Unlimited Boundaries

[Samwise]

Hi y'all,

A link below to a free downloadable meditation guide sample that may be of interest (explains all the how-to's).

http://www.aypsite.org/books-dm-sample.pdf

From Xanth's Phasing Primer:

"First step in learning to meditate is to learn to quiet your mind, this means quieting the surface thoughts you have throughout the day. These can equate to the internal dialogue you have going on in your head. I call these “mind interruptions”.

To learn to stop these “mind interruptions” you need something to focus your mind on to push those interruptions out. What you use to accomplish that goal is entirely dependent upon what’s best for you. The two most common are using your non-physical hearing and nonphysical sight to do this.

For hearing, you’re going to construct a mantra, which is simply a nonsense sound that you come up with which has no meaning that you’ll repeat in your head. Its job is to push the internal dialogue out of your head and replace it with uniformity."

The linked guide adopts an internal mental mantra ("I AM"). The author takes an interesting approach to yogic techniques, spiritual yet scientific, he has many decades of experience with yoga but recommends techniques which yield the greatest benefits to one's waking life, and combines different practices with this in mind, leaving out anything he consider superfluous to this aim. Of these, this technique of deep meditation is considered the most important core practice, and closely aligns with Xanth's suggested hearing object of focus during meditation, so this may be worth a look for those interested.

A link here also to a free guide based on the author's take on spinal breathing pranayama, which is a core technique of Kriya yoga, and is considered one of the more powerful (but also safe and easy) pranayama techniques. In more esoteric terms meant to be good for mobilizing energies, but also great at promoting deep states of physical and mental relaxation (a fair bit of science to back this up) and makes an excellent prelude to the meditation (recommended to be adopted prior). Both practices may assist with getting oneself into the correct primed state for attempting projection.

http://www.aypsite.org/books-sbp-sample.pdf

[Xanth]

Hmm, does my book actually say that? I'll need to adjust that slightly during my next edit... whenever that happens.
I wrote that section a couple years back. I have vastly redefined my personal definition of "meditation" since then.

But... then again... I guess it's not all that different from what I wrote before as meditation CAN be about quieting the mind, but in the same breath it's also about so much more, which could include NOT worrying about how quiet your mind is in the first place. You could even use that "noise" as the point of your "focus".

Yes, even mind interruptions... or just simply the 'noise' can be used as a point of focus.

See? Even I contradict myself. hehe

[Samwise]

Hey Mr Xanth

I get what you're saying, but I feel this technique is both pretty simple and not rigid at all...one simply adheres to the mantra, at a flexible pace and intensity and when one finds they are off the mantra, or are having thoughts alongside the mantra, they simply come back to or favour the mantra. So it's not really the quieting the mind that is the act of meditation, it's simply favouring the mantra over any thoughts that come during the meditation time, and quieting the mind in some sense is yielded as a side effect of this process. So in a sense, your recognition of "mind noise" is a positive thing and means you are meditating properly...the focus here isn't quieting the mind here at all, it seems that will happen on its own, and more so in the long term.

It seems you are pretty flexible when it comes to meditation, and as long as the method is working for people, that's the most important thing. So I'm hoping this particular method is ok and gets a Xanth(TM) seal of approval, as this is the one I have recently adopted, and it seems to be working a little better and taking me a little deeper than using breath as a focus as I had used previously.

[Xanth]

You'll get no argument from me!

Mantra's are a great way to meditate. They provide a perfect mix of focus for your hearing and mental faculties.
As I say, it's all about finding the focus that works best for you. For me, it's a visual thing which works best, the "Noticing Exercise" which I introduce people to in my book, which I got from Frank Kepple.

Consider it approved!

[Samwise]

Hi Xanth,

Good stuff! One thing though that I'm not 100% on...from your Phasing Primer, I got the impression you recommended meditation as an additional supplementary practice, and the "noticing exercise" was actually a projection/phasing technique...or is it this and a meditational technique at the same time?? Hope that makes sense!

[Xanth]

That is how I introduce it in my book. HOWEVER, all techniques are meditation techniques really. You can just use them as your focus to project with.

[Samwise]

Ah ok that makes sense. So when you recommend experience with meditation in your guide, that is inclusive of the phasing techniques themselves. That's good to know.