Surrendering to Silence

As mentioned in my previous post, meditation is one of the most worthwhile practices you can get in the habit of doing, regardless of whether or not you're interested in spirituality or awakening. Meditation has been overwhelming proven to increase levels of happiness, self-esteem, and well-being, lead to deep states of relaxation, boost blood flow and oxygen levels throughout the body, and lower blood pressure. And perhaps the greatest side-effect of meditation: a stilling of the mind.

For most of the world's population, there is a constant stream of thoughts running through our minds. It is full of beliefs and opinions, old memories and hopes for the future, and of course, a big list that could probably be titled "Ways in Which My Life is Insufficient". And as you may or may not have realized at this point in your life, a majority of these those are most likely completely useless. More often than not, we are too busy thinking about this, that, and the other to directly engage with the moment that we are currently present to.

This "stream of consciousness" really isn't much of a stream at all. For most, it is a raging river. We may think that we have control over our thoughts (and to some degree, maybe we do), but we usually tend to get so caught up in them that they seem to run our lives. And when we try to direct our thoughts, oftentimes we get swept away in them, not knowing where they will take us. Over time, however, the practice of meditation can slow these thoughts down so they resemble a stream - or better yet, a still pond. When the mind is still, we are completely open and available to the present moment, not judging or resisting anything. This allows us to reconnect with our true Selves, because thoughts no longer get in the way.

So how does one meditate? "Meditation" actually covers a variety of different techniques and styles, many of which are covered here (it's broken down into several posts, make sure to scroll through the first page or two). The type of meditation that I feel most beneficial and conducive to stilling the mind is called zazen. In zazen meditation, which is the primary style used by Zen Buddhists, all a person as to do is simply sit, and do nothing else. That may sound simple - and it is - but any person who has tried it will be sure to tell you that it can be quite difficult at first. In the zazen style, you are supposed to detach from your thoughts, and simply watch them pass through your consciousness without following them or engaging in them. This is easier said than done, however, because it requires a deep level of non-action on your part. It is tempting to "think through" the thoughts, and engage in the thoughts until whatever your mind is fixated on drops, but something else will always pop up in its place. We may also try to push our thoughts away and force them to be quiet, but as with many things in life, what you resist, persists. This is why zazen encourages meditators to simply watch the thoughts float by. The mind is like a puddle - agitate it, and the dirt will muddy the water, turning it opaque. But if you just let the puddle be, the sediment settles down to the bottom, and the water becomes clear. And yes, now you know where this blog's URL and title come from. =]

In meditation, when this stillness is reached, we are able to rest in the silence and recognize ourselves as actually being the silence. This silence - the silence that is there behind your thoughts, the silence that allows your thoughts to flow - is who you actually are. This is thought of as awareness, or consciousness. You are not your mind; you are the awareness that perceives the mind. When you are breathing in meditation, you are not the one breathing. You are the consciousness that is aware of the breathing. This shift in perception is essential to detaching from the ego-mind and its grasp in your life. Once we recognize that we are no longer slave to the voice in our heads, we are able to enjoy life in a freer and more connected way.

Before doing zazen meditation, a simple breathing meditation may be necessary to calm the mind down enough that we are not immediately swept away in our train of thought. This, the most basic of meditations, is probably my favorite, if only for its sheer simplicity: watch your breath. That's all you have to do. You might have to control your breath and slow it down a bit at first, but then simply feel your breath rise and fall - it may help to concentrate on the chest going up or down, or the air going in and out of the base of your nostrils. When you breath in, there will be a split-second of stillness between when you are breathing in and when you breathe out. Direct your attention towards this gap of silence, and do the same thing before you breathe back in after breathing out. As you meditate, let this gap between in- and exhalation get longer and longer. This will help you get a glimpse of the "no-mind" state, in which thoughts cease. However, it is important to remember that as long as you are controlling thoughts, you are acting from ego and attempting to manipulate your experience, and this type of ego-control is exactly what we are trying to detach from. This is why I recommend this type of breathing meditation to initially get relaxed and settle into the meditation practice, though after a few minutes I would advocate switching to zazen meditation, in which you can more directly experience yourself as the empty awareness that you really are.

Namaste,

Justin

Dilemma!

Question: "Okay, I know that spiritual awakening is something that I are interested in and would like to pursue. How do I do it?"

Answer: You don't! And here's why: "you" are not the one who is actually waking up! Awakening is a completely spontaneous process through which the ideas about ourselves fall away. When we experience reality, there tends to be a lot of thinking involved. We take what we see, analyze and interpret it, and then call our interpretation of what we see the truth. Essentially, what each of us calls reality is a collection of ideas that we tell ourselves about reality. We have made most of it up. We have drawn a bunch of conclusions about what we think the world is like based on our life's experience of it, and hold these conclusions to be true. However, when we hold these ideas to be true, they serve as filters that distort our perception of reality. Instead of seeing things as they truly are, we see things according to our interpretation.

One of the most influential of these ideas that we tell ourselves is the idea of a personal "me". This is the ego - the collection of stories that answer the question "Who am I?". We think of ourselves as being separate, individual beings that navigate the world, yet any true awakening experience shows that this isn't true. In moments of enlightenment, when reality is seen for what it really is, there is always an absence of self. The personal "me" and all the ideas associated with it are removed, taking the filters that distort our perception with it, and reality is perceived as being what it really is: One. There is no separation between subject and object; both the perceiver and what is being perceived are recognized as being connected in such a way so that they are actually the same thing. There is only one being. From this way of perception, one can see that reality is this One Being experiencing itself. There may be an infinite number of viewpoints from within this One Being, and your experience is one of these viewpoints, but it is still One. This does not mean that there is one being that is surrounded by nothingness, or one being that is separate from everything else. In fact, nothingness and the One are the same thing.

This is why "you" cannot actually do anything to awaken, because "you" are not actually there. In moments of awakening, "you" do not exist. The ego has no part in awakening, because the ego is what is awoken from. The egoic state of consciousness - full of thoughts and ideas and beliefs and identities - is completely shed, and what is left is the recognition of Oneness. This One Being (a.k.a. God/Spirit/Love/Source/Dao/Self/Buddhamind/enlightenment/awakeness/consciousness/Reality) realizes that everything actually is One, and the previously experienced sense of separation is only an illusion.

We cannot ego our way into Enlightenment because as long as we are trying to manipulate our experience, we are saying "I need this set of conditions to be Enlightened", forgetting that enlightenment is the natural state of things; everything is already One, whether you are experiencing things that way or not. When you are directing experience in order to meet a condition, you can be sure that in some way you are turning to thought as a source of truth. You have an idea about what circumstances must be necessary for enlightenment, and are then trying to make those circumstances manifest. But this is just more thought, more ego! Thoughts can never actually be true; Truth lies in the things the thoughts represent. Even these words are not true in of themselves. No word, concept, or thought can ever bring a person to enlightenment, as Who You Are is outside the realm of the mind. This is why awakening must entail a dropping of beliefs, because beliefs reside in the mind, which is the source of our sense of separation.

Although awakening is a spontaneous event and you cannot truly make yourself wake up, you can bring about the conditions that favor awakening. The most common and probably most effective tool that can be used for awakening, spiritual development, and life in general is meditation. Meditation is a practice that has the by-product of stilling and settling the mind, allowing the constant stream of thoughts to slow down. When this happens, we are able to rest in the gaps of silence between thoughts. These gaps create the space for awakening to occur. This is why many people have insights during meditation; with a still mind, they are able to see through all the false beliefs that were distorting their perception of a situation, and are now able to see it with a clearer mind. Meditation alone, however, does not guarantee Enlightenment. Even if a person reaches a meditative state in which their is no thought, if there is still a separation between the meditator and what he or she is experiencing, there is still ego. In order for this ego to further dissolve, one must practice another importance to awakening: acceptance.

True acceptance entails not resisting whatever one is experiencing. Whenever we are resisting the present moment and attempting to manipulate our situation, we are acting from ego. Resistance implies a belief that the current situation isn't good enough, so there is a need to change the experience to something that is "better". Again - all of these ideas lie in the mind. This is why it can be very beneficial to remember the Daoist phrase "Go with the flow." When we go with the flow, we accept the circumstances we are given and harmonize with it, instead of resisting it and trying to change it. The more we go with the flow, the less we are acting from our ego-based identity, and Who You Are is able to manifest itself more easily.

Other general tips for improving the conditions for an awakening experience include practicing love, compassion, and forgiveness; attempting to see things from other people's points of view; engaging in activities that require that one be immersed in the moment, such as competitive sports, playing a musical instrument - any activity, really, as pretty much all activities can be performed in a mindful, conscientious way.

But really. Meditate.

Namaste,

Justin