effort leading to no-effort

[Guest guest]

>>Roger:

>Thoughts of Union are just thoughts, and not Union. But let's distinguish

>unproductive 'thinking about union' from the Yoga of Discrimination (Gyana

>oga), which uses discrimination to transcend thought.

>

>>You suggest that Union achieved by Love is potentially superior to other

>paths. Isn't God both Love & Truth? What does it matter which route is

>taken?

>

>D: You discuss "transcending thought" above. At the "point" at which

>thought is transcended, how can we discuss a route? The idea of a route

>from somewhere to somewhere else is itself a bias of thought. It seems

>to come down to a "total leap beyond" that can't take place in any way

>that is constrained by, or dependent on thought - including ideas

>of a route, a superior or inferior way, the need for love, truth,

>being, enlightenment, or even ideas about being "thoughtless," or concepts

>of a place "beyond thought."

>-- Love -- Dan

 

>From my perspective:

There seem to be two distinct levels here:

The first: subtle personal effort is required to move into a state of

receptivity or stillness.

The second: once in receptive stillness nothing else can be done,

transformation or Grace or a 'glimpse' can occur, but clearly no volition or

effort can ever trigger the glimpse.

 

The various diverse paths of Yoga are the 'subtle effort' or 'routes'. Yet

the routes are in themselves only useful for stilling the mind. Then Grace

descends into that stillness.

 

I ask myself 'what subtle effort can I initiate to still the mind which then

might create the conditions for transcendence'. Note the emphasis on subtle

effort which leads to 'NO effort'!

 

My experiences:

1) using a discriminative approach 'neti-neti' or 'not this, not this', with

attention on turning thought against itself or attention on stilling

thought, stillness & subsequent transcendence might occur.

2) using an approach based in sensation, such as putting attention into the

body or chakras & the sensations & subtle energy there, stillness &

transcendence may occur.

3) much less frequently for me: spontaneous emotional expansion, feeling

Love towards someone or something, this too can lead to transcendence. But

for me personally this is not something I can reproduce by subtle effort, it

just happens occasionally. And I think this just means my mind-body is more

geared to discrimination rather than devotion. Other people are probably

just the opposite.

4) I sure there are other ways (see my web site) but I'm not as tuned into

them. TM mantra meditation worked to some degree for me but didn't seem to

be best suited to my particular needs.

 

There are examples of this 2-3 level distinction in the literature, but that

would be too dry!

 

It's useful for me to realize that subtle effort is required & I need to

engineer this. I need to arrange my life & discover what practices encourage

deeper stillness. However, this effort must end in no effort, must end in

stillness beyond any trace of effort.

 

IMHO teachers, various advaita teachers, who teach that 'no effort' is

required to reach God or 'nothing at all must or can be done' are delivering

only part of the equation. They are misleading!! Subtle effort is useful

for nearly everyone, but the effort must lead to stillness or a state of

effortless communion.

 

Roger

www.newu.org