effortless meditation

We often approach meditation like any other activity in our lives - as something to achieve and to be mastered.  This approach, for most of us, implies goals and lots of effort to reach some goal and, of course, accompanied with considerable frustration.

True meditation is at the root just relaxing - relaxing into the reality of the present moment and whatever is arising right now.

So … during the meditation period just relax, notice what is happening and welcome it.  If you need a technique just (in your mind) quietly say 'yes' to whatever is arising in the present moment.  For example, if you notice racing mind, welcome it with a loving mental 'yes'. If a dog barks, in exactly the same way, welcome it with a 'yes'.  

When we stop all the struggling and welcome presently arising reality the mind becomes quiescent. and we find that deep and abiding Peace is at our root.

give 'yes' a try … oh, by the way this works for traffic jams too!

bob

Christmas message

Dear Ones,

Here's some Christmas cheer - not in the form of one more thing to buy or give or get and store away in a closet - but some good news in the original spirit of Christmas before we turned it into just one more shopping event.   Jesus claimed that God is Love … He is not the only one!  Here are three more quotes that I pray will bring peace to your heart.

From the Course in Miracles we have:
God is but Love, and therefore so am I. (Lesson 172)

In the book "Proof of Heaven" by the neurosurgeon Eben Alexander M.D.,  he states that the main message he got when he was in heaven was:

"You are loved and cherished, dearly, forever."
"You have nothing to fear", and
"There is nothing you can do wrong".

In a similar vein, I was reading a saying of the Prophet Muhammad which goes as: 

"On the Day of Resurrection, a caller will cry out, 'Let every people follow what they worshiped!'  They will be asked, 'Is there a sign between you and Him that will let you know Him?' They will say, 'Yes! So their legs will be uncovered and Allah will give permission to all those who used to prostrate to Him by their own free will to prostrate. 

And Allah will make those who used to prostrate only to be seen by others or to ward off criticism unable to prostrate.  Their backs will be made as a stiff single part, so whenever they try to prostrate, they topple on their backsides.

Then they will come upon the bridge over Hell and intercession will begin.  They will murmur, 'O Allah, bring them to safety!'  And the faithful ones will pass over the bridge in a wink of an eye.  Others will pass like lightning, others like the wind, others like birds, others like strong horses.  Some will cross over whole and safe, others will be sent across bruised, while others will be flung into the fire of Gehenna.

By the One who holds my soul in His hand, none of you will be more vehement in pleading for justice than the faithful ones will at that time for their brothers who are in the fire.

They will say.  'Our Lord, they fasted with us! They prayed with us! They made pilgrimage with us!' He will say to them, 'Bring out of it all the ones that you know.'  So their forms will be forbidden to the fire as they enter it and they will bring out many people, until they say, 'Our Sustainer none are left of those You have commanded us to extract.'  Then He will say to them, 'Go back and bring out whoever you find that has a dinar's worth of goodness in them'.  And they will bring out many people.  And He will say to them, 'Go back and bring out whoever you find that has half a dinar's worth of goodness in them.'  And they will bring out many people.  Then He will say to them, 'Go back again and bring out whoever you find who has an atom's weight of goodness in them.' And they will bring out many people.

And this will go on until they say to Him, 'Our Lord, we have left no one in it who has any trace of goodness in them.'  Allah will then declare, 'The angels have interceded, and the prophets have interceded, and the faithful have interceded.  Only the most Merciful of those who show mercy (Arhamur-Rahimin [Allah - the Most Compassionate]) is left to intercede!'

And He will bring out with His grasp the people who have never done any good and He will throw them into a river at the mouth of Paradise called the River of Life and they will emerge from it like pearls.  When the people of Paradise see them, they will know them, 'These are Emancipated of God.  He has made them enter Paradise without any of their own actions, and without any goodness that they offered!'  

And God will say to them, 'Enter Paradise! What you have seen is yours.'  They will say, 'Our Sustainer, You have given us what You have not given anyone of the worlds!'  He will say, 'I have for you what is even better than this.'  They will ask, 'O Our Sustainer, what could be better than this?'  He will say, 'My contentment with you, for I shall not be displeased with you after this ever again.'"

Peace be upon you,
bob

understanding

Our educational systems encourage us to absorb as much information as possible to be effective in the world.  This may well be true in physics, psychology and neuroscience.

However, in terms of understanding our "inner selves", this approach is 180 degrees off of the mark. To quote Rumi:

The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear. 

Meditation is emptying … surrender to the Silence to know the truth about Yourself.

bob

gratitude

Meditation is emptying - just sitting in Silence - just Being. 

When we drop our considerations about ourselves, others, and the world we come to gratitude.

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”
- Cicero

Gratitude is the stain left on us by our practice,
bob

practice

There is a saying:  "To understand Islam practice Islam". As Islam is surrendering to God (Allah),  this saying can be read as: to "understand surrender to God practice surrender to God".

Reading books about meditation or obtaining some teaching is fine in the beginning , however a little bit learning goes a long way - real insight always comes from  practice, practice, and then even some more practice. 

Meditation, like Islam, is surrendering.  During our practice periods we surrender all concepts we have learned about the world, ourselves as well as what we think is good or bad.  We hold onto nothing.

Empty yourself utterly and you will understand meditation.

To understand meditation practice meditation. 

bob