The Upward Spiral

[Guest guest]

Dear Kochu:

 

This is really excellent advice, thank you. I would only add to it

the concept of the upward spiral in our attempts to escape our

various samskaras.

 

It is simply this: Personal transformation of the sort undertaken in

sadhana is *not* (as you rightly suggest) a linear process, but more

like an upward spiral. Breakthroughs are often followed by

a "backlash" or relapse into the kind of behavioral patterns or

grooves you're trying to overcome. Whenever you make a leap forward,

there's always a period of recalibration and re-entrenchment; that's

just the way the body and mind work.

 

When that happens, you may feel like you've simply gone in a big

circle and landed back where you started. But in fact, it's more

like the circular configuration of a spring: Yes, you're technically

back at the same point on the circle -- but in fact, you're now one

level higher up. So you *are* moving forward, after all -- it's just

harder to perceive because the motion is not in a straight line.

 

In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna famously tells Arjuna, "On this path,

effort never goes to waste, and there is no failure. Even a little

effort toward spiritual awareness will protect you from the greatest

fear" (2:40).

 

I suspect that is at least partially because the effects of every

sincere effort you make are exponential in reach. So if you're

trying to get past, say, lust (as in this thread), your efforts do

not address merely lust, but countless related behavioral patterns

as well. Thus in the upward spiral you are not just chipping away at

a single "shortcoming"; you are simultaneously moving forward on a

thousand other fronts.

 

The movement is so subtle and incremental that you do not notice it

from day to day. But at a certain point (as when you climb a spiral

path up a big mountain and suddenly emerge from the trees into a

clearing), you pause and look at the sprawling vista below, and

you're shocked to realize just how far you have come.

 

Aum MAtangyai NamaH

 

, sankara menon <kochu1tz>

wrote:

 

The answer IMHO is simple do not worry it will go if it is meant to.

It is the same in meditation, attempting hard to conrol the mind

results in its slipping away time and again. If you just let go of

the mind while meditating without attempting to "Control" then

slowly the wanderings of the mind cease and it becomes still. Let

all thoughts come in, then watch what they say. Slowly the incoming

of thoughts will cease and one will have REAL meditation.

 

Similarly do not try to "destroy" lust; it will be reborn a million

times like rakta bIja of the devi mahathmya. Let it have its full

play and soon the mind will tire of it and it will let go. Then the

feeling would have self destructed to the extent necessary for the

particular individual).

[Guest guest]

Hi DB:

 

This perfectly echoes my thoughts about how the spiritual

development takes place in a human.

 

We just need to do our time in this world . We will see plenty of

situations that we feel are "old wine in a new bottle", wheras

really what has happened is that the situation is "a slightly

different wine in a new bottle".

 

When one is not able to perceive the change or gets frustrated, that

may tie with the impatience in a sadhak to be a "jivanmukta". When

that happens, the sadhak does not realize that Jivanmukta is not a

state to "get to"; it's a state to "be in".

 

Till then, the "upward spiral" has us in its bind (does this remind

anyone of Maya?).

 

Jai Ma!

 

 

, "devi_bhakta"

<devi_bhakta> wrote:

>

> Dear Kochu:

>

> This is really excellent advice, thank you. I would only add to it

> the concept of the upward spiral in our attempts to escape our

> various samskaras.

>

> It is simply this: Personal transformation of the sort undertaken

in

> sadhana is *not* (as you rightly suggest) a linear process, but

more

> like an upward spiral. Breakthroughs are often followed by

> a "backlash" or relapse into the kind of behavioral patterns or

> grooves you're trying to overcome. Whenever you make a leap

forward,

> there's always a period of recalibration and re-entrenchment;

that's

> just the way the body and mind work.

>

> When that happens, you may feel like you've simply gone in a big

> circle and landed back where you started. But in fact, it's more

> like the circular configuration of a spring: Yes, you're

technically

> back at the same point on the circle -- but in fact, you're now

one

> level higher up. So you *are* moving forward, after all -- it's

just

> harder to perceive because the motion is not in a straight line.

>

> In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna famously tells Arjuna, "On this

path,

> effort never goes to waste, and there is no failure. Even a little

> effort toward spiritual awareness will protect you from the

greatest

> fear" (2:40).

>

> I suspect that is at least partially because the effects of every

> sincere effort you make are exponential in reach. So if you're

> trying to get past, say, lust (as in this thread), your efforts do

> not address merely lust, but countless related behavioral patterns

> as well. Thus in the upward spiral you are not just chipping away

at

> a single "shortcoming"; you are simultaneously moving forward on a

> thousand other fronts.

>

> The movement is so subtle and incremental that you do not notice

it

> from day to day. But at a certain point (as when you climb a

spiral

> path up a big mountain and suddenly emerge from the trees into a

> clearing), you pause and look at the sprawling vista below, and

> you're shocked to realize just how far you have come.

>

> Aum MAtangyai NamaH

>

> , sankara menon

<kochu1tz>

> wrote:

>

> The answer IMHO is simple do not worry it will go if it is meant

to.

> It is the same in meditation, attempting hard to conrol the mind

> results in its slipping away time and again. If you just let go of

> the mind while meditating without attempting to "Control" then

> slowly the wanderings of the mind cease and it becomes still. Let

> all thoughts come in, then watch what they say. Slowly the

incoming

> of thoughts will cease and one will have REAL meditation.

>

> Similarly do not try to "destroy" lust; it will be reborn a

million

> times like rakta bIja of the devi mahathmya. Let it have its full

> play and soon the mind will tire of it and it will let go. Then

the

> feeling would have self destructed to the extent necessary for the

> particular individual).