Meditation

How Does Consciousness Arise?

Consciousness is our knowing state, but where does it ultimately comes from? If you can observe consciousness then you are out of it and transcending it, so consciousness itself must have a base. Let’s find it through logic.

First, there is an image in consciousness that resembles an object that comes to us through the five senses. That’s what the five sense consciousness do for us. They give us these signless images, these non-labeled images that appear in consciousness.

There is next a function of consciousness that grasps those images, that turns the images into discrete particular things to be experienced with particular properties and attributes. Otherwise every object would be like every other object to you, and every sense field like every other sense field. This is done by a part of consciousness which we typically call the “mind.” It gives names and properties to things. Basically it’s responsible for naming and labeling.

Next there is the knowing part of consciousness we call the “apparent knower” and take as our assumed silent self. This is the self-reflexive knower, the source of intellectualization, the pivot by which you judge and know things. This is the self-authenticating aspect of consciousness we call the self or knower.

This knower is what knows the thoughts. When there is a thought there is consciousness, but when consciousness is empty, what’s there? You’re not annihilated or extinct or non-existent because obviously the world still goes on. You might think there is a gap within consciousness, but somehow it arises again. There is always a continuity of awareness behind, above, beyond or transcending consciousness, however you want to word it. It is awareness that is there when consciousness is empty without any object.

We can call this awareness “primordial awareness” or “ready awareness” or the “potential for consciousness” or “presence,” which are all just a way of saying is-ness or be-ingness without the thoughts of being so.

These three parts – the reflected images of perception, the descriptive grabbing of discrimination, and the knowing must all share the same base or supporting substance otherwise they could not connect, hence they are all ultimately parts or functions of the same consciousness. All three are one, they are the same thing talked about in three parts because of the different characteristics or functions being performed. Yet they must all be united as one otherwise they could not interact with one another.

Now if you think deeply, you’ll realize that the seventh consciousness, or self-authenticating nature, has to have something beyond it, something that authenticates it, something transcending it. There has to be something which stands behind or transcends the knowing aspect of the inner I. In technical terms, there is something that authenticates the apparent self, that stands behind knowingness. If there was not something behind knowingness, knowingness could NOT arise. There must be something that gives rise to consciousness. There must be something aprior that corroborates conscious knowing. Read more…

How to Fight "Brain Fog" With Meditation

How often have you felt forgetful or seem to have lost your short-term memory? You know the feeling I’m talking about. You start losing your attention, feel spacey, and there’s a problem with focusing on the tasks at hand.

Did you know that meditation can help you cut down on “brain fog” like this? If you learn how to meditate, over time, it helps you to clear your mind and cut down on states of mental stupor. Because meditation involves learning to let go of the thoughts that run around in your head, with practice you can learn to let go of the state of unclarity that arises in your mind that meditators call dullness, brain fog or stupor. Naturally it takes some practice order to achieve this ability with proficiency. Nevertheless, it’s well worth the effort because that’s the purpose of meditation in the first place.

The cardinal rule of meditation is to let go of your thoughts, but to maintain awareness of everything that goes on in your mind while letting your mind give rise to thoughts freely. When people start to watch their mind this way, at first the mind starts to get clearer and they reach a realm of mental clarity. But after this initial spurt of progress, it actually seems like their mind is becoming busier than ever before and more confused than they’ve ever known it to be. This is not actually a step backwards but a step forwards, and people who think they are retrogressing when this happens are actually misinterpreting their stage of achievement. Read more…

Visualization Works

Have you ever purchased a self-help book and finished reading it and then expect it to work, but months go by and nothing happens. You always find yourself in the same situation as before you bought that book. The book gave you theory knowledge only; it did not show you the first steps to take to make the book work. It also did not tell you, you are the only one that can make changes in your life by taking specific actions.

Visualization is great if you can put it into action. There are many self help books that teach you how to visualize your wants or needs but what is lacking in those books is that initial step or action to help you put your desires into motion. Just imagine if we could make this happen or make things appear by sitting alone in a room and closing your eyes to visualize your desires, how fortunate we all would be. We would not need to get out of home to go to work. But reality is that it doesn’t happen that way. Read more…

How Meditation Helps in Reducing Stress?

Stress is the most commonly used term for mental pressure. Stress can be any time, any where and with any one. While following our hectic schedules it becomes an impossible task to maintain good and healthy life styles. Although many books, magazines, psychologists, health experts and physical trainers and other sources give many ways to reduce stress, one point that everyone agrees to is meditation.

Meditation helps us to make our life more smooth and relaxed. Meditation helps us to fight a number of health problems apart from stress. Meditation can be done in the morning, as well as in the evening, preferably before a heavy meal. It is also true that you cannot get relief from stress just by meditating for a single day. It takes time for the beginners to meditate. You need to learn meditations first from an expert trainer. You need to know how to concentrate. Your mind should be focused at one particular point. These are a few points that a beginner must take into consideration. There are other methods of meditation also. There are many meditation training centers that train you how to meditate and gives lessons on meditation. Read more…

What Lies Beneath Meditation?

Many of us experience a meditative state without realizing it. For example, times when we are sitting outdoors, perhaps beside a stream or in a peaceful backyard, when everything seems to drop away, including all our thoughts or concerns, and we enter into a deeply peaceful stillness… an inner quite. In this quite, we feel as if we have dissolved and are no longer something separate or individual, but have merged with everything around us. We become the trees, the birds, and the water – there is no separation, no difference between us.

This state is very joyful; however, it does not necessarily last! Our minds and senses are so powerful that we being distract by every-day concerns, pulled into our worries or personal dramas, our habits or confusion, until this feeling of inner quite seems very far away. However, the more we practice meditation, for example, specific techniques to bring purposefully the mind into a focused and still place, the more we experience an inner quite.

The practice of meditation, which may include contemplation and prayer, is an aspect of systems. If we are too externalized and busy with thoughts, we are unable to perceive the beauty around us or to receive divine inspiration. But meditation is not limited to religious practice; it also has far-reaching implications in our fast – moving and highly demanding world for bringing balance and harmony to our lives. Read more…

Buddhism Teaches Cognitive Science About Consciousness

Let us say you see a red apple, which is all that your eye does for you. It just brings you the sensory image of an apple by somehow translating the outside world into an image for consciousness, but it doesn’t provide the concept that the image is an apple nor does it make the word “apple” arise in the mind. That comes later. It somehow just gives you a mental picture image of a red apple by somehow reflecting the outside world and transmitting that reflection into consciousness. That’s what the reflective aspect of consciousness does – it gives you the shape, colors, smell, feel of the apple by reflecting the outside world and making it into a consciousness image.

Therefore, what you actually see when you see an apple is not the apple but consciousness. You are just seeing, perceiving, witnessing or experiencing an image in consciousness, but not the apple itself. The image in the mind doesn’t give you any other intelligence beyond the image, so your eyes, ears, tongue, body and nose just give you all these mental impressions which Buddhism calls images or signs. Your five senses are like five soldiers who always make an accurate report to headquarters without adding any commentary or interpretation at all. They just give you all these simultaneous images. But who interprets them?

Without being able to grasp those images and discriminate them out into parts with borders, properties or characteristics, you don’t have a clue that there is something there with a specific meaning as a specific object with specific attributes and characteristics. In other words, besides reflecting the outside world into something internal, consciousness has a function of discrimination that makes this one set of pictures quite different in meaning from another set, otherwise they’d all appear to you as the same. Read more…

Derive Inner Strength From Meditation

Having inner strength is very important in order to face any negative energies or thoughts. The inner strength derived from deep inside prevents you from getting swayed by undesirable circumstances in life. You become self-confident and learn to practice self-control. But how does that happen? Meditation is a great way of developing your inner strength.

Meditation is defined as a state in which an individual’s attention is concentrated on a particular object of thought. In such a state, the attention of the individual is turned inwards to a single point. It is often acknowledged as a crucial element of religions practiced across Asia, such as Hinduism and Buddhism in countries such as India, China, Sri Lanka, Indonesia etc. Meditation has been practiced by these religions for more than 5,000 years.

Meditation teaches you a lot of things. It can help in generating thoughts that are below the threshold of conscious perception. The unconscious mind holds a stock of information and details that help in the formulation of other key skills. In order to be able to meditate perfectly, one has to focus on creating a balance between the subconscious mind and the inner self. Read more…

How to Find the Best Meditation Position

Meditation positions can do more harm than good. Many magazine articles will show pictures of esoteric yogis holding intricate hand gestures while sitting in bliss. This can be a turn-off, since perhaps you aren’t limber or maybe you are at work and don’t want to be started at while busting out a full lotus. Meditation is an internal experience. The goal of your meditation position should be relaxation.

The lesson to learn is that direct experience is the best guide. It is a lesson that will guide you well in all of your meditation adventures. So follow this simple process and you will be on your way to discovering meditation’s benefits without any complications from your posture.

The trick is to practice the same meditation in each possible meditation position. This way you can truly gauge the effectiveness or discomfort. We are all made differently so only through your reaction to the meditation while in the different postures can you find your best one. Read more…