Meditating On Life & Death

Through meditation we learn to understand and train the mind. Emotions are a whole other arena. I have to admit that I have been somewhat surprise by the level of grief I am experiencing since the four-legged member of our family  Samantha  died yesterday. I guess sometimes you don’t realize quite how much you love someone until they’re gone.

Sam was actually my wife’s dog, coming to her as a wild stray while my wife was a monk at a Zen Buddhist monastery in the hills of California. She had clearly been abused, and for the rest of her life whenever she saw someone holding a broom would cower. At first Sam wouldn’t even come into my wife’s hermitage to sleep, in fact she wouldn’t even let herself be covered as she slept outside.

By the time I met her 4 1/2 years ago Sam was fully domesticated and the most gentle and loving dog I have ever met. There was a deep bond of love and loyalty between Sam and my wife. It was clear that I was a definite second in Sam’s affection, and to be honest I sometimes felt in my wife’s too. Once our son was born, I slipped down to third place.

Probably because of this, and really being a cat person, I wasn’t always as loving and tolerant of Sam as I could have been. But life is always teaching if we are willing to learn, and my wife is a great teacher to me. She models to me patience with tenderness, as Sam so often did as well.

With Samantha’s death I find myself reflecting on how important it is to appreciate and value those that we care for, and how much good we can do by being respectful and kind. The choice is always there. The future is unknown and unpredictable, when we take those we love for granted, we are already losing them.

I have also noticed that my mind has not gone into what if’s or if only’s. From so many years of meditation I see that my mind naturally lets things be as they are and lives more and more comfortably in the present, grief and all.

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Letting Children Be Who They Are

This morning, after struggling with increasingly ill health for some time, our dog Samantha passed away. My son Sebastian who’s 3 and a half, has been aware that Sam has not been well and more recently we began talking to him about the fact that sooner or later she would die and no longer be with us.

Recently he had being doing things to take the illness away, which mostly consisted of crawling under her, coming out the other side and throwing away the illness once he got to the other side. Sam has been there his whole life, they had their own personal relationship and she was an integral part of our family.

I’m not sure quite what ‘dying’ or ‘dead’ mean to him and I wanted us to be prepared for questions that I imagined coming, about where she’s gone and why. I also imagined, some form of grief for him and hoped my wife and I in our own grief would handle it well. I was concerned that we have something consistent and clear to give him as answers, this being his first experience of death in a personal way.

So far there have been no questions and no overt or even subtle signs of grief. He has actually been very matter of fact about it. When we told him Sam had died this morning, he said ‘yes you told me she would’, and this morning before he went to school we had told him that she probably would die. This morning as my wife and I were in the first waves of grief, he brought us cups of milk to help us feel better

I had a memory during the day of myself as a young child coming home from school to find the rabbit hutch empty and told Penny had died. I was very upset, but my parents hadn’t spoken to me about her being ill or dying so it was a bolt out of the blue for which i had no preparation.

In other big changes in Sebastians life, we have begun talking to him about them months in advance, and when we have by the time the change comes it has passed easily and smoothly.

Today was another lesson for me to let him be who he is, the rewards are obvious already.

 

 

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Deepak Chopra On Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi started out as one kind of cultural curiosity – a lone Hindu monk who aimed to teach meditation to the world – and ended up as a different kind of cultural curiosity: the one-time guru to the Beatles. He came remarkably close to fulfilling his original intent. Millions of westerners learned Transcendental Meditation (TM), and a new word, ‘mantra’, was added to the English language. He survived long after the departure of the Fab Four, who decamped almost as soon as they sniffed the thin air of Maharishi’s Himalayan retreat (excluding George Harrison, who turned into a genuine seeker and quiet ally).

Maharishi owed his survival to two things. He was sincerely a guru, a ‘dispeller of darkness’, who had the good of the world at heart, despite the wags who turned TM into the McDonald’s of meditation and the caricatures that morphed his white-bearded image into a pop cliché. Read the complete article here.

 

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Iyengar Interview

In most of the world, and certainly India it is December 14 and BKS Iyengars 90th birthday,

To mark  this occasion here are two video interviews with the great teacher.The beginning of the first one is slow to get going.Enjoy.

 

 

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Meditation – As Good As Sleep?

Two ways in which meditation is said  to help people, are making them feel more focused and energetic, but are these benefits measurable?

A study two years ago, led by Prashant Kaul of the University of Kentucky does some way to prove that they are. Following a series of tests, when the researchers tested the alertness of volunteers, they found that meditation proved more effective than naps, exercise or caffeine. The results of the experiments were later presented at a conference of the Society for Neuroscience, which indicates the interest such research is shown.

The researchers, took twelve participants who did not previously meditate,  and taught them a basic practice  in two short sessions.

Then, over a number of weeks, the participants came in and took a test devised to measure abilities like reaction time. These tests involved a series of visual cues on a display screen that the study participants had to respond to by pushing the correct button.

The tests were carried out at mid – to late afternoon, when most people tend to be less alert. The test were done before and after 40 minutes of meditating, napping or exercising, or after taking caffeine. Napping produced poor results, presumably because of “sleep inertia,” that groggy feeling on first waking from a nap.

Caffeine was shown to help, and exercise was unpredictable.

Older studies have discovered that people are ‘awake’ while meditating but that their brains undergo changes similar to patterns found in sleep. Some studies have reported that people who meditate a lot generally sleep less. This created a curiosity to see if meditation could serve the same function as sleep. The results seem to support the idea that it can.

Amazingly when some of the meditators were asked to skip a night’s sleep and then take the test, the researchers found meditation was even more helpful!

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Iyengar To Head Yoga Association

 Yogacharya BKS Iyengar has been appointed as the first president of the Indian Yoga Association (IYA). The association has fifteen of the nation’s top yoga centres. The first general body meeting of IYA chaired by BKS Iyengar will be held in Mumbai on January 5, 2009.

Yogacharya Iyengar, who will reach 90 years of age on December 14, said, “Yoga should be made compulsory in all our schools and colleges. I had begun teaching yoga to school and college students in Pune in 1937.”

Full story here

And with more life history here in a good article.

What an inspiration that man is.

  

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The Problem – Stress The Answer – Meditation

Every week we seem to hear about another illness in which stress is a significant factor. The understanding of the impact of stress is becoming more widespread, as the pressures and demands of modern living takes its toll.

Stress can originate anywhere and the causes are pretty much limitless. Rushing from place to place, bills in the post, poor relationships, feelings and beliefs of lack, need for approval, criticism, pressure, lack of appreciation or understanding the list goes on and on.

What is negatively stressful for one person may be perfectly acceptable to another, indeed some people seem to thrive on stress and others seem to go to pieces over the slightest little thing. Stress, it seems, is not triggered by an actual event, but how we, as an individual react to that event. The situation that makes us feel stressed one day could have no impact the next. More usual though, is that there is a gradual build up of stress, which may or may not, eventually exceed personal tolerance levels.

Not all stress is bad, we need a certain amount of it to motivate us, to get the best out of us. Without stress we can become apathetic, lethargic, lazy. Stress is activating. It’s a case of balance and appropriateness.

There are two main types of stress, Eustress is the positive and Distress of course, the negative. There is also Post Traumatic Stress, which, as its name suggests, can occur as a consequence of a past traumatic experience, which really needs professional help.

You might feel yourself to be under constant pressure and unable to cope with the demands of today’s hectic lifestyle. It seems strange that when we have so many time-saving, labour saving devices, washing machines, microwaves, tumble dryers, dishwashers, remote controlled everything, to name but a few, many of us still find it difficult to enjoy quality time doing what we really want to do. How much time have we actually gained from these inventions? Have they together added to the complexity of our lives? When we do have the spare time, how many of us feel guilty when we are inactive or doing something for ourselves?

In addition many people today are suffering from ‘information overload’ too much information for the mind to cope with. We wake up with busy minds and we go to bed with busy minds. We are bombarded everywhere we go with images an dinformation.

Primitive man was governed by the need to hunt for food and the animal body is designed to act or react as in the ‘fight or flight’ response. When faced with danger the blood flows away from the stomach and to the limbs, (hence that sinking feeling) to enable man to run or fight; the digestion shuts down, which is why it is never a good idea to eat when under stress, otherwise you could suffer from indigestion. The muscles tense ready for action, the glands secrete adrenalin, a powerful chemical eventually, when the threat of an attack is over the body returns to a state of near normal, but it is still on the alert – remaining vigilant.

Technology has advanced at a far greater speed than human beings have. And the stressors of yesteryear are very different from the ones of today. We rarely need to fight or flee these days,  but our body is still prepared every time the stress triggers are pushed.

In consequence all that negative energy accumulates in the muscles. It may cause ulcers, migraine, tension headache, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety or panic attacks, perhaps just feelings of general unease. There could be dizziness, irritability, a feeling of being constantly ‘on edge’.

Too much stress results in failure of the immune system to produce those important T cells that help to fight off infection. The immune system then attacks itself, resulting in arthritis, ME, MS, allergies, asthma, to name but a few.

If we look at the physical and psychological benefits of meditation we can see that this ancient spiritual practice is the perfect antidote to the stresses we face in the modern world. Even beginning with as little as ten minutes a day will have benefit.

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Overcoming Objections To Meditation

 Isn’t Meditation Religious?

The great thing about meditation is that our philosophical or religious belief are not important. Meditation is process of immersion in consciousness itself, beyond the structures of mind. The beliefs of the mind become increasingly transparent and their power over us diminishes. We dive deep into the heart of ourselves to gain access to our spirit – our true nature. Therefore, mediation can (and is ) practiced by people of different religions or no religion.

But I don’t have time To Meditate

Many people like the idea of meditation, but feel they don’t have enough time. The truth is when you really want to do something you make time for it. You can get up earlier or watch 30 minutes less TV. Meditation requires an investment of time, but clearing the mind makes the the rest of the day more productive. Nothing is better than the feeling of inner peace and no relationship is more important than the one with yourself. O course I do not mean this in a narcissistic way. Most of us are so busy running around chasing our lives and trying to keep up with our desires that our relationship with ourselves (and subsequently others) is superficial. What is the point in being tremendously busy but unable to enjoy it and it doesn’t make you happy? Meditation is not about retreating from the world; it is a journey of self exploration and discovery. Whatever you do, if you have peace of mind, your work will be more enjoyable and productive.

Meditation is boring!

Unfortunately, our mind is often addicted to complication and drama and it takes time to unlearn bad habits. Often the beginners experience of meditation is a confrontation with the inane chatter of their minds, and this is not comfortable. When we are busy with our lives the chatter of our ‘monkey mind’ is less obvious, largely because we habitually identify with it as ‘who’ we are. Confronting this ‘who’ we are when we sit for meditation can be an unpleasant shock.

Also the mind rebels, it enjoys it’s unbridled freedom to constantly jump from idea to idea, desire to desire, judgment to judgment. In the practice of meditation the free running mind is bridled and gradually trained. It is trained to focus, it becomes disciplined, eventually it becomes the tool and not the master.

For centuries all human cultures have sought the spiritual benefits of meditation in one form or another. Through it many people have discovered its ability to momentarily separate us from our material needs and desires and put us in contact with the greater part of what we are. With time, practicing meditation will reveal as direct experience that we are not our thoughts, and open us to the ‘mystery’ beyond appearance and form.

We can use meditation to open up our minds to receive deeper wisdom, and insight into our own nature. This helps to guide us down the road of self-awareness as we evolve towards enlightenment.

Anyone can reap these spiritual benefits of meditation. The benefits include greater self-awareness and understanding, a deepening sense of being present in the here and now. From self awareness develops self acceptance and in time compassion. A deeper relationship with yourself allows deeper relationships with others. Meditation can with time become your best friend.

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How’s Your Spiritual Growth?

The idea of quantifying one’s own spiritual growth, it seems to me is one which lays itself open to a labyrinth of ego centred pitfalls. We are so well versed in justifying our own egoic nature and exaggerating our own self-importance that anything we believe is evidence of our spiritual progress must be Carefully examined. If the issue were one of psychological development then it may seem more reasonable. The criteria there are more clear cut, healthy ego function, good boundaries, self esteem aligned with actual achievements and so on.

But for our spiritual development what criteria of measurement exist? And other than our own intuition what do we have by which to measure?  Looking at development in the psychological realm is in no way indicative of development in the spiritual. As Adyshanti said once "I have met people with healthy ego function who are by no means ready to wake up, and I have met people with the most dis-functional egos who are ready to wake up" (paraphrased quote)

For spiritual development there is no agreed framework or quantified criteria that we can measure ourselves against. When such constructs exist they tend to lean towards the formation of systems of moral code, and we probably all carry images and beliefs of what is ‘spiritual’ person is like. It seems to me the need to measure one’s spiritual growth could be a sign of a lack of it, as it is a notion so entrenched in logical, linear ‘human’ thought. Probably the construction, indeed the need of such measuring, can only lead to a strengthening of the ego’s belief in the prevalence of it’s own view of reality. For it is only the ego that can serve as the means of measuring. Beyond the ego the status of any such measurement is meaningless.

And yet our journey is through the domain of the relative self, and when you have been doing spiritual practices for some time it is inevitable to wonder if any progress is being made. When first beginning meditation for example progress can seem quite clear and distinct  at first. Then after some time it all seems to be the same with little noticeable change in the experience. It is in these periods when the doubt and questioning of progress tend to occur. These are the times when our deep commitment and intention come into focus.

In a period of my own life which was completely and solely dedicated to spiritual practice, I found great relief from doubt of spiritual progress, from something I read that Sri Aurobindo had said. It was in essence this -  enlightenment is inevitable, nobody is heading anywhere else. Some time later  I realized this truth as a direct knowing rather than received knowledge. My experience of this kind of direct knowing, is that it brings peace and deepens faith. It has probably been eight years now since that experience. In that time doubt has continue to arise from time to time, but has no lasting strength in the face of the faith from that direct experience.

 The problem with constructing a measurable criteria for spiritual development is that every person is unique in their own spiritual process. Another aspect of my own realization was that life itself is a spiritual process, and as such everybody is on a spiritual path. All that differentiates us is whether we are consciously engaged with the spiritual process, or not. Either way, it is going on, and progress towards enlightenment is inevitable.

Sri Aurobindo however had a sucker punch for all of us, especially those of us who might have grand ideas about our level of spiritual development. He said -  enlightenment is just the beginning!

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Maintaining A Healthy Aura

Everything that exists is vibrating energy. The rate of vibration pertaining to the specific form of existence that the energy manifest as. Some manifestations are physical and as we are in physical bodies they appear to us as solid objects. Some take this to be the limits of reality, but there are many forms of energy that have a vibration too high to become physically manifest other than in their interaction with physical things. There are the obvious examples that effect us every day, radio waves, sound and light, and of course our thoughts and emotions. All these things we know to exist yet cannot physically see.

As has already been inferred human beings, indeed all living things are made up of physicalized and non physical energies. Each human being is a complex weave of differing levels of energy vibration, emanating in overlapping layers out from the physical body as the aura or energy field. There are generally seen to be seven layers of energy in the aura, getting subsequently subtler and higher in vibration the further from the physical body. These layers correspond to the seven

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