grof and
published by State University of New York Press.
All
Glory unto the current of Divine Bliss which, brimming from the
river of Thy Holy stories, flows into the lake of my mind,
through the canals of intellect, subduing the dust of sin and
cooling the heat of memory - Shankaracharya
There are four ways in which
the Guru deliberately awakens the Shakti: by touch, word, look,
and thought. The first method is initiation through touch, called
sparsha diksha. The
touch can also be given by an authorized disciple of the Guru and
such a touch carries with it the full power of the Guru who has
authorized it. There are three main places that the Guru touches:
one is the space between the eyebrows at the ajna
chakra, another place is in the heart, and
the third place is the muladhara, at the base of the spine. It
was through his touch that Sri Ramakrishna gave Vivekananda an
instantaneous experience of divinity.
The second method of initiation is through word, or mantra
diksha,in which the Guru's Shakti enters the
disciple by means of the mantra. The Guru who gives this mantra
has repeated it himself for a long time during the course of his
sadhana, has realized the power of the mantra, and is able to
charge it with a living conscious force. His whole being is
saturated with the mantra. When the Guru has made his mantra
divine and alive, that mantra is then known as chaitanya,
or conscious mantra. This mantra is perfect; it brings
liberation, as well as bestowing all types of powers. Through
constant repetition of the mantra,the Kundalini is awakened. If
the Guru whispers the mantra directly into one's ear, then the
Kundalini may be immediately awakened.
When one practices the prana mantra, so'ham,
becoming aware of the syllables ham
and sa which come in and
go out with the breath, the Shakti awakens very quickly.
The third method is called drik diksha,
initiation through a look. One who gives this initiation should
have an inward look. If you look at the pictures of the great
saints, you will see that their eyes are directed inward, at the
inner Self. Even though the eyes of such a being are open and
appear to be looking outward, actually his attention is fixed
within his own being. So, only one who is permanently established
in the inward look can give initiation through the eyes.
The fourth way is initiation by thought, called manasa
diksha,in which the Guru just thinks about
it and the person gets initiated.
When there is an instantaneous experience of the supreme Reality
through either the touch, word, look, or thought of the Guru,
this initiation is called shambavi diksha.
This is the great initiation. However, few people have the
strength to bear the force of the impact of such an initiation.
- from Kundalini - The Secret of Life
by Swami Muktananda, published by SYDA Foundation.
The
"petals" of the sahasrar
are just a symbol for the feelings that occur when energy
overflows. The overflowing is a flowering, just like a flower,
itself, is an overflowing. You will feel that something has
become a flower. The door is open ad it will go outward.
It will not be felt inwardly, it will be felt outwardly.
Something has opened like a flower, like a flower with a thousand
petals. It is just a feeling, but the feeling corresponds to the
truth. The feeling is a translation and interpretation. The mind
cannot conceive of it, but the feeling is just like a flowering.
The closest, the nearest thing that we can say is that it is like
a bud opening. It is felt like that. That is why we have
conceived of the opening of the sahasrar
as "a thousand petaled lotus."
So many petals - so many! And they go on opening... they go on
opening. The opening is endless. It is a fulfillment; it is a
flowering of the human being. Then you become just like a tree,
and everything that was in you has flowered.
Then all you can do is to offer this flower to the divine. We
have been offering flowers, but they are broken flowers. Only this
flower can be a real offering.
- from Meditation: The Art of Ecstasy
by Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, published by Harper & Row.
The Quiet Awareness of
simply tuning in and seeing, feeling, tasting, touching, and
hearing the sounds in our immediate environment brings on a
stillness of mind that is universally relaxing to all who will
take even a few moments to simply be.
You dance, dance, dance.
Then n/um lifts you up in your belly and lifts you in your back,
and you start to shiver. N/um makes you tremble, it's hot. Your
eyes are open, but you don't look around; you hold your eyes
still and look straight ahead. But when you get into !kia, you're
looking around because you see everything, because you see what's
troubling everybody ... N/um enters every part of your body,
right to the tip of your feet and even your hair. 
The ascent of Kundalini as
it pierces through the chakras is manifested in certain physical
and psychic signs. Yogis have described the trembling of the body
which precedes the arousal of Kundalini, and the explosion of
heat which passes like a current through the Susumna channel.
During Kundalini's ascent, inners sounds resemble a waterfall,
the humming of bees, the sound of a bell, a flute, or the
tinkling of ornaments. In closed-eye perception the yogi
visualizes a variety of forms, such as dots of light, or
geometrical shapes that in the final state of illumination
dissolve into an inner radiance of intensely bright, pure light.
The aspirant may experience creeping sensations in the spinal
cord, tingling sensations all over the body, heaviness in the
head or sometimes giddiness, automatic and involuntary laughing
or crying; or he may see visions of deities or saints.
Dream-scenes of all kinds may appear, from the heavenly to the
demonic. Physically, the abdomen wall may become flat and be
drawn towards the spine; there may be diarrhea or constipation;
the anus contracts and is drawn up; the chin may press down
against the neck; the eyeballs roll upwards or rotate; the body
may bend forward or back, or even roll around on the floor;
breathing may be constricted (sometimes is seems to cease
altogether, although in fact if does not, but merely becomes
extremely slight); the mind becomes empty and there is an
experience of being a witness in the body.
There are four ways in which
the Guru deliberately awakens the Shakti: by touch, word, look,
and thought. The first method is initiation through touch, called
sparsha diksha. The
touch can also be given by an authorized disciple of the Guru and
such a touch carries with it the full power of the Guru who has
authorized it. There are three main places that the Guru touches:
one is the space between the eyebrows at the ajna
chakra, another place is in the heart, and
the third place is the muladhara, at the base of the spine. It
was through his touch that Sri Ramakrishna gave Vivekananda an
instantaneous experience of divinity.