Fwd: Harsha posts

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[This is forwarded, with permission, from a private list.]

 

Sat, 13 May 2000 15:33:13 -0500

Re: Harsha posts

 

Hello Matt!

>You forwarded two passages from Harsha. He wrote:

>

>>Often on the spiritual path, the topics of best postures, best technique of

>>meditation, best behavior conducive to spiritual growth, best guru, etc.

>>come up ...

>

>>This point of view emphasizes

>>the need to focus consciousness on "something" or to "do something" with

>>consciousness. it can involve meditating in a particular posture, focusing

>>on chakras, mantras, breathing, etc. ...

>

>>For the one abiding spontaneously and inherently in the Truth of Reality,

>>questions of method, technique, and practice become moot. When Clarity of

>>Self arises, any technique may be practiced and any path may be walked or

>>one may give up all techniques and paths ...

>

>>When awareness remains pure and unfocused (focused on nothing in particular

>>and falling continuously upon itself, consuming itself), the subtle duality

>>between awareness/attention (as Pure I AM) and its Source is seen to be

>>illusory. Here the witness disappears, there being nothing to witness. The

>I

>>AM disappears.

>

>And also,

>

>>It is sometimes asked, What is the true meaning of Sadhana or

>>spiritual practice and what is the goal? There are probably so many answers

>>to this in different religions and traditions. In my view, holding on to

>the

>>awareness that the Ocean of compassion sits in One's Own Heart and is One's

>>Own Self as Pure Awareness of Being is Sadhana ... The Advaita Vedanta

>perspective is

>>that when the Self is Realized, the false cognition that the world is

>different from the

>>Self simply vanishes.

>

>

>When I have kundalini energy rushes up my spine and into my head, I used to

>tense up, and it would somehow pool up in my head and make me very confused!

>Then it would go away, especially if I opened my eyes.

>

>Then one day I found I could open my crown chakra like a ring muscle and

>release the energy out the top, which made me much more lucid afterwards,

>and made the energy last longer, if I kept my eyes closed.

>

>But in the last few days I have learned something more, which what Harsha

>wrote makes me think of.

>

>It is hard to express ... Instead of _doing_ anything with the energy or in

>reaction to the energy, I do precisely nothing, I clear a space in and

>around my head where I am not focused on anything and I am taking no action

>at all.

>

>And in reaction the energy seems to jump up to another level and just goes

>on and on at a high pitch as long as I can maintain that clarity and absence

>of me-ness. In fact the energy helps me maintain, I can function and even

>work in that "me-less" state for a while before I float back to earth.

>

>I think with practice I could learn to keep up that state of mind and let it

>feed the energy and feed on the energy like Ourobouros, while I went about

>my ordinary business. I am doing this as I write right now.

>

>It is hard for "me" to maintain because as soon as I _am_ "me", it

>diminishes. I can open my eyes, as long as I do not focus on anything,

>mentally or with my physical focus of vision. After I do this with a few

>energy rushes, the kundalini feeling just keeps pouring through me and

>through me. Some sort of gateway is opened ... And then I can focus mentally

>and physically -- as I am focusing on writing this letter right now -- but

>as long as the spiritual remains unfocussed the energy keeps pouring through

>the empty place I have made at my center.

>

>What Harsha described is a much higher attainment than my little attempt to

>welcome and serve My Lady Shakti when She rises in me. I can feel there are

>much higher levels of me-ness I am yet unable to attain, which would lead to

>even stronger energy.

>

>But in my small way, is this new way of handling the energy by not-handling

>it a move away from method, technique and practice in the direction of the

>pure unfocused awareness of which Harsha speaks?

 

Yes! In one sense, at this level the method IS to relax method and let go

of everything to maintain that emptiness... and it takes a certain kind of

method to notice when something begins to intrude and to move away from it,

to relax and let it go, and just maintain the emptiness... in other words,

it takes a certain kind of doing to maintain the not-doing. But that gets

easier and easier, so that you need less and less of it.

 

So yes, you are moving away from method and technique. Remember, method

and technique are for learning... there comes a time when they are no

longer needed.

 

You have a rare perception of these things... of the energy movements, the

opening of the gate or chakra... so your experience should be very helpful

to others.

 

It's also rare to be able... and so soon... to be able to maintain this

state while you're working. You are not always happy about your job, but I

think your situation has provided a perfect setting for you to learn (or

relearn) this being on many levels at once.

 

This is moving towards continuity of consciousness, and that's a goal we

have always before us... to be aware on many planes/levels at the same

time. The focus of consciousness, at least while we're functioning in the

outer world, is relatively tight and it's in one place, but we can be aware

in a wider sense on many levels.

 

You could define this as a kind of meditation, but it isn't what we usually

mean by the word. We usually mean the inner meditation, when we close our

eyes and relax the body and leave the outer world behind. But that's

method too... that's the practice field. ) We shut out the outer world

so we can concentrate on the inner planes and learn there. But this is for

learning... it's the practice field. Whatever we learn to do in interior

meditation, we can eventually do in waking consciousness, sitting in a

roomful of people or at the desk in the workplace.

 

Jamgon Kongtrul says:

>Non-meditation is the exhaustion of effort.

>Although there is nothing to meditate on, there is something

> to get used to.

>For the sake of habituation, while eating, resting, going, or

> staying,

>in all activities, it is crucial not to give in to distraction.

>

>When alone, you can relax and maintain true nature.

>When in a crowd, the powers of mindfulness, awareness, and

> clarity need to be carefully guarded.

>Since mindful awareness in essence has no true existence,

>there is nothing to attend to, but there is something to establish.

>Since it is awareness-emptiness, it is somewhat difficult to

> establish,

>but once you are used to it, it will be like meeting an old

> acquaintance.

>Whatever appearances, sounds, or thoughts occur,

>there is not one iota that is not an aspect of awareness itself.

>snip<

>In the completely perfect sense, there is no meditation and

> nothing to meditate on.

>When mindfulness alone is enough, it is the peak of practice.

>In the ultimate sense, even mindfulness itself does not exist.

>When the basis of mindfulness is absolved in basic space we

> speak of wisdom.

>As when fuel is used up the fire is also extinguished,

>when delusion is used up the remedy itself is eliminated.

>This is the sphere of activity of all noble ones.

------

>Or should I be moving in a

>different direction?

 

No, this is wonderful! And you know you are always guided.

 

I love you!

 

Blessings,

Dharma