"Maintaining" insights

[John West]

I noticed that when I have an insight or a raise of consciousness (f.e. I see that logic is groundless / illusion), after a few minutes or hours it fades away and the insight isn't as deep anymore when I try to remember it. Maybe my consciousness doesnt drop back to the level before the insight, but it isn't even close to the level during the insight. Am I doing something wrong, is it possible to "maintain" the insight and the high level of awareness that comes with it, or do I need to have the same insight more often to create a new stage of awareness about that thing? Similar to a retreat, where you have high consciousness at the end of it, it drops down when you're back in normal life, but it doesn't drop completely to the level / stage it was before the retreat?

[purerogue]

You build up your awareness etc while mediating, you sit still, full with focus, ofc you will not gonna be able to keep that level of awareness in daily life where you move, you interact with people, you get physically, mentally engaged, etc, best thing you can do is bring this practice in every moment of your daily life and it will become easier and at higher levels. 

Edited January 6, 2019 by purerogue

[Sahil Pandit]

@John West Raising your baseline awareness is quite an uphill battle if you don't commit fully to the path.

[John West]

22 hours ago, Sahil Pandit said:

@John West Raising your baseline awareness is quite an uphill battle if you don't commit fully to the path.

What does it mean to "commit fully to the path"? I do daily consciousness work if you mean that.

 

[Sahil Pandit]

@John West This is good news.

What are your daily habits? 

[John West]

23 hours ago, Sahil Pandit said:

@John West This is good news.

What are your daily habits? 

30-60 min Meditation, Kriya Yoga, 45 min self-inquiry; 30 min contemplation (not merely existential questions but also psychological questions)

 

[Aaron p]

On 06/01/2019 at 7:26 PM, John West said:

I noticed that when I have an insight or a raise of consciousness (f.e. I see that logic is groundless / illusion), after a few minutes or hours it fades away and the insight isn't as deep anymore when I try to remember it. Maybe my consciousness doesnt drop back to the level before the insight, but it isn't even close to the level during the insight. Am I doing something wrong, is it possible to "maintain" the insight and the high level of awareness that comes with it, or do I need to have the same insight more often to create a new stage of awareness about that thing? Similar to a retreat, where you have high consciousness at the end of it, it drops down when you're back in normal life, but it doesn't drop completely to the level / stage it was before the retreat?

@John West what I do is when I'm in the middle of an insight, letting it simmer in my heart, enjoying it...I just BOOM say it out loud over and over again.

This does remove the insight quickly but it helps you remember lol.

 

This is like dreaming, you dream every single night...you just don't remember it. However, if, as soon as you wake up, you immediately (consciously, and before you physically move) go over the dream over and over again and you will cement it into your conscious mind. Try this, wake up and before you move...think briefly about your dream, typically you will find your able to remember it...and you can do this everyday.

So I do the same thing, soon as I see an insight I just enjoy it for a moment and then BOOM surprise it with conscious mind and there you go...you have it. You have a mental replication of it...but you have it nevertheless......just don't believe it and you'll be sweet lol

[How to be wise]

@John West My advice is, forget about the results. Focus on doing the practice. Let the results come in their own time.

[DrewNows]

8 hours ago, How to be wise said:

@John West My advice is, forget about the results. Focus on doing the practice. Let the results come in their own time.

I agree. Insight is always going to be here now. Insight is action, an ongoing process, different from attaining knowledge/wisdom 

@John West often insight comes when we become aware of “low consciousness” behavior 

notice yourself subtly trying to control your “level of awareness” which is counterintuitive to insight 

when we get too focused on this “level of awareness” or presence which is much easier to sit with during a retreat etc , we create “separation” in our “states of mind” and this becomes a barrier for further insight into our true self 

[John West]

Ok thanks.

11 hours ago, DrewNows said:

I agree. Insight is always going to be here now. Insight is action, an ongoing process, different from attaining knowledge/wisdom 

@John West often insight comes when we become aware of “low consciousness” behavior 

notice yourself subtly trying to control your “level of awareness” which is counterintuitive to insight 

when we get too focused on this “level of awareness” or presence which is much easier to sit with during a retreat etc , we create “separation” in our “states of mind” and this becomes a barrier for further insight into our true self 

So basically let them come and go, no need to "save" them consciously or intentionally, and just staying on the path.

[Mu_]

31 minutes ago, John West said:

Ok thanks.

So basically let them come and go, no need to "save" them consciously or intentionally, and just staying on the path.

I think this is pretty good advice overall.  Although you can experiment with a few things that I feel worked for me in maintaining and helping reconnect with these insights.

Journal a little bit while your in higher state.  Then when your out of it, read over what you said, imagine yourself from the perspective of how you felt it at the time (kinda like roleplaying) and then once you feel it in your veins energetically, just go about your day not trying to control it to stay.  When it fades again, you briefly bring yourself back into that energetic state (most often it won't be like the original peek experience) by remembering how it felt/how seeing was/how thinking was, basically trying to emulate everything in from then, in the now.  The again drop it dont focus on it, let it be what it is. 

Dont get neurotic in this process, keep it fun, easy and at the same time do your best to drop into that place again through recreation in the now (I dont want to say in your mind, even though your using your mind). Its about actually creating the emotions, the way of seeing, the way of sensing, the way of being, almost like a actor and this is all for the purpose of stimulating the brain/nervous system/soul/body/mind in ways that were during that peak (atleast this is the way I look at it).

And again its not about maintaining this every second and getting wrapped up in doing this or even what this means about you as a person or making yourself "better", just keep it fun and light, but really do your best when you do

 

[Jack River]

Insight can be seen as a moment to moment seeing without the seen being limited to will/volition, knowledge/experience-memory.

Its really a moment of clarity unburdened by thought. When the divison between me and what is being observed is seen-actualized as the I being one and the same process.

Because in that, that divided process comes to a stop. Then there is a seeing that is not limited to duality.

As in a seeing that is built upon a cultivated/progressive/habitual established routine(thought-the past) that is then modified more and more over time. 

It’s only in this divided type of insight that insights ‘come and go’. It’s only in those type of insights that the me is in conflict about trying to accumulate/maintain those insights. 

Insight is to seeing in to the entirety of a process/movement in which there is total-instantaneous action away from that process/movement. 

There is cumulative process of insights followed by action, and there is insight into this whole cumulative/time bound process, which is close to what I am referring to as INSIGHT. That is its own action. It’s extraordinary fosho. 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 9, 2019 by Jack River