I decided to share some of my morning meditation because I believe some of it relates to some of our recent conversations.

During my meditation I experienced myself as consciousness, divine love and peace.  Either my spirit guidance or higher self (I don’t know which) showed me imagery of various things, some of it was about negative occurrences.

I don’t remember the specific details, this is irrelevant, because the point of the negative imagery was to show me that regardless of what I perceive, my consciousness, love and peace don’t get effected. I’ve noticed this during other meditations.  During such meditations my guidance showed me various types of imagery so I would notice that who I am at spirit level can’t be harmed. I can get involved with a state-of-mind that feels unpleasant, yet my Consciousness can’t get harmed. We can get caught up in negative states of mind for however long, but this won’t directly affect the consciousness aspect of our being.

On this occasion and other occasions I have found that it doesn’t matter if my mind is active, I can still experience love, peace and the beingness of my consciousness.  I do this by tuning into love.  When you connect to love, mind activity and perceptions don’t have a negative effect.

I believe it is contradictory that some people say that you aren’t your mind yet you have to stop your thought in order to experience a higher level of being. If you aren’t your mind, why do you have to stop whatever mind is? And if you tried to stop it, wouldn’t you have to use a part of your mind to do so?

I believe it is much better to connect to your true self through love, so you can see that mind activity isn’t a problem unless it takes place in a way that isn’t preferable and if you are caught up in it to an extent where you can’t perceive the consciousness part of yourself.

I don’t mean to imply indifference to what is perceived. Many people are involved with their mind activity to an extent where they can’t perceive their spirit self, and suffer accordingly.  Plus, sometimes what mind brings into being is quite beautiful.

Thank you Ginny.

I agree with what you added about mind and brain being different. On this board I believe it is typical to think in such a way, but I figure that there are a lot of people who don't see that such a distinction exits.

Roger:

Thank you for your kind words. Dan Harris, I haven't heard his name before. That's an interesting title, "10% happier."  Did he self publish? A publisher might be opposed to the 10% part.

Roger:

Thank you for the clarification.

I believe that there are people out there who overstate what they experience.

One problem with this is that some people might measure how they are doing as compared to how other people are "supposedly" doing. This is a big mistake.

When we are incarnated in a body, living in the energy field of this World, and dealing with life's challenges, it isn't easy to be blissed out all the time.

Not that it is necessary. It is more of a matter of where our heart is. Having spiritual depth doesn't mean that you will never be challenged by life in this World.







rondele wrote on Mar 23^rd, 2014 at 2:57pm:

recoverer wrote on Mar 23^rd, 2014 at 2:28pm:


Albert, I see this morning where this book is #1 on the NY Times best selling list.  For anyone wanting to learn more about the benefits of meditation along with tips for being successful with it, I highly recommend this book.  Entertaining as well.

R

Number one and good, what a rare combination. 

rondele wrote on Mar 31^st, 2014 at 11:36am:

Hey Recoverer and other afterlife knowledge friends!

Very interesting point that you brought up regarding the relationship between mind and consciousness.

It would appear that our consciousness and mind are one.  But perhaps on a fundamental level we are not our mind, but rather we are the consciousness that perceives itself through the mind, and the mind is simply a tool that we use to experience reality, perhaps a byproduct of consciousness experiencing itself, just as our physical body is a tool used to experience the physical world, and yet on a fundamental level we are not our body, the body is an illusion, ever-changing and impermanent, as is the activity of the mind. 

Buddhism says that the mind is the reflection of illusion, and once illusion is transcended we enter a state of "no mind" in which only ultimate, divine wisdom is perceived.  But it is true, there is still perception, and so according to our current definitions this would necessitate a mind, otherwise there would be no perception at all.  But perhaps we are using erroneous definitions.  Perhaps what we know as the mind is actually the movements of illusion that exist within our perceptions and not the perception itself, and the transcendence of these illusory mental activities exposes our true self, true divine awareness, free of the movements of mind.

Alberto I am doing great, thanks, and I likewise hope you are well.

Regarding this topic, along with most others discussed on this board, 'tis something that probably needs to be experienced first hand with clarity to gain proper insight into.  Speculation only goes so far, which is why I have distanced myself from the forum life and used the energies I was channeling into discussion, debate, and speculation more fully into my practices.  I have likewise stopped reading material detailing what other people believe or claim is truth and instead put that energy into allowing myself to experience truth for myself. 

If we look closely at our motivations for activity such expressing personal beliefs, debating the validity of concepts, and trying to change the viewpoints of others, we may find a nasty mixture of ego, attachment, and identification issues at play underlying the surface conviction of "liberating" others or providing them a service.  We may find ourselves wasting hours on end trying to make others see things our way, or looking to others to provide the answers to questions of which we are ignorant to, all the while stunting our own personal growth, neglecting the true source of wisdom within.

I have found that the purification of these desires and attachments of the ego is of upmost importance if one is to be liberated from negativity and delusion and rise into higher states of oneness with divine truth and clarity, and so I encourage everyone participating on this forum to deeply examine their role here and the motivation for their activities, and consider the idea that it may be of more benefit to exert more energy into the spiritual practices that will bring you closer to truth rather than seeking them from others who may very well be equally as deluded as you. 

Looking back at my years of activity on this board and the times when I was inactive and my spiritual productivity during these times, I realize that I should have taken the time I spent here debating and expressing beliefs and instead used it to develop my spirituality through experience, as this is the only way truth can be acquired- through direct experience.  I would have been hundreds, if not thousands of hours of meditation and insight time ahead in my development.  Of course, this goes for all time-wasting, unproductive activities.  Not that this group is a waste of time or unproductive in and of itself, especially as compared to watching television or drinking alcohol or doing drugs for example, but I do find many aspects of it largely unnecessary and distracting. 

My point is simply to understand that knowledge, wisdom, and liberation are achieved through effort and experience, and while the guidance of those that are further along the path is helpful and I appreciate this site for providing this service, these more experienced individuals are likewise dealing with their own issues of ego attachments and thus should not get wrapped up in assuming the role of Oh Wise and Experienced One, for there are likely deceptive and distractive internal forces that are stunting further growth and development to the extent that these delusions are entertained.