Nonduality & Meditations

[How to be wise]

@Nahm Less talking, more doing my friend. Talking about non-duality is easy. Actually working towards it is a whole other thing. I have a rigid practice of 90 mins a day for the last four months. I’ve had many changes in my conciousness since. What I found is that the more I practice, the less I want to talk about non-duality. Do you have a rigid practice? How many hours a day? What is your current progress?

[Nahm]

@How to be wise

My current progress, is that I am you. 

[LaraGreenbridge]

38 minutes ago, Nahm said:

@LaraGreenbridge

 

I have everything I ever wanted in my life, and everything I didn’t know I wanted, and above & below all else, inner peace. I am happy. I do my best to be compassionate. I believe I can be more so, I know I can. 

@Nahm,

I wonder if you have had all those things even if you were not interested in non-duality?

My life has improved exponentially in the past 12 years, mainly due to my hard work, getting my psychological life in order... Being pro-active, listening to my intuition, making good connections with reliable, caring people and generally being more aware and more assertive. I had to push myself out of my comfort zone, in some aspects of my life. In other areas of my life, of course, I had to learn to relax and let go.

yes, I think there was absolutely a spiritual component to all this. I believed that I deserved a wonderful life, for example. So, eventually, I built that life. 

Some of it was probably luck, too.

Its interesting that I only ever became involved with Non-duality when I was going through a tough time. When all was good, I didn't look for that kind of thing. 

I had the great mis-fortune to find a teacher that was actually a fraud, so that didn't help, either. I noticed that a lot of people who followed this fraud were mentally ill or else at a low point in their lives. That bothered me a bit.

can you describe how non-duality led you to get everything you have ever wanted?

 

[LaraGreenbridge]

58 minutes ago, How to be wise said:

@Nahm Less talking, more doing my friend. Talking about non-duality is easy. Actually working towards it is a whole other thing. I have a rigid practice of 90 mins a day for the last four months. I’ve had many changes in my conciousness since. What I found is that the more I practice, the less I want to talk about non-duality. Do you have a rigid practice? How many hours a day? What is your current progress?

Hi @How to be wise,

I agree with you that talking about things can be a distraction sometimes. What I found is that certain types of talk are encouraged in non-dual communities, while questions were generally discouraged.

Sometimes, if you ask a question, you get an answer that "deflects", rather than gives an actual answer. This always bothered me, as I have an inquiring mind and asked a lot of genuine questions. 

I also found that non-dual followers seemed to fall back on cliché quite a lot. They have their little sayings that they repeat over and over again. What they are really pointing to is "don't ask questions".  It can have a bit of a 'trance' effect on you too, all this repetition. 

Sorry if I seem very skeptical! I did have a fraud for a teacher, so I am very suspicious of non-duality now. 

[Nahm]

@LaraGreenbridge

I had never been interested in nonduality or enlightenment. I created my life just like you did. It sounds wonderful btw. ? I never had a teacher, but I can understand what you’re saying. That’s really great that you can see the beneficial aspect in things. Takes a lot of life to get there. ? From what I’ve seen, nonduality is not a tool for anything, or useful to any specific application of life. It’s the journey that matters, the joy & the pain. Life. 

[LaraGreenbridge]

27 minutes ago, Nahm said:

@LaraGreenbridge

From what I’ve seen, nonduality is not a tool for anything, or useful to any specific application of life. It’s the journey that matters, the joy & the pain. Life. 

 

Wow, @Nahm!

can I quote you on that? I guess I basically agree with you....!

Would anyone else like to comment on this?

I really can't see the point in Non-duality if it doesn't improve your life. I guess you can kid yourself and think that we don't exist, or don't have lives, as such, or that nothing ever matters to anyone.  But does it make you happy? 

 

[Nahm]

@LaraGreenbridge

Thanks!! However (there’s always a damn however, right? Lol) I wouldn’t go so far as to say it doesn’t improve your life. 

[who chit]

Non Duality is freedom from this vs that,what should or should not be,"me" vs "other", past vs future. It is freedom from resistance to what is. It is freedom from psychological suffering,born from attachment to what is not true (conditioned belief and false sense of self). It is realizing your true nature as eternal,everlasting,and ever alive. It is realizing that your original essence is nondual,all inclusive,free of dualistic conflict created by psychological suffering.

It is peace,joy,deep inner silence,unperturbed by the illusory nature of an implicit dualistic world, created and interpreted by a false identification, with/through, an attachment to the body/senses, and the conditioned thoughts,beliefs,concepts,imaginations and ideas of the mind,as being "me" or "my true self (I)".

Whereas the true "I" is unconditioned,unattached,everlasting and free from the conflicts and suffering of the individual's created,dualistic persona in which they falsely believe to be "I"/"me". 

Edited September 16, 2018 by who chit

[How to be wise]

@LaraGreenbridge As Leo says, 1% theory, 99% application. Going to satsangs counts as theory. The only true satsang is within. Application, is only the self inquiry practice. When you sit down, close your eyes and inquire. Although meditation can be counted as practice, unfortunately I’ve heard too many stories of people meditating for decades and not going anywhere. Rick Archer, the interviewer for Batgap, has been doing transcendental meditation for 25 years, teaching and everything, and he is not enlightened AT ALL. Not even ‘no self’. Leo has been meditating for five years and he’s still basically nowhere (I mean his baseline consciousness). The way forward is inquiry/investigation. Everything else is theory. 

Edited September 16, 2018 by How to be wise

[Shin]

My Buddhist teacher told me (today) that there is no such thing as a source/god or existential oneness between all things.

He also said that Buddha is an extraordinary being, and that it is unrealistic to think you can become a Buddha (they see him as an ideal, not as a possibility).

From my point of view, this is not so different than worshipping a god.

 

Just so you know that even Buddhism is deeply flawed.

 

You can only count on yourself to take all the information from as many (non bullshit) sources possible and experientially see for yourself what they all really mean.

Don't follow or put anyone on a pedestal or you will limit yourself greatly.

Edited September 30, 2018 by Shin

[Flammable]

Lovely post, @Nahm Thank you a lot of compiling this.

[Nahm]

@Flammable ??❤️

[Adam M]

@AdamDiC

[Nahm]

 

[Nahm]

@LaraGreenbridge

You are clear, understanding, knowing, what the word nonduality points to?

[Nahm]

[lmfao]

@Nahm You win the Internet for this post. Excellent guide. 

 

JK THERE IS NO YOU, TRY HARDER NEXT TIME PLEBE. 

[Nahm]

LMFAO @lmfao

[Strikr]

woaw I m taking it in my fav, good work, maybe ask leo for create this kind of help inside the website  

[Nahm]

Meditation Preparations & Considerations of The Temple (The Body)

Maintain toxin free hygene, such as with: preservatives, fluoride, aluminum, mercury, & neurotoxin free products and water. 

Get a routine physical & full comprehensive blood report, and review it with your doctor (preferably a Holistic Dr)

Eat clean. Food is mood, mood is clarity. Listen to your body & educate yourself about food; calories, nutrients, vitamins, supplements, etc. . 

Exercise if you are able, as early in the day as you are able. Don’t eat after 8pm, drink water instead. Be mindful of honesty, humility, & compassion. Pause to allow the presence of love when creating responses, vs mindlessly reacting.  Get 8 hrs of sleep.              

Meditate early in the morning, before eating, and before any thought engaging activities like;

    - all screens, reading anything, listening to any thing or anyone, talking to anyone, etc.

    - thinking itself  (learn not to engage in thinking, by being aware of it when it (the engagement / trigger-triggered) happens.  

Love yourself enough to do this, your quality of life will be greatly enhanced by your commitment and followthrough of daily meditation. This is ‘putting the experience of being’  -  first -  and then going about your day. It is a total game changer. Get up as early as needed to make this possible for yourself.  You’ll only fall asleep earlier as a result, and enjoy being more aligned with the circadian rhythm of all life. 

Do not ask others to accommodate you so that you can do this. Accommodate them, if needed, so that you can do this. Do not create conditions or contingencies which “allow” that you can do this. Refrain from entangling any other person in ‘enabling’ your practice. Simply get up earlier, and be patient when tired, you’ll be falling asleep earlier soon. 

 

(Deeper Considerations)

If the things above have been genuinely accommodated, and there is an overwhelming  apparent struggle, such that you honestly can not meditate, beginning with just 10 minutes a day, that is fine. Do not judge yourself, love yourself - address this easily, and maturely by applying what is needed:

     Add creative expression in your days with what feels right for you, such as; journaling, creative writing, drawing, learning an instrument, singing, sculpting, building, carving, dancing - any act of creating and expressing, which feels good to you. Sign up for a drawing or painting class, etc. 

     The past and or trauma may be deeply entwined in the ego, unknowingly suppressed,  held out of the light of awareness. Be humble, and be smart -  get help bringing things to the surface, into the light, out into the open. That is relief. Talk with a ‘wise’ & carefree person you know and trust, schedule time with practitioners of well being; massage, reiki, therapy, yoga, etc, - choose to experience the combination you are needing. You will be glad you did. 

 

Proper Foundation

The quality of tomorrow’s meditation is impacted by all of the above. Recognize these as the basics, the foundation. This is - first “cleaning the house”.  If you are not yet finding peace in meditation, the things above are likely insightful and actionable. Use them as a checklist, add to it what you learn works and doesn’t work for you. Be mindful of the process, not the goal or outcome. What you discover and accomplish yourself,  will only enable you to help others with their suffering as well.  

 

Posture, Balance & Relaxation

Sit with spine straight, entire body equally balanced, head tilted slightly forward. 

Scan for any muscles in tension - from balancing the body, and reposition in better balance. Repeat until seated in balance; drop all muscle tension, and see if you lean; if so, adjust again / reposition for balance.

Relax every muscle, from crown of head, through body, to the toes - in waves of letting go, over and over. If you struggle to ‘find the particular muscle’ to be able to ‘let it go’, simply tense that muscle with the appropriate thought, ex: “tense the right shoulder” - this is to locate it specifically - only to relax it / let it go, specifically (only needed initially, if at all).

Stay with each muscle until you feel it release: Feel the crown of the head muscles release, feel the temples release, feel the eye sockets release, feel the cheek muscles release, feel the neck muscles release, the shoulders, the upper back, the lower back, the arms, the hands, the fingers, the chest, the stomach, the hips, the thighs, the knees, the calves, the ankles, the feet, the toes - all tension pouring out through the toes. 

*Stay with each muscle until you feel it release, then move to the next. Be mindful, vigilant of any habit forming. Feel every step. Feel each specific muscle release. 

* Repeat this, from crown to toes, over and over, feeling each “pass” more deeply relaxing each targeted muscle than the pass before.  Notice the entire body unifying in relaxation. 

 

Meditation

Do not move the body, allow it to relax into deep sleep and disappear from sensation & awareness. 

Mind fully alert & present; awaken every cell, enthusiastic presence,  a tiger at-the-ready to pounce.

Notice all senses are one sense, being.

Being is breathing, being is breathed in, being is breathed out. 

Notice the ineffable spaciousness, the silent emptiness.  It is whole, perfect, calm, peaceful. It continues on in all directions. 

Revel in the perfect peace, in innocence, as you recognize the purity that you have always known.

 

Allow Meditation “Practice” To Become A Meditative Lifestyle

As you go about your day, notice this peace is still present, this silence, this being - is always present, always the soundbed underlying and allowing all sounds, the spaciousness underlying and allowing all objects and activities, the emptiness allowing all thoughts to arise.

Carry this into each day, mindful of the effortless nature of awareness. Conscious of any tension in any muscle, relax it, mindful of the one sense; without identification, without reaction, peaceful non-engagement. 

Notice the arising perspectives of unification & connection. Surrender perspectives of separation by allowing them to pass, and return to the everpresent peace and silence which allows all things. 

When you notice reaction, wether muscular or mental, relax, detach by being again aware, non-reactionary. 

Even as reactions occur, wether physical, mental, or verbal, be aware of, not involved in. Relax crown to toes, effortless awareness is always available & ample.

Notice the sound of a voice, is not the sound of your voice. Be that unattached, and that aware, ‘that’ voice is no longer your voice, it never was. You are all sounds, all voices, all things. Be aware all transpires in the ‘one sense’, precisely where it is seen, exactly where it is heard. One Sense, one awareness. 

Notice thoughts are not your thoughts,  be aware thoughts are things, like trees are trees; there is no mechanism found for justification of  “yours”, that is just another thought; awareness is unconditional and omnipresent, and never appears in pieces, and has never not appeared, it will never let you down. Notice there is one sense, one awareness, notice the body and mind are a body and mind which transpires in this peaceful awareness, notice a body and mind is not your body and mind, notice there is one sense, one awareness, all is transpiring and arising in. 

 

 

After some practice a couple new things arise...

When you have returned home, in the peace of non-reaction, the finite ceo / “decision maker”/ over thinker/over thinking - naturally recedes, and the intelligence will manipulate the body (it actually is “the body”) , aligning things, stretching things, cracking things, etc, just allow this. It’s difficult not to mentally react to this at first because it’s new, just relax again, it is curative, trust it - notice a person is not doing this, infinite intelligence is. Mindful appreciation. 

With enough surrender, deep relaxation, the brain & body & thought will disappear from the one sense, from awareness, and only breathing remains. The breathe will minimize on it’s own until there is little to no breathing,  (don’t “attempt” or “do” this). In “witnessing” the falsity or illusionary nature of the breathe, awareness is deeply “aware of awareness”. This is a euphoric experience. Don’t go telling people. They will not believe you, and you’ll sound crazy, cause, of course we have to breathe, otherwise we would not be “alive”.

Next, Utilize The Emptied Mind For Self Inquiry