The problem is stringing those moments of clear seeing
together.
That takes practice.
It is the initial experience I wish to first contemplate
today.
As I have argued before, we enter it regularly without
realizing we are there. During deep
dreamless sleep. During visualizing
moments of incredible beauty. Within
interactions with a guru. Perhaps during
orgasm.
How do we get to these moments with enough consciousness to
know we are within this state, but not so “aware” that this state of
consciousness “runs away?”
Sometimes described as using a metaphor of “Painting the
cage around the bird before it flies away.”
Yet, we are always already there.
Our poor animal brain throws up a screen we can label as the
“survival ego” to block our clear seeing.
That first consciousness recognition of All-That-Is forms
the initial “groove” in the brain. A
groove we can later make deeper, with mindful practice, and, therefore, easier
to access.
For initial experiences of Instant Enlightenment, I like
these:
1-The pointing experiments of Douglas Harding.
2-The Big Mind, Big Heart meditation by Zen Master D. Genpo
Merzel.
3-Many of us first had an experience of seeing clearly through
the use of certain drugs, now labeled entheogens (LSD, psilocybin, MDMA, DMT,
etc).
That moment of clear seeing is the same no matter how you
get to it. What differs is how long it
lasts. Getting to it with the pointing
experiment is the same as getting to it though 30 years of meditation. However, the 30 years of meditation may be
more likely to allow you to string those moments of being in clear seeing
together, for longer periods of time. Creating
that deeper groove, and easier to access.
That jumps you up another level in evolution.
I do worry a bit more about using the entheogens. Particularly I worry about using them in
anyone who might be psychologically unstable.
Sometimes you might not find that they are unstable until they try the
entheogen.
I do hope that we will continue to explore the entheogens
within scientific investigations with good screening criteria for psychological
stability. And, if using these for help
with psychological problems, then there will be excellent guides and backup psychological
help available.
There is also danger in sitting in meditation. If you go to a retreat, you will find a
questionnaire asking about your mental stability, if you are on any psych
medications, or seeing someone for mental heath treatment. You can “break-down” at a meditation
retreat!
Often you get stuck in a “mental loop.” Seek guidance from one of the retreat leaders,
don’t just try to work on it yourself.
That is why so many of the retreat leaders are psychologists!
When you try to string those moments together, the survival
ego is threatened. This ego feels it is
going to die. So, “you,” the little you,
thinks that you are going to die. The
ego doesn’t realize it will still be there, transcended, but included.
There are risks within personal evolution. But, the risks are more than worthwhile.
Actually, I will argue there really is nothing more
important in your life than the drive for evolution.
Make sure you have trusted people you can talk with. If needed, find a psychologist with expertise
in meditation.
The initial experience of All-That-Is sometimes can be easy
to enter.
Staying there is usually more difficult. And you don’t want to stay deeply in there all
the time. But, perhaps, you want to “keep
a toe dipped in.”
Gaining Wisdom from entering that state deeply. Compassion is then using that Wisdom walking
in the world.
That is where practice comes in. Developing the concentration to stay with
clear seeing. I advocate mindfulness
meditation. But, there are many
paths.
When you transcend and include the “survival ego,” then you
become the master of your self.
You become Self. You
are always already Self.
Dancing on the razor’s edge.
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