Ten generations back, Ambrose Dixon came to James Virginia, about 1640. He left
London England, seeking religious freedom because he was a Quaker. He later
left Virginia because he and his Quaker brothers felt discriminated against and
resettled in Maryland where Lord Baltimore granted him land and refuge.
Somewhere down the line, the Dixons joined Church of Christ in Kentucky. I
guess I'm the first generation to return to seeking the Kingdom within via
transcendental awareness.
From: "dhamiltony...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife]"
<FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com>
To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, April 11, 2015 10:43 PM
Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Awareness, Consciousness, Stillness
I was upin Rochester, Mn. last week and looked to see if there was a
groupmeditation there. The Quakers there are old-style Hicksite Friendssimply
sitting in awareness as no-mantra-no-thought stillness. Likethe Fairfield
Quaker meeting is deeply transcendent meditative thatway. Transcendent, really
a good activated field effect of pure consciousness without the cultural veneer
of TM .
Who We Are
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| | | | Who We Are We welcome you to our meeting for
worship in the confident expectation that both members and visitors will
benefit from a mutual search for the truth which ... | |
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---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <dhamiltony2k5@...> wrote :
Empty, Awareness,pure consciousness. The list of 'correct meditation' in the
teachingalso includes “no-mantra, no thought”. Stillness.
Thoughtechnically you are right that thinking the mantra is not
implicitlytranscendental consciousness, it is just consciousness as
you'vedefined it by reference. Though as one gets really good at sittingwith
stillness then this transcendental meditative consciousnessbecomes
vipassanaic-like in practice. Stillness and even watching thoughtsemerge.
The realTM tru-believer on hearing that would be horrified though assertingthat
as mindfulness, as in sitting still is comtemplative and orconcentrative if you
sit with it and hence no good by TM standard...As our TM Alpha EEG studies
demonstrate that TM is superior. Come back tothe mantra! Come back!
Re-introduce the mantra and all costs!Faintly. Easily. Don't just sit there!
However, I feelyou are on to something in experience with your analysis of
this. Sitwith it some more. JaiGuruYou, -Buck in Meditative Fairfield, Iowa
---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <emptybill@...> wrote :
About Consciousness versus Awareness:
One of the characteristics ofTM teachings has always been the conflation of two
terms - consciousness and awareness.The result is that we liberally use the
term “pure consciousness” oroccasionally “pure awareness” in our tm-speak.These
terms are ways that we conceptually identify a reality that is neitherwaking,
dreaming or sleeping. Usually we call it “the forth state” or“transcendental
consciousness”. Supposedly, this terminology describesan “experience” of
“transcendental consciousness”. It is described as 1.) remaining “awake inside
in a state where knower, knowing and knownobject are united”. Another way
ofdescribing it is 2.) “dissolving the processof experience into the
experiencer –thus leaving the experiencer awake andalone within their own
nature.” Based upon such descriptions, thisterminology then attempts to
translate and define two Sanskrit yoga terms 1.) “samprajñata-samâdhi”and 2.)
“asamprajñata-samâdhi”. However, finding comparable words in English
totranslate these types of Sanskrit yoga terms is notoriously imprecise.
Consequently,scholars have resorted to all kinds of substitutions – ranging
from religiousvocabulary to phenomenological terminology to try to establish
the meaning ofyogic ideas. We also find similar substitutionsin the tm-speak
displayed here onFFL. Along this line, something worth considering is the
blindinter-operability of two words often seen here – consciousness and
awareness. So - why should these words be problematic? By definition, the
word Latinsourced English word “consciousness” means an “object-defined”
attention - whether that object ismaterial, sensory or mental. This word
therefore signifies an attention that isnot only object focused but also one
that is inherently “objectified” by its ownoperations, functioning and nature.
Thus the obvious question - whatisa “pure consciousness” (i.e.
consciousnesswithout an object)? Is it the opposite of impure Consciousness?
Ifindeed “impure consciousness” means attention to an object, then also
anyattention to a mantra is also “impure”. Even if the adjective “pure” is
added to the word “consciousness”to signify a simple or unmixed consciousness,
then still, by definition, it signifies a consciousness that is
intentionallyoriented, actively engaged and objectified. If the adjective
“transcendental” is added tothe word “consciousness” then we have merely
redefined the word to imply aconsciousness that is mystical or supernatural.
However, by definition, consciousnessalways means “consciousness-of”. Thus the
label “pure”, simply contrives itselfinto the term “pure consciousness” so that
it seems to be a realitythat is other or beyond our immediate experience.
Contrary to this, theSanskrit word “cit”, is the word usuallytranslated as
“consciousness”. This word in Sanskrit (cit) actually means “awareness”. “Cit”
has the verbal rootmeaning of “to perceive” and “bright” – each furthering the
sense of“naturally luminous” or “self-radiant”. It thus is more accurately
translated by the Englishword “awareness” which means alertness,illumination,
recognition and realization. So what does this mean in theTM context? It means
that the Awareness wenow have while reading these FFL posts is the foundational
reality for any accuratedefinition of yoga and Advaita. This is especially true
when explaining thereality of human nature and its development. Your own
awareness (svachaitanyam, svasamvedana, svajyotish) is already the most
definitive reality. Thusin Advaita, it is this very “one’s-own-awareness”that
requires no alteration, no modification or transformation because it isalready
the most evident yet generally unrecognized reality. The centralinsight of
Shankara’s Advaita is that this “one’s-own-awareness”is at once both mundane
and ultimate. His source is the Upanishads, which state thatBrahman can be
pointed out by the tripleindication : “satyam, jñânam, anantam”– reality,
awareness, limitlessness. In case you have doubts, hereis the etymology:
Consciousness= the state of knowing an external object or a subjective
perception. The etymology of this Latin-basedword “consciousness” is
“co/con/com(= with) + scîre (= to know) + ness (= state, quality, condition)”.
Yet contrary to this Latin basedword is the more simple and native English word
“awareness”. This is an “Old-English”source-word that conveys a simpler and
clearer root meaning – i.e. vigilantor watchful; closely observant, alert or
attentive.
Shankara makes an important point in Upadesasahasri Shankara did notextol yogic
nirvikalpa-samaadhi (non-conceptual absorption or transcendence).Rather,
speaking from the understanding that the Self (Atman) is alreadynirvikalpa by
nature, he firmly contrasts the true nature of the Self and themind: AsI have
no restlessness (viksepa,)I hence have no absorption (samâdhi). Restlessness or
absorption belong to themind which is changeable. A similar viewis expressed in
13.17: Howcan samadhi, non-samadhi or anything else which is to be done belong
to me? Forhaving meditated and known me, they realize that they have completed
[all] thatneeded to be done. and 14.35: Inever seen non-samadhi, nor anything
else [needing] to be purified, belongingto me who am changeless, the pure
Brahman, free from evil. In 15.14 Sankara presents a critique ofmeditation as
an essentially dualistically structured activity: One[comes] to consist of that
upon which one fixes one’s mind, if one is differentfrom [it]. But there is no
action in the Self through which to become the Self.[It] does not depend upon
[anything else] for being the Self, since if [it]depended upon [anything else],
it would not be the Self. Furthermore,in 16.39-40, Sankara implicitly
criticizes the Sankhya-Yoga view that liberationis dissociation from the
association of purusa and prakrti, when he says:Itis not at all reasonable that
liberation is either a connection [with Brahman]or a dissociation [from
prakrti]. For an association is non-eternal and thesame is true for
dissociation. One’s own nature is never lost.Thus, it isevident from the above
that Sankara implicitly rejects both the emancipation ofyoga, namely, that
liberation has to be accomplished through the realdissociation of the purusa
from prakrti, and the yogic pursuit towards thatend, - that is, the
achievement ofnirvikalpa or asamprajata samadhi. Read it and.. [be activated].
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