Re: [FairfieldLife] Non-meditation
On Feb 13, 2012, at 9:11 PM, Buck wrote: However, I recently stumbled upon an example of secular intransigence that may give readers a sense of how spiritual people feel when their methods as technologies are criticized. As you will see but for the rigorous research conducted it suggests that it is worth thinking about. We can call the phenomenon of non-meditation the delusion. I thought meditation lead to non-meditation. Therefore, non- meditation is the goal of meditation. No meditation! No discipline! The pure mind that is the nature of all experience never comes into being or ceases to be; it cannot be created or destroyed: it has no structure. It cannot, therefore, be accessed through the structured activity of calculated discipline, and all goal-oriented meditation is such structured activity. Letting go of all practice whatsoever, including all the meditation techniques that condition the mind by focusing on an object of sight, sound or thought, there is no meditation and only an endless continuum of pure mind. -- Whoever follows the ancient sages' path becomes sick from attachment to the meditation process; his teachers' literal instruction construed as a quest he chases a stream of concepts, as if pursuing a mirage: the perfect modality cannot be indicated by words and any 'true doctrine' is a travesty of Vajrasattva. Whether Buddhist, Hindu or Bon, the classical path of meditation is a snare and a delusion when attachment to it becomes obsessive and it becomes an end in itself. The habit of meditation becomes a disease when there is no liberating function in the process. It is a disease when a blissful trance state seemingly separates an arrogant yogin from his mind. But above all it is a disease simply because it is goal-oriented and promises attainment only if the present is prostituted to the future. This state of alienation is caused by mistaking mental constructs for the path, to mistake the shadow of the meaning expressed in words for the thing itself. The meanings of the words are taken as sacred concepts. The letter of the instruction is taken to heart rather than the spirit. To take the teacher's word literally is, for example, to construe reality as something concrete to be attained by striving in technique and method rather than as a door into the reality of the moment. Words and concepts are a means to their own transcendence in the here-and-now. Fascination with structure is a deviation; doctrine professed as 'true' and 'correct' gives Vajrasattva a mask of the ridiculous. - Keith Dowman (trans. and comment.)
Re: [FairfieldLife] Non-meditation
On Feb 13, 2012, at 9:24 PM, Bhairitu wrote: Who are the non-meditators, Buck? All the people who were afraid to return to their mantras: they were afraid there'd be too much effort!
Re: [FairfieldLife] Non-meditation
On Feb 14, 2012, at 10:40 AM, Xenophaneros Anartaxius wrote: Non meditation as a term means 'no thought' which is almost exactly what the term transcendental meditation means, 'beyond thought'. In the context of these quotes, that is not what is meant by non-meditation. In TM-speak, the closest thing I can think of is nitya-samadhi, CC, where samadhi allegedly is permanent and no meditation necessary. In the context of Dzogchen atiyoga or Mahamudra, non-meditation is a state of dissolving any object meditated on nor any subject who meditates. It also refers to the fourth stage of Mahamudra in which nothing further needs to be 'meditated upon' or 'cultivated.' This might be somewhat similar to meditation on brahman, which really is not a conventional object. Also the state of non-meditation doesn't complain about thoughts or no thoughts, either is perfectly fine.
[FairfieldLife] Non-meditation
Non-meditation It seems to me that many non-meditators have forgottenor never knewwhat it is like to suffer an unhappy collision with scientific rationality. We are open to good evidence and sound argument as a matter of principle, and are generally willing to follow wherever they may lead. Certain of us have made careers out of bemoaning the failure of people to adopt this same attitude. However, I recently stumbled upon an example of secular intransigence that may give readers a sense of how spiritual people feel when their methods as technologies are criticized. As you will see but for the rigorous research conducted it suggests that it is worth thinking about. We can call the phenomenon of non-meditation the delusion. The unhappy truth about non-meditation has been scientifically established to a moral certainty: That non-meditation is bad for you. It is bad for your children. It is bad for your neighbors and their children. Non-meditation is also completely unnecessary, because in the developed world we suppose we invariably have better and more effective alternatives for meditation even in our homes. If you are a non-meditator in the United States, Europe, Australia, or any other developed nation, you are most likely doing so recreationallyand the persistence of this habit is a major source of anti-spiritual pollution in cities throughout the world. In fact, non-meditation often contributes more harmful parameters of negativity particulates to the urban air than any other source. Certainly a human life is a terrible potential to waste in non-meditation. -Buck in FF
Re: [FairfieldLife] Non-meditation
On 02/13/2012 06:11 PM, Buck wrote: Non-meditation It seems to me that many non-meditators have forgotten—or never knew—what it is like to suffer an unhappy collision with scientific rationality. We are open to good evidence and sound argument as a matter of principle, and are generally willing to follow wherever they may lead. Certain of us have made careers out of bemoaning the failure of people to adopt this same attitude. However, I recently stumbled upon an example of secular intransigence that may give readers a sense of how spiritual people feel when their methods as technologies are criticized. As you will see but for the rigorous research conducted it suggests that it is worth thinking about. We can call the phenomenon of non-meditation the delusion. The unhappy truth about non-meditation has been scientifically established to a moral certainty: That non-meditation is bad for you. It is bad for your children. It is bad for your neighbors and their children. Non-meditation is also completely unnecessary, because in the developed world we suppose we invariably have better and more effective alternatives for meditation even in our homes. If you are a non-meditator in the United States, Europe, Australia, or any other developed nation, you are most likely doing so recreationally—and the persistence of this habit is a major source of anti-spiritual pollution in cities throughout the world. In fact, non-meditation often contributes more harmful parameters of negativity particulates to the urban air than any other source. Certainly a human life is a terrible potential to waste in non-meditation. -Buck in FF Who are the non-meditators, Buck? To subscribe, send a message to: fairfieldlife-subscr...@yahoogroups.com Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!'Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: fairfieldlife-dig...@yahoogroups.com fairfieldlife-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: fairfieldlife-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
