More on Thoughtless Awareness

"In the state of thoughtless awareness 

we think neither of the past nor of the future. 

We are entirely in the present moment, 

in the state of being, and do not waste 

the precious moments of life 

thinking about times that are finished forever 

or yet to come. 

We start to enjoy our Self, our spirit, 

our own inner beauty and 

the beauty of creation. 

We start to enjoy being. 

We are able to enjoy the singing of birds 

and the scent of flowers at a much deeper level 

as we are no longer bombarded by 

the meaningless mental chatter 

that assails our awareness and pollutes our attention, distracting us from the simple joys of our existence.”

- Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

MEDITATION "WARNINGS"

A lot of well-intentioned people used to warn me that meditation was potentially dangerous because it involved "emptying" or "blanking out" the mind, and therefore could lead to mental illness, or a kind of insanity. 

Others told me that meditation involved holding the breath unnaturally for extended periods, or adopting strange postures, as if meditation were a physical exertion or strain. 

But, since I began practicing Sahaja Meditation, I have found meditation to be simple, natural and most pleasurable. In the center of the experience is a state called “Thoughtless Awareness,” (Sanskrit: Nirvichar Samadhi) which is not the "blanking out" of the mind, but rather the releasing or letting go of thought as the controlling function in your consciousness. 

WE ARE WHAT WE THINK - OR NOT

In our day to day life thoughts make the rules - they determine our emotions, our reactions, and whether we experience stress or peace throughout the day. Our thoughts can lead us into worry and cause us to lose sleep and ultimately can cause ill-health. Hence the meaning behind the word "dis-ease."

"How to do meditation, many people ask?  Don’t do anything, just go into thoughtless awareness.  Try to go to the thoughtless awareness.  If you can get into that condition of thoughtless awareness, you’ve done your job because that’s the point where you are with the truth, with the reality, with the joy, with everything that is so fundamental." 

- Shri Mataji

I began practicing Sahaja Meditation, a couple of months ago now,  and although I've tried various other types of meditation before, i.e. Mantra, Kriya, Siddha, Vipassyana, Zen..... in Sahaja practice, meditation is not a means for achieving enlightenment or awakening - it is in fact, the vehicle that enables the enjoyment or experience of that state already present within. There IS no attainment - just the realization of it. It is truly effortless and natual.

"Enjoyment is only possible when you are beyond your mind. With your mind you can never enjoy. It's like a big load. It will not act, it will not help. Enjoyment comes when you are in complete silence - in a ripple less lake. The reflection of all the joy that is created on the shores of that lake are completely reflected, they are not deflected. If there were ripples it would have been a different image altogether and would have been something nowhere near the image of reality."

- Shri Mataji 

CAGING THE MONKEY-MIND

In Thoughtless Awareness - it is not that the thoughts don't come into the mind; they still parade through like hyperactive monkeys, and the mind, guided by the ego, still wants to react and/or respond to the thoughts immediately. But the thoughts no longer have a place to "land" and become a "passing show," almost as if the thoughts become independent and have  a mind of their own. 

When I practiced meditation of other kinds - I would find it very difficult to stay still for 20 minutes. I'd become bored, or drowsy, or worse - I'd drift off into fantasy land or begin making "worry lists" of all that I had to think about....in Sahaja it is different. I remain consciously alert - but in a state beyond thought - where there is awareness of the depth of consciousness that is usually "hidden behind" immediate, demanding thoughts. This unhindered awareness exists in stillness and perfect quiet. The sensation is like being restfully asleep while simultaneously being fully conscious of all that is happening around you. I now can enter extended periods of meditation - 40 minutes or more - without leg cramps, drowsiness, or boredom. It is a wonderful experience.


There are many methods of meditation - and it is a personal preference as to which one works the best for each person. Some people might find Sahaja Meditation unsuitable for them - and they may not take to it. The first time I tried it - about 16 years ago - I just didn't get it. It seemed strange and ineffective. This time - I learned the basic technique in about 20 minutes and this time it felt natural and I experienced the benefits almost immediately. 


THE "BLUE PEARL" EXPERIENCE

I've had some very vivid visual experiences while practicing Sahaja. Not the least of which is what is called "The Blue Pearl." Where in a state of deep meditation, a vivid circle of bright blue light - appears internally, mentally, behind closed eyes, in a position just above the eyes, between the eyebrows. This has happened several times as I meditated in complete darkness with eyes closed.


I did some research on this experience and found reference to it in a few places. The most interesting being the observations of Swami Muktananda, who wrote about his experiences with "The Blue Pearl" as follows:

"......the Blue Pearl, dwells in the sahasrara, the spiritual center in the crown of the head. It is the body of the Self. All consciousness is contained in it. All of the dynamism of the breathing process comes from the Blue Pearl. When that light enters the body, the rhythm of breathing begins. When it departs from the body, consciousness departs from the bloodstream, the nerves and the lungs, leaving everything limp and lifeless. "Death" is simply the name we give to the departure of the Blue Pearl from the body."

- Swami Muktananda, from "Does Death Really Exist?"

After having this vivid experience - I was obviously very excited, and my ego got the better of me and I began to think that "I had arrived..., I was special." But I shared my experienced with some long-time practicioners of Sahaja Meditation and they smiled and, in so many words, told me to "....just ignore it, it'll go away, it's not that important - just another distraction...!!!" I was irritated at first - because I'd always thought that there would be "flashing lights" and "glowing visions" associated with enlightenment - but alas, awakening or enlightenment is, as many meditation masters have said, perfectly ordinary and natural but sublime..... Shri Mataji, the founder of Sahaja Meditation has reportedly said that these visual experiences are not that important and a lot of so-called Gurus have used these experiences as "proof" of the validity of their status - while actually they are not that significant, but merely indicators of other factors in your consciousness, some positive, some negative. So it goes.....

So, I'm learning to ignore the signposts, because the reality is, that there is no destination other than where I already am. As I said before, meditation is not a path to another level of existence or awareness - it is a means of enabling the experience of the "real" or "true" consciousness that is behind all the thoughts and conditioning that the ego/mind conspiracy has generated as a kind of protection that makes us believe that happiness or contentment is somewhere else, or outside of us. 

Meditation is more than just not thinking, or breathing, it is perhaps better described as a way of learning to see, feel and hear reality more clearly as it is right now.

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