Sleep, Samadhi and Fainting

[Guest guest]

I recently read in the spiritual teaching of Ramana Maharshi

something that caught my attention completely. He said..."in the

states of sleep, samadhi, and fainting, and when the object desired

is obtained or the object disliked is removed, the mind becomes

inward-turned, and enjoys pure Self-Happiness."

 

When I was a child I would breathe deeply over and over and then hold

my breath until I would faint. I did this because it gave me a

feeling of such bliss that I just wanted to do it again and again. Of

course I am not recommending this to anyone by any means. Was I doing

this in an effort to try and reach that pure Self-Happiness, albeit

without knowing why I was doing it for this reason?

 

In Divine Friendship,

Sraddha

[Guest guest]

On Thu, 2 Nov 2000, Mazie Lane wrote:

>

> When I was a child I would breathe deeply over and over and then hold

> my breath until I would faint. I did this because it gave me a

> feeling of such bliss that I just wanted to do it again and again. Of

> course I am not recommending this to anyone by any means. Was I doing

> this in an effort to try and reach that pure Self-Happiness, albeit

> without knowing why I was doing it for this reason?

 

i used to escape into bliss as a kid too, also by breath manipulation,

until white energy would hold me in its embrace and I could just be there,

raptured.

 

When i started meditation in a real way, guess what came back....it became

quite a bit distracting. My teacher kept telling me tho, let it go, let it

go, be here, be now. Don't check with your feelings.

 

The koan of Nanjen's cat is that 2 wings of a monestary are fighting over

a cat. Nansen holds up the cat, says to the monks, "Give me one good word

and the cat lives!" No one spoke, so Nanjen cut the cat in two. Joshu came

by later, and Nanjen told him this tale, he asked Joshu how he would have

answered. Joshu put his sandals on his head and walked out. Nanjen shook

his head "Friend, if you had been here, a cat would have lived."

 

IN this story, you are one of the monks fighting over the cat. What could

you say to nanjen to satisfy him?

 

I like this one, because it helps cut through rapture-head, or the state

of chasing bliss. You have to be on your feet to save that cat. Can't be

blissed out

 

You also can't be thinking of yourself at all, willing to give all, being

totally one with it all, yet totally functional too .

 

Absolute and relative as yin & Yang or something.

 

maitri,

 

--janpa simply commenting and writing what comes into my head.