Approaching silencing the mind without becoming unnatural and imbalanced

[skydog]

How does one do this..

 

24 hours a day, keep attention on "awareness" not nothing or something

 

It can have a tendency to make one reject the heart

 

or the world

 

or think too much

 

When I do my Qigong, spontaneous movements

 

I dont try to stop thinking I let my body move by itself and get epiphanies that make the emotions go away by themself..

 

putting in effort to stop thinking seems contradictary

 

even the intention to stop thinking seems to block the heart

 

 

[skydog]

maybe i should mix some real meditation with this spontaneous movement allow the mind to do what it wants

[skydog]

neutrality is not 100% reject all emotions, nor 100% keep all thoughts and emotions, spend some more time thinking about this and that...

[skydog]

maybe one is going to become imbalanced and unnatural anyways and nature will sort the rest out

[skydog]

maybe your spiritual progress cannot occur quicker than it is meant to

[Ish]

Silence mind naturally through acceptance and purifying of energy. Trying to stop thoughts etc. ain't gonna help as you've already realised.

[Ish]

I like to relax and experience the energy deeply without any limitations or ideas of mind. Mind is then naturally silent. Feels good

Edited February 20, 2014 by Ish

[johndoe2012]

Research the "natural state" and how to get there.

[Seeker of Wisdom]

Shamatha: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Attention-Revolution-Unlocking-Focused/dp/0861712765/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392929075&sr=8-1&keywords=the+attention+revolution

 

*Coarse excitation - awareness completely leaves object.

*Moderate excitation - awareness only slightly on object.

*Subtle excitation - awareness not quite fully on object.

 

*Coarse laxity - completely spaced out.

*Moderate laxity - dull level of vividness.

*Subtle laxity - object vivid but dull attention.

 

Brief summary of the stages of shamatha:

1) Can place awareness on something.

2) Avoid coarse excitation for about a minute.

3) Can avoid coarse excitation for majority of session and quickly correct it.

4) No coarse excitation.

5) Take satisfaction in samadhi, no coarse laxity.

6) No moderate excitation, lots of junk in the mind clearing out.

7) No moderate laxity.

8) No excitation or laxity, but effort required.

9) Effortless samadhi, but causes of excitation and laxity are still latent.

 

Shamatha is achieved when stage 9 has deepened into access concentration, which makes the jhanas possible.

You're right, trying to stop thinking is absolutely stupid. However, the compulsive ideation that 99.999999% of people have isn't conducive to cultivation either.

 

Thought is a tool. Like any tool, is it healthy if it is always stuck to your hand? Is it healthy if you can't pick it up when you want to use it?

 

Shamatha is basically about gradually releasing the tendency of the attention to roam about or be dull. If anything, it is a letting go of effort.

 

Something I'm starting to realise, although I'm still very much a novice, is that actually the mind is by nature stable and vivid. But that natural quality is blocked by clingings and effort, so shamatha, or something like it, is necessary to unlock what we've already got.

 

Someone with access concentration has access to the substrate consciousness, as well as their mind. So their awareness is very expansive, and this vivid space is very conducive to real liberating insight and boundless compassion.

 

Importantly, any insights gained are imprinted on the substrate consciousness, so they are permanent, and for the same reason boundless compassion can be effortless, uncontrived. Basically they're working on the root rather than fussing over leaves.

 

Also, the chi will automatically clear up brilliantly, and countless globs of crap in the mind clear up in the process.

[ChiDragon]

How does one do this..

24 hours a day, keep attention on "awareness" not nothing or something

It can have a tendency to make one reject the heart

or the world

or think too much

 

When I do my Qigong, spontaneous movements

I dont try to stop thinking I let my body move by itself and get epiphanies that make the emotions go away by themself..

putting in effort to stop thinking seems contradictary

even the intention to stop thinking seems to block the heart

 

The purpose of 自發功, spontaneous movements, is to let the body move by itself while the mind is at rest without thinking about anything. If one didn't try to stop thinking, then one is not doing the spontaneous movements chi kung properly.

Edited February 20, 2014 by ChiDragon

[C T]

 

The purpose of 自發功, spontaneous movements, is to let the body move by itself while the mind is at rest without thinking about anything. If one didn't try to stop thinking, then one is not doing the spontaneous movements chi kung properly.

that does not sound right at all.

[ChiDragon]

that does not sound right at all.

I don't doubt that.

Edited February 20, 2014 by ChiDragon

[Jetsun]

The mind arises within silence, there is no need to do anything except recognise what is.

[Spotless]

I think a lot of confusion comes with using the word "mind". Particularly for the sake of this topic, this discussion.

"Mind" is a very misty and loaded word - a bit like "god".

 

Trying to settle ones awareness in silence is an honorable engagement and if you "fail" you win in that you see just how little you are able to "do" and how trivial is your will.

 

If you have the magnetic strength to bare with it - you will find the silence comes - not by release, but as what you thought was you falls away. Not much of anything happens as a cause of you releasing anything - we use such phrases because our ego loves the idea that it is doing or at least not dying with this spiritual practice. It loves to implicate its success upon things.

 

Did you "release" your yearning for a Barbie doll or G. I. Joe?

Pretty suddenly one day you moved on - no release - your awareness can simply move to a different vibration and whole worlds disappear.

 

One day your "buzz" addictions fall away, on another day your story falls away.

 

Somewhere in there is a you that eventually you will find familiar in a much more organic way than you ever expected.

 

The elegant feel of Qi - becomes elegant when it is naturally not dissipated, not directed into a personal buzz, a group buzz or a planetary buzz. An un-distracted awareness with no inertia.

Edited February 21, 2014 by Spotless

[Infinity]

The mind always wants to be somewhere or something else. It tells me I need to do this or get that to be there to be better. Or loose this or find something to be complete. If you can understand this madness and see it maybe it will drop away?

 

I think a big thing is self acceptance and self love. If you accept who you are now your mind rambling swill drop away! Give yourself a big hug or get someone to do it for you (I am not saying pay!)

 

Also the mind is going to think regardless so steer it to think positive thoughts that aid your goals (hypnosis/mantra).

 

Off the top of my head you could say 'I am one', 'I am balanced', 'it's ok to be me', 'My mind is quiet' or 'I am deeply relaxed and fully conscious. I am at peace'. The more you relax the less you will think.

 

Changing you description changes your world. Try not to say thing are difficult or impossible.

 

I am ok, your ok, we are all ok!

 

∞

Edited February 24, 2014 by Infinity