Spirituality is:
The quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul,
or
what could be considered our True Nature
as discovered through an in-depth practice of Self-Realization as opposed to the desire, clinging and attachment to material or physical things.
Thus
a Spiritual practice will lead to our True Nature… of Happiness
that is not effected by materialist things,
as those things can only offer a happiness that is just
a short phase between two phases of UN-happiness.
A Spiritual Path has nothing to do with religion
Often,
Spirituality and seeking the Ultimate Truths
that all the classic philosophers and mystics have contemplated over millennia
could not be further away and the opposite of
all religions that are made up by man from their wildest imaginations
typically for the intensions of controlling the masses
in a time when the power of church and state
was used as a formable weapon.
All the distracting dogmas and doctrines do not serve the inspired aspirant of whom
seeks a Path to experience the Higher States of Human Consciousness here & now
to find the answers to life’s most compelling questions for themselves
and not to rely on taking someone else’s word for it, that it will be answered
sometime after this life in a man made up imaginary place.
But yet,
Even those that currently still identify with a religion
can embark on their own personal Spiritual Path
which will not only liberate them from the unnecessary frustrations of
pain and suffering that life inherently throws our way
and we mistakenly identify with.
Simply with an open mind, the right effort
and the volition to seek the Ultimate indivisible Truths
of our Real Being
to get know our Real Self
and not the one we’ve allowed ourselves to be misled into believing was
Us.
Most folks mis-believe themselves to be their egos
and the story of who they think they are.
This Path of Liberation is complete when
we simply find our Selves.
Our True Self.
This is called Self Realization.
Most people mistake their selves to be their
bodies, mind, thoughts, egos, emotions, likes & dislikes, memories
and other characteristics they identify with… In other words…
just the story of who we think we are… presented as a tidy label.
But everyone at some point will come around to agree that…
The body dies.
:-O
And along with it,
all of those objects, adjectives, and labels that describe who we think we are
die with it.
So,
even if you consider yourself to be a religious person,
If you pursue this path of Self contemplation
Along the line, while engage in the higher states of human conscoussness,
you will also consequently feel like you’ve discovered God.
You will discover for a brief moment that you feel like you are God
Then quickly see that there is no you as you thought
And thus,
There is no object that can be labeled a “you” or God.
Life becomes tranquil, peaceful, and calm
Happiness, Joy, and compassion of your True Nature
flows with an unperturbable equanimity
that allows all of life’s stories and challenges
to simple not effect your well-being.
The Spiritual Path integrates three main aspects to be learned
and put into a daily Practice I call – The Three Pillars of Wisdom
Morality “Concentration“ Insights.
Morality Works with the “conventional” mind,
things we can read, study and put into a daily practice.
Knowing that being unloving, cheating, untrustworthy, lazy, willfully ignorant, and
all the negative aspects the unevolved ego
will temp us with, these unmoral behaviors
will also distract us with guilt, remorse, aggravation, grief
and countless other distractions from achieving the Right Concentration
in meditation and life in general
which is essential for all of the three pillars of practice.
Also included are studies of psychology that will instill
a balanced psychological outlook on life,
which will help us avoid self-defeating ways to look at life.
And,
A well-rounded philosophic perspective of life, our life, the meaning of life, and what all this
“timeless wonder of it all” is all about.
~
The next pillar of practice is:
Concentration… this is basically meditation.
In order to get to the Fruition of the next phase of Insights,
one must train the mind to be able to focus on an object of meditation
to the exclusion of all other distracting background phenomena.
This series of articles will outline the perfect way for beginners and even those
who need a wee bit of a refresher on initial basics of meditation.
Often,
Even with aspirants that are nearing the deep end of their Practice
Will have some gaps in their training instructions.
In concentration meditation, one chooses an object of meditation
Typically the breath.
In the next phase …
Insight
The object of meditation is object-less
In a way its a form of formless meditation.
Once you’ve achieved a certain glowing feeling achieved by
focusing on one’s chi, prana, life force
through whatever meditation practice you choose like
Kriya Yoga and or Kundalini
This after glow called Parvastha in Sanskrit becomes the object of meditation.
Deeper along in the practice,
it will be revealed that this so called after glow
Is really part of our Natural State Rigpa in Dzogchen
My Mentor Av Neryah calls this the … Always Glow as it is always there,
it’s just veiled by the distractions of life we allow to keep us …
distracted from our True Nature.
It has a peaceful easy feeling.
When our meditation gets to this level,
we touch the Spiritual essence of our True Nature.
The nature that was never born, will never die,
is not effected by the challenges of earthly materialistic things
It feels like a relief.
This relief blends in with a Joy, feels like Love
As the practice of Insights matures
We become absorbed into a natural flow of well-being
in which a solid ground of Equanimity prevails.
“We” become impervious to mental and physical distractions
and naturally achieve mental and physical ‘pliancy‘.
There is a flow that takes over and the practice becomes effortless.
It’s called
the effortless effort, the practice-less practice
In the Insight meditations, during these higher states of consciousness
We become less & less aware of the feeling of a self that is in charge
The self that we’ve been mistaking for who we thing we are.
There is a feeling of being…’disembodied’, as if the notion that ‘we’ are the body
becomes disengaged from our awareness… and seems to move out to our peripheral view
along with all the other objects that are deemed not worth our main attention.
There is no thinking going on, not even the thought that there is no thought.
In fact,
the Insights do not even arise consciously during this type of deep meditation
Those insights must be contemplated later on after this meditation is done.
Those special Insights can manifest through our conventional minds as thoughts,
or unconsciously arise during our daily life or even in dreams.
Once one has achieved the first level of these Insights states, called Jhana
All one has to do is… allow them to arise and mature.
Over time
They will deepen.
Ultimately, they will result in the ultimate Fruition of a Spiritual practice
Liberation.
Anyone that hears the calling to do what it takes to enter the ‘deep end of the Practice’
will profoundly benefit from reading all of the books Authored by SantataGamana,
put those Wisdoms into Practice… then study this book
“Liberation“.
Av’s personal experience simplifies what seems like a very complex endeavor
and makes the whole process very approachable and obtainable.
If one hears the natural calling of this endeavor and puts in the ‘Right Effort’
his personal experience and guidance inspires one to have
the positive perspective to persevere…
Liberation can be achieve by anyone that hears the ‘Calling’ and follow’s Av’s guidance…
It’s not a question of “IF”… it’s only a matter of…
when.
Once this is achieved,
there is no sliding back into the inherent pain and suffering caused by
the confusion and ignorance of not knowing one’s True Self.
This series of articles highlight and focus on the first 3 stages
of the 10 stage process towards the Ultimate goal of Awakening
that Culadasa outlines from his long life as a Spiritual aspirant, neuro scientist, and
his career of psychology of the human condition.
I have come to regard these first three stages as outlined by
Neuro Scientist John Yates… AKA Culadasa
to be the most useful way to learn how to meditate
for Ultimate goal of meditation.
With his neuro science along with his psychology background and lifelong Buddhist Practice,
he has the unique qualifications to bring together the complete Spiritual Path together
in the most thorough way.
As a neuro scientist and phycologist,
he explains how the mind works throughout the entire process
from beginning to the Fruition of Enlightenment…
and beyond.
This subject has many different traditions and perspectives that for the most part
evolved separately in various locations around the world, and yet,
they all point toward the very same outcome…
Attaining the highest form of human consciousness possible, with names such as…
Enlightened, Awakening, Self-Realized…
that all offer the Ultimate goal and Fruition of…
Liberation of pain and suffering.
Beyond these first 3 stages is beyond the scope of what I can effectively share,
but for those so inspired… This book is a must read:
The Mind Illuminated:
A Complete Meditation Guide Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science
for Greater Mindfulness
by – John Yates; Matthew Immergut; Jeremy Graves
So, Pull up a meditation cushion and let’s get started.
Here’s the most profound way to learn …
https://mauimarryingman.com/category/2-1-a-very-in-depth-course-on-beginning-a-meditation-practice/