Stretching for Meditation

This is a great site (the best I have found) for instructions on how to stretch in order to achieve a full lotus position while in seated meditation.

How to Grow a Lotus

I found it several years ago and it is still ranking first in google so I assume it's very popular. :)

Have a NICE day and remember to...

SMILE... :)

Here is the link again in case you are clinically blind: click here!

Zen Master's Work Ethic - Three Gunas - The Middle Way Pt. 2

"If you focus your mind on me
and revere me with all your heart,
you will surely come to me; this
I promise, because I love you."

~ Lord Krishna

The book Siddhartha is a book that was written to illustrate the changes that one (that is to say, a seeker) of any time or place undergoes when trying to find the truth. Just like the historical Siddhartha Guatama buddha, the main character in Herman Hesse's book Siddhartha undergoes radical changes in order to become the man that he eventually becomes. He starts off being very monastic, then goes into the work, meets women, makes money, eventually gets fed up and leaves, only to find himself once again rediscovering himself. This is a great illustration of the "middle way" which I was talking about yesterday.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says (and I'm paraphrasing from memory) "There is the man who wants power, there is the man who wants happiness, both these men are wise men, but the one who is wise and detached is, not clinging to anything, is most like me, therefore I love him most." This is also a reference to the middle way... the "sattvic" quality.

The version of the Bhagavad Gita which I highly recommend is translated by Stephen Mitchell and can be found here. It's wonderful...and it may just capture your imagination like it did me. There are some things to look out for with the Bhagavad Gita that may surprise you...and Stephen does a good job of explaining these things to a Western Audience.

The strange things....

First of all, the weirdest thing about the Bhagavad Gita which I am only too happy to point out (because I love shattering people's pardigms) is that it is not a doctrine of Non-violence.

Picture Ghandi with his broken teeth....

It is not in fact, a doctrine of non-violence. Not only that, it is a book which actually ENCOURAGES a soldier to fight in war. This is one of the things which I absolutely love about it... which will bring me right into tomorrow's talk, I'll explain why.

The second thing is, the book is sexist. VERY. Hindus, at least during the ancient times, believed that to be born a woman was a lesser state. That it was the result of bad karma (I know....) this may put off some if not all women. However, there is no mention that women are any less capable of attaining divine knowledge, but still the implication is still there.

Thirdly, Krishna states in the Bhagavad Gita that he in fact founded the "four caste system" which means that hindus (at various times in history, not as much today) believe that the caste system is divinely ordained...which is a bit strange. And you might say racist. If not racist certainly class-ist (?.)

So with all these set-backs, why do I like it? I'll go further into it in lessons in the future and you will understand more and more why I like, but for now I'll just say, it's ancient, and there is a wisdom in it that is absolutely unshakable, and can save you from literally ANYTHING no matter how messed up your life is, no matter how insane you feel, it will be there, telling you everything is okay and how to get out of your situation. So for that reason, I have to like it. But I'm not sexist, or racist. I promise!

Zen Master's Work Ethic - Three Gunas - The Middle Way

"You expect me to explain everything right from the beginning? Right from kindergarten class?"

 ~ Nisargadatta Maharaj 





What is the work ethic of the zen master? How is he able to work so hard? How is he able to have such discipline? What motivates him?

The Three Gunas idea comes from Hinduism and more or less works out to something like this:

The three Gunas are: Tamas, Sattvas, Rajas.

In Tamasic energy, you've got sloth, muddiness, perversion, laziness....

In Rajasic energy you have passion, anger, urgency, restlessness.....

In Sattvic energy is the "between" or "just right" where you're not overly passionate, and you're not slothful.

Much like goldilocks....

Yes, in addition to disturbing the every day life of three bears, goldilocks also illustrated a Zen concept in typical Zen parable form. The best kind of energy is the "middle way" energy which is the most peaceful. Nothing that is sattvic in nature can be of any harm, while the tamas and rajas seek to reek all kinds of harm on us every day. However it's also important to note that this does not make them "bad" but merely part of the every day float of elements.

This is also called "dispassionate awareness" by Maharaj. And this concept of "Just right" comes up over and over again in any enlightenment doctrine that is worth its salt (or porridge).

After all, didn't the Buddha himself find enlightenment only after realizing the "middle way" between excess and self-denial? This concept is illustrated wonderfully in Herman Hesse's beautiful novel based on the Buddha's life called Siddhartha. It's a wonderful book that should be read by everybody, especially young men in search of purpose.

Frequently its in the energy known as love that this Sattva Guna truly flourishes. So the idea of being in a close relationship might be a divine mandate just as much as it is a societal expectation, and personal inclination.

"When you're warm, really warm, well you get things done, like they've never been done...."


~ John Lennon "Hold on" 

Infinity

"This is the place where the intellect gets annihilated...." 

~Nisargadatta Maharaj 

This is a Zen drawing which has its roots deep in Japanese history and culture as well as buddhist. I once had a vision where I saw this circle as being the universe...I don't know the real "academic meaning" but I take it to mean, basically, infinity.

The void universe IS a circle which includes all things, yet, is never finished because, it has no beginning nor end, and is therefore infinite.

If we think about our fundamental thinking as having to change, in order for us to appreciate the difference between buddhism and Christianity, for example, it would certainly make sense that the Christian idea of a "beginning" and also a "final judgment" comes from the fundamental belief in Birth and Death, which is something that doesn't exist in Buddhism. Once you get that that reincarnation is infinite, an infinite loop, then you also see that there never was a "beginning" nor will there be an "end". It was all a mere illusion.

The idea of infinity may be one of the most important ideas to grasp because if there is no birth, and no death, there is no reason to DEFEND one's existence. There is no longer any reason to fight for survival. There is no reason to fight for what you want out of life. And yet, we do. Which comes to the idea of non-doing. Non-doing exists in taoism, buddhism, and hinduism in different guises but basically comes down to: "doership" is an illusion, created by desire. If you are doing things for others, you essentially forget the fundamental separation between yourself and the world. Non-doing does not mean no action, but it means no SELFISH action, only action for others. In the process of thinking only about others, one forgets oneself, naturally seeing the witness behind and beyond the individual identity, and merging thereafter with the ocean of awareness which sets the background of our existence. This is also known as "enlightenment." To realize you exist beyond time and space (are not limited by birth and death) that is enlightenment. To reach the state where there is no longer any more CREATION of karma at any level, is Parinirvana or simply NIRVANA.

But as Stephen Wolinsky is fond of saying: "Nirvana Means Extinction." Literally...the word Nirvana means:

EXTINCTION.

Of what? Personal identity. Separation consciousness. Limited consciousness. Finite consciousness. The idea to ponder is, the circle. Which is, void universe, Infinity. All sentient beings are emptiness.

Advaita Vedanta, Nisarga Yoga, Non-Duality...An Introduction

First of all a small note. If you happen to use Google plus, please click the "plus one" button at the bottom on posts you like. If you use any other social media and like one of my posts, please share it with others. Thank you very much !

"You are not your thoughts, memories, emotions, associations, perceptions, attentions, or intentions...." ~ Stephen Wolinksy

If you go to India, you might hear people talking about advaita. Advaita is a broad term which can encompass a range of teachings....

I interpret advaita as I have heard it explained as being basically "one substance, not two." That everything is in fact one substance, and not two substances. Vedanta means "the end of the vedas" the vedas being the teachings. Perhaps this video will help you understand.

This is a disciple of Maharaj whom I met at one of his (Wolinsky's) conferences. He is very into quantum physics and neuroscience as a way to explain and understand Advaita Vedanta, or the teachings of Maharaj.

There is another component to Maharaj from which Maharaj himself derived his name (Nisargadatta). Nisargadatta was not his real name, but was a name he appointed himself after his realization because it was a name that came up for him when he was writing poetry. The word Nisarga which means natural (roughly translated) in this context is from the idea of "Nisarga Yoga" which is basically the yoga of living. Maharaj called it the only natural Yoga. It is a non-yoga if you will, it is the yoga of living, the yoga of everyday life. You live your life, contemplate the teachings and then become self-realized. Maybe you would be given a few instructions, perhaps a mantra, and told to meditate and think on the teachings but that's it.

Maharaj was himself part of a nine master lineage in India. He had a guru from whom he got his teaching and who told him to do Bhajans which are devotional songs to him every day as a kind of tribute. Which he did, every day, until he died which was in his eighties.

In Tantric Yoga (which has very little to do with sex, btw, although the West has interpreted it that way) they talk about how everything is consciousness, and nothing exists outside of consciousness, meaning, everything, including the Observer you are, the person you are, and your world, is part of the same ONE consciousness, which is to assert the underlying UNITY that is present in these kinds of teachings and religions. This is the essence of Non-Duality, also, since obviously the fundamental duality comes from our belief in ourselves as Individuals, separate from our Environments, and each other. Are you tripped out yet? If not, you will be soon.

For more info, check out NetiNetifilms.com.

Or check out one of Wolinsky's self-help books here: Trances People Live

That's all for now, I hope this has been helpful. Remember, if you like the posts, share them or google PLUS them!

20-minute meditation

Just finished a 20-minute meditation...this is a cool website to time your meditation sessions: http://www.onlinemeditationtimer.com/. Cheers!

~AA

Nobody Reads Anymore!

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" ~Lao Tzu

I'll admit. I consider myself a pretty decent writer. I write this blog in the hopes that there are some people left on the planet who like to read. But I also plan to include a lot of video, and a lot of things for people who don't like to read, or don't have the time to. My goal is to guide the reader in their meditation path as easily as I can, from the knowledge I have gathered. I hope you can find some help in these pages, and if you are going to come by frequently, I hope you'll support my work by buying something from one of my links.

The things included in this blog will be:

-Overall review of concepts included in the study of meditation, eastern mysticism, oneness, non-duality, and a lot of other cool stuff. I shy away from Christianity and most of the Monotheistic religions, but you may hear an occasional mention of it.

My Goals:

-To create posts that are fun and interesting as well as being soothing, the kind of thing that will inspire you to meditate, to keep a meditation journal, to pay attention to your dreams, to find the inner artist, etc. I hope also to be entertaining, rich with content, variety, and I assume you will tell me what you like or dislike (during those rare times when I ask!).

Please don't be offended...

-I don't do this blog to incite criticism, debate, or even conversation... meditation is about silence. I am not "an authority" on anything except for maybe Jimmy John's menu or the Solo work of John Frusciante. I do hold a degree, but it has nothing to do with meditation. It is in Music Production. A lot of what I present is my opinion or personal interpretation of a concept or idea. Other times I will resort to "facts."I am not presenting a public forum for you to tell me about how "wrong I am" about "this or that." I hold nothing against you, but I tell you that my interest simply lies elsewhere. I am not your priest, your dentist, your doctor, lawyer, or your daughter's boyfriend, so please, keep the chit chat to yourself, this is my opinion, take it or leave it. :)

Having cleared that out of the way, let me tell you a little about myself:

I started on my path at the age of 15. I remember getting a book by the Dalai Lama called "How to Practice : The Way to a Meaningful Life". This was a crossroads for me. And at the time, somehow before I started reading, I knew it would be. I read a few interesting books after that, but the one that shook up my world was called "I Am That: Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj". This was something that literally hit my nervous system like a FIRE STORM and consumed me, drug me into hell, sometimes into heaven, but always made me question. Here I am six years later, and I find quoting the book as easy as reciting my own name. Though I rarely look through it at all anymore....

I have had a great amount of interest in meditation, since I found it helpful in aiding me in all kinds of fancy disciplines. Everything I did it seemed to enhance: art, relationships, sports of every kind. I know it can for you.

But the other side of this, for those of us who are intellectually inclined, is the old tradition of SCRIPTURE that is, the written word, upon which we might think. In tandem, these two things can take you to "NIRVANA" as fast as a speedboat can run out of gas during the Arab Winter.

Please understand that I am NOT the kind of person to rely on logic for everything, and there are some things which simply can't be explained, but have to experienced, felt, or searched for in a personal way. Though I do not specifically follow a religion, and always get a little restless when people ask "do you believe in God?" I do believe that one thing that cannot be escaped is that TRUST is as important a part of life as the human ability to logic, reason, and observe. Without trust, you simply cannot progress or evolve. What form that trust takes is up to you.

That's about it for the first post. Comments are disabled. :) -_- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~