Mindfulness Is Enjoyable For The First Time

[Guest username]

In my first few months of practice, it was unbearable. Without my fantasies and thought stories, life seemed incredibly dull. Now, I find myself actually preferring being aware.

Also, at the grocery store today, I had a moment, where I felt a deep love for everyone around me. I'm not sure of what significance this might be, but I figured it was worth noting.

[Loreena]

Wait Prabhaker is coming. His flight is just a little late.

[Guest username]

@Loreena Perfect! I always learn from his posts

[Prabhaker]

2 hours ago, username said:

I had a moment, where I felt a deep love for everyone around me

  If you meditate, love will follow; if you love, meditation will follow. Meditation is easier, love is difficult. Meditation means living with oneself, forgetting the other completely – it is a less difficult dimension than love.  Love and meditation are two aspects of the same coin; if you have gained control of the one aspect, the other follows.

  A glimpse of bliss, love, means you had come close. But glimpses are bound to be lost. Meditation can, at the most, give only a glimpse. But do not stop there; do not get stuck looking for that same glimpse again and again. Then one has to go ahead.

[Arman]

I remember the first time I read The Power of Now, there was some exercise involving just taking in your surroundings. It was one of the first times I consciously tried to become 'present'. I remember it vividly... How vividly boring it was. I was like, ok... that's it? 

I find as the years pass that the simple practice get's deeper and deeper. Eventually it goes from something from a mundane concentration to accessing a field of radiance/intelligence and it is effortlessly relaxing and insights present themselves. Right now the experience you had is a kind of 'peak' (or sneak peak) of higher experience. Eventually, believe it or not that kind of experience will become a baseline of mindfulness that you can cultivate at will as long as you're balanced and well. From there, there are new peak experiences and I think it get's endlessly deeper. It also just becomes nice for no reason, like your body can access more of something. I think a lot of it is less to do with how much insight or wisdom you have and more just to do with how primed your nervous system is to certain kind of states, and I think that priming comes with time and practice. I don't know, but it never stops getting more interesting. I guess they don't talk about that a lot because it'd create attachment for another experience which is counter-productive to being mindful, heh.

Glad to hear about your positive experience. 

[Heart of Space]

3 hours ago, username said:

 I felt a deep love for everyone around me. 

And the universe continues to express itself naturally.  I'm happy every time I see someone say this.  

Edited April 16, 2017 by Heart of Space