... at the local Yogananda spiritual center (Tucson Meditation Group of Self-Realization Fellowship on 1702 East Prince, Suite #140) we MEDITATED for 8 hours interspersed with live devotional music and the occasional recorded talk by Yogananda himself (whose physical form perished in 1952 ). Overall it was a pleasant experience and the music was great . I did my normal meditation even though Yogananda gave meditation instructions on the tape that was played. He emphasized the use of the 3rd eye ( a.k.a. the Ajna chakra, 10th door, Tisrstill , Shiv natra etc).
On the first session of meditation my mind was somewhat active, by the third session I was so well focused that there were no thoughts and no effort involved in my meditation -- so much so that I did not want to disturb myself to go for lunch. If I had not had a friend with me [blog editor Steve Minton. - ed.] I would have continued on with meditation.
We finished the day nicely at about 6pm; the people were very friendly. I had fallen in love with Yogananda after I read his great book Autobiography of a Yogi which I recommend strongly for everyone to read. Years ago I took his correspondence course and had been taught Kriya Yoga.
I was wondering how I would feel after such a long session of MEDITATION? The next day was pretty normal, but I entered a state of bliss on Monday that stayed with me all day and is still with me. When you enter bliss, you have more love and energy to give out to others -- almost bursting with energy and happiness. I recommend a long meditation for all meditators once or twice a month. It gives you a good boost.
I add one word of caution: if you are a beginner and you have a history of psychological stress, then it's best to work up to long a session gradually --because a lot of anxiety can get released. I give this advice as a medical doctor with experience in the release of stress. (If you were diagnosed with a mental or psychological problem, meditation will tend to heal it in the long run. However, you should be under the care of a doctor who understands meditation from direct experience. )
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I enjoyed reading through your Blog on The Bliss of God Consciousness, Michael. The first thing I feel detracts from your otherwise interesting reflections is the emphasis upon the word “God.” While I know you are not hung up on the word itself, a whole lot of westerners are going to interpret that term in a very western cultural context, so mixing it up with some other terms, such as Brahma and Dao might help to keep your Blog multicultural and not exclude Hindus, Sikhs, Daoists, and Buddhists.
ReplyDeleteThe other thing is, as I am sure you know, Buddhists do not tend to use the G-word; however, if we examine what they are saying there is a definite unspoken G-context for what they are saying. This suggests that the name is not so important, or even the reference to a godhead.
I agree longer periods of sitting are highly benficial. I am curious though, how did you know that there no thoughts? From my experience knowing that thoughts are present is a part of meditation. The Buddha said that thoughts are one of the senses. I am also curious about your relationship with your mind. It seems that you view your mind as a seperate entity. Is this true? If so I recomend you become one with the mind. Remove all doubt! Then you have entered into meditation.
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