intro – The Meaning of Spirituality

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 –

Insights

The object of meditation is… “object-less”.

In a way it’s 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 Jhāna

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/

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The Start of 2020

Our business was doing great, but we still couldn’t afford to buy a house or a condo. Renting in Maui for another 30 years was not an option we wanted to take. Then, Bobbie Jo suggested we buy a sailboat that is comfortable to cruise and live in. By the end of January, we started looking for our new home.

After a long search, we found our dream boat in Mazatlan, Mexico. COVID-19 was not yet a concern when our boat hunt began, but masks were starting to appear at airports by the time we flew to Mazatlan. Originally, we had planned to get the boat ready as fast as possible to cover a full calendar for the busy wedding season. However, it was apparent our business was going to tank amid the pandemic, and the struggle went on until the end of the year.

Luckily, we scored an awesome condo for only $19 a day at Mazatlan. On the 10th day of our stay, we received the news that all harbors will be closed the next Monday morning. We thought we’d be stuck in Mexico longer, but another sailor advised us to leave before sunrise.

We felt the adrenalin of escaping the Mexican harbor master just before the sun rose that faithful day. The seas were rough as waves were building up in the tight channel that led us to the open ocean. We ended up anchored off an adorable little isle just a mile offshore. We enjoyed cruising to many spectacular anchorages and cute villages on our way to Puerto Vallarta, where we would depart for Maui on May 7. On May 30, 2020, we completed our 24-day passage from Mexico to Maui.