Re: [FairfieldLife] How to improve TM practice - a heretic's guide
I'm surprised the TM purists have not taken you to task for suggesting the technique can be improved. From: Seraphita s3raph...@yahoo.com To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 9:48 PM Subject: [FairfieldLife] How to improve TM practice - a heretic's guide Franklin Merrell-Wolff (younger readers will have to look him up on Wikipedia as he's fallen into obscurity in recent years) claimed that he never learned a single meditation practice that he didn't have to tweak before he could get the maximum benefits from the practice. I have to confess, I've had the same experience with TM. The effortless repetition (or favouring) of the mantra for sure elicited some dramatic changes in consciousness, including (on rounding courses) experiences of Richard Bucke-style cosmic consciousness. But the TM technique always insisted one concentrate (if concentrate is the right word) on hearing the subtle sound of the syllable - with no reference given to where ones vision (perhaps a better expression is inner vision) might be centred. I've since found that, for me, allowing my inner vision awareness to centre on the space immediately in front of my eyes greatly enhances the effects of TM and makes me more centred immediately after a mediation session. (I'm not actually crossed-eyed (!) during my sessions, but presumably the location does suggest the Ajna chakra.) I've heard that other spiritual groups recommend centring ones attention on the Ajna chakra if you're more the thinking type - that would describe me - but they also recommend centring attention on the heart chakra if you're more the touchy-feely type. By the way, dire warnings are given (especially by Theosophical-influenced groups) on allowing one's attention to centre on the lower - the root or genital chakras - unless you're sexually pure as that can increase one's libido and lead to sexual obsessions - or sex addiction as modern parlance has it. Now, only being myself your bog-standard meditator, I'm curious if other (more advanced) FFL posters have experienced a similar effect to me. That is, combining mantra favouring with relaxed, inner visual attention centred in front of the eyes has improved your results. And also I'm curious if those of you who took TM-sidha training, or trained as teachers, ever heard Maharishi mention chakras to your inner core of true believers . . . By the way, if what I'm saying sounds presumptuous why not give it a try yourself for a few days?
Re: [FairfieldLife] How to improve TM practice - a heretic's guide
On 07/10/2013 06:48 PM, Seraphita wrote: Franklin Merrell-Wolff (younger readers will have to look him up on Wikipedia as he's fallen into obscurity in recent years) claimed that he never learned a single meditation practice that he didn't have to tweak before he could get the maximum benefits from the practice. I have to confess, I've had the same experience with TM. The effortless repetition (or favouring) of the mantra for sure elicited some dramatic changes in consciousness, including (on rounding courses) experiences of Richard Bucke-style cosmic consciousness. But the TM technique always insisted one concentrate (if concentrate is the right word) on hearing the subtle sound of the syllable - with no reference given to where ones vision (perhaps a better expression is inner vision) might be centred. I've since found that, for me, allowing my inner vision awareness to centre on the space immediately in front of my eyes greatly enhances the effects of TM and makes me more centred immediately after a mediation session. (I'm not actually crossed-eyed (!) during my sessions, but presumably the location does suggest the Ajna chakra.) I've heard that other spiritual groups recommend centring ones attention on the Ajna chakra if you're more the thinking type - that would describe me - but they also recommend centring attention on the heart chakra if you're more the touchy-feely type. By the way, dire warnings are given (especially by Theosophical-influenced groups) on allowing one's attention to centre on the lower - the root or genital chakras - unless you're sexually pure as that can increase one's libido and lead to sexual obsessions - or sex addiction as modern parlance has it. Now, only being myself your bog-standard meditator, I'm curious if other (more advanced) FFL posters have experienced a similar effect to me. That is, combining mantra favouring with relaxed, inner visual attention centred in front of the eyes has improved your results. And also I'm curious if those of you who took TM-sidha training, or trained as teachers, ever heard Maharishi mention chakras to your inner core of true believers . . . By the way, if what I'm saying sounds presumptuous why not give it a try yourself for a few days? Sounds like you would do better to learn something more advanced than TM and have instruction with a one on one teacher as I had. TM is a very simple technique in more ways than one. Most mantra meditation taught to the public by other systems is more like the TM advanced technique. TM is more like the mantras given for astrology or ayurveda and thus can be taught by about anyone.
[FairfieldLife] How to improve TM practice - a heretic's guide
Franklin Merrell-Wolff (younger readers will have to look him up on Wikipedia as he's fallen into obscurity in recent years) claimed that he never learned a single meditation practice that he didn't have to tweak before he could get the maximum benefits from the practice. I have to confess, I've had the same experience with TM. The effortless repetition (or favouring) of the mantra for sure elicited some dramatic changes in consciousness, including (on rounding courses) experiences of Richard Bucke-style cosmic consciousness. But the TM technique always insisted one concentrate (if concentrate is the right word) on hearing the subtle sound of the syllable - with no reference given to where ones vision (perhaps a better expression is inner vision) might be centred. I've since found that, for me, allowing my inner vision awareness to centre on the space immediately in front of my eyes greatly enhances the effects of TM and makes me more centred immediately after a mediation session. (I'm not actually crossed-eyed (!) during my sessions, but presumably the location does suggest the Ajna chakra.) I've heard that other spiritual groups recommend centring ones attention on the Ajna chakra if you're more the thinking type - that would describe me - but they also recommend centring attention on the heart chakra if you're more the touchy-feely type. By the way, dire warnings are given (especially by Theosophical-influenced groups) on allowing one's attention to centre on the lower - the root or genital chakras - unless you're sexually pure as that can increase one's libido and lead to sexual obsessions - or sex addiction as modern parlance has it. Now, only being myself your bog-standard meditator, I'm curious if other (more advanced) FFL posters have experienced a similar effect to me. That is, combining mantra favouring with relaxed, inner visual attention centred in front of the eyes has improved your results. And also I'm curious if those of you who took TM-sidha training, or trained as teachers, ever heard Maharishi mention chakras to your inner core of true believers . . . By the way, if what I'm saying sounds presumptuous why not give it a try yourself for a few days?
