Spirituality and evolution

A simple proposition:

Every human being with a normal mind has the capability for two opposing attentions - outward and inward - with respect to one's physical sense organs. Most humans don't use the capacity to look inward and it atrophies. Spirituality is simply dusting off and reusing that capability.

When a certain percentage of humans goes inward regularly to subtler and subtler levels, human evolution will become spiritual as well as intellectual.

The rest of this post will be entirely theoretical for the atrophied :-)

Going deeper inward requires less physical energy and more mental relaxation, aka surrender.

One human is unlikely to fully grasp the extent of human knowledge. Somewhat similarly, one will never reach the ultimate inward levels of transcendental experience. Partly because, at that level, there will _be_ no separate "one" to have that experience.

Inward attention - longer, deeper, and broader - transforms one's perspective of oneself, from a separate entity to a more and more connected one at subtler levels. Going even further inward leads to a universally connected perspective. There is an even subtler perspective, of a transcendent whole with embedded physical bodies.

Stages in Vedanta - beyond time, space, and causation

In Living with the Himalayan Masters, Swami Rama talks about finding contradictions in the Upanishads and how he got them clarified.

First, the problem:

“The Upanishads appear to be full of contradictions. In one place they say that Brahman [the Supreme Reality, God as pure transcendence] is one without a second. Somewhere else they say that everything is Brahman. In a third place they say this world is false and Brahman alone is truth. And in a fourth place it is said that there is only one absolute Reality beneath all these diversities. How can one make sense out of these conflicting statements?”

Next, the resolution of the contradictions. First, the answers of Swami Vishnu, a sadhu at Uttarkashi. Next a paraphrase/explanation of those answers.

Answering my questions systematically, Swami Vishnu said that there are no contradictions in the teachings of the Upanishads. These teachings are received directly by the great sages in a deep state of contemplation and meditation.

He explained, “When the student starts practicing, he realizes that this apparent world is changeable, while truth never changes. Then he knows that the world of forms and names, which is full of changes, is false, and that behind it there exists an absolute Reality that is unchanging. In the second step, when he has known the truth, he understands that there is only one truth and that truth is omnipresent, so there is really nothing like falsehood. In that stage he knows that reality that is one and the same in both the finite and infinite worlds. But there is another, higher, state in which the aspirant realizes that there is only one absolute Reality without second, and that that which is apparently false is in reality a manifestation of the absolute One."

>>>>

[My paraphrase]:

When one starts practising, one realises that the world that is apparent to one keeps changing over time, yet there are other, more abstract, things that take longer to change. Extending this idea leads one to think that there must be a final something, an absolute truth, that never changes.

Then one considers the ever-changing world of names and forms as false, and behind it, an unchanging absolute reality. Or, the foreground is understood as changing due to the unchanging background.  [1. Changelessness in time => beyond time]

[A slightly different interpretation: that which remains unchanging - in time - after all changing layers or veils are removed, or that from which no more removal of changing veils or layers is possible , is Reality or Absolute Truth.]

In the second step, after experiencing this truth, one further realises that if there is an absolute truth, it must be the same at different places, and in fact, everywhere. Otherwise, there will be different absolute truths in different places. So if there is only one absolute truth, that absolute truth must be the same everywhere, and thus it is omnipresent. So there is really nothing like falsehood only in one or a few places and absolute truth behind it only there. [2. Beyond space]

At that stage one realises that absolute reality is one and the same in both the finite and infinite worlds, or in both the apparent and the real worlds, or in both the changing and the unchanging ones.

But there is still another, higher, state.

The aspirant realises that there is only one absolute reality without a second, and that that which is apparently false is actually a manifestation of that one absolute reality. [3. Not causation or creation of something completely new.]

[Thus, out of the limitless manifest many delimiteds which remain inextricably imbued by their source, which is both their efficient and material cause.]

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“These apparent contradictions confuse only that student who has not studied the Upanishads from a competent teacher. A competent teacher makes the student aware of the experiences one has on various levels. These are the levels of consciousness, and there is no contradiction in them.”

Swami Vishnu continued: “The teachings of the Upanishads are not understood by the ordinary mind or even by the intellectual mind. Intuitive knowledge alone leads to understanding them.”

I would quibble and say that intuitive knowledge means it is already present in, or accessible to, everyone. Having the experience brings it to their conscious awareness. But an open mind and surrendered heart, the humility described by Swami Rama, are needed to have and understand the experience.

The Psychologically-Quiet Mind

A quiet mind, or the mind-field of the self-realised, is not one without any thoughts forever. [1]

A psychologically-quiet mind blooms in, and due to, a spiritual path. Such a mind is without energy-sapping negativities or obsessions or useless spinning around its concocted images of itself and others. Yet it is dynamic [2], free, light, steady, and illuminative. Or pure, simple, and transparent [3]. If the body also attains a similar state, the Absolute can make the mind and body of such a self conscious of their own natural, effortless, living rhythms.

This psychological quietude can result through many ways. The external ways are generally divisive. Worse, their results, even if intense, are temporary. The internal ways let go of the outside totally or progressively. The results are self-validating, permanently transformative, and never-ending/infinite.

The mind is drawn to subtler and subtler levels and increased sensitivity. Detachment too, but only from that which separates, artificially and violently. The triggering elements of emotional turmoil are cleansed. Or like burnt seeds [4], they can no longer sprout.

NOTES

[1] Patanjali's Yoga Sutra 1.2: yogaḥ citta vṛtti nirodhaḥ results in 1.3: tadā dṛaṣṭuḥ svarūpe avasthānaṁ. Yet, Vyasa's commentary says not all vrttis cease in yoga. This may be taken to mean only those causing psychological turmoil cease.

[2] Stillness and quietude seem to go together. Yet, quietude, or better, calmness can accompany action, even mental action. Think poised action, without haste. Even better, efficient and effective action with interest, even affection.

[3] Babuji says without mala (impurities), vikṣepa (complexities), or āvaraṇa (veils or occluding layers).

[4] Like Vyasa, Babuji calls them dagdh beej.

The sneaky I and the practice of meditation

Normally, one's 'I' is thought of as one's physical body and whatever is inside. The 'I' may also define one's relationships with others. Liking something or someone also defines one's 'I', even more so dis-liking. Immediate, so-called instinctive, responses or thoughts also delineate one's personality, the I-me-my set of emotions, thoughts, sensations, actions, and memories in my conscious, subconscious, and unconscious.

One may also define one's 'I' by what one cannot or will not do, where doing includes thinking, speaking, and physically acting.

This is where sneakiness comes in.

In Living with the Himalayan Masters Swami Rama's Guru taught him graphically about perspective. [1] He suddenly hugged a tree and frantically begged to be rescued from it. It took a while for Swami Rama to calm down enough to realise who was grabbing what!

Now, think of meditation, an activity requiring little energy [2] and greater and greater relaxation over time. Its effects are palpable, but not instantaneous. In some ways, the effects are reductive, not additive, of the 'I'. Indeed after a particular stage, one has to deliberately relinquish the 'I'-sustaining thoughts in order to progress.

This may be one reason why people have trouble with meditation. They are so comfortable with their 'I' that they refuse to let go of it. Further, if meditation is defined as an effort-ful activity, they use the excuse of an inability for physical activity for not meditating and so losing their self-created 'I'.

NOTES

[1] The lesson was on mAya. mAya doesn't hold us, we hold it.

[2] In India, most things come with terms and conditions. If someone says, "It's easy to do that," there's generally some, or a lot, of context, background, and previous skill development left out. Meditation defined as effortless focus is not one of those things. When the focus is not effortless, one is not in meditation. In Heartfulness meditation, the situation is even easier, the source of the light in one's heart itself pulls one's attention inward and creates the effortless focus.

Daily sadhana forever

Why daily sadhana? And why lifelong?

Experiencing the Infinite is an infinity of experiences. Infinitely-different experiences.

 

Surrendering to meditation changes its daily experience. Sometimes slightly, sometimes completely.

 

All inner experiences are needed. The more, the better.

 

Savour the condition after meditation.

 

Too many seekers, even sincere ones, are in a frenetic rush for the next experience, inner or outer. Undigested experiences also cause problems like an unsettled, torpid, or over-driven mind.

Savour systematically [1]. First pay attention to the condition, with or without words. Then, expand or enliven the condition by sharing it. Then, digest or assimilate it, until it is steeping subconsciously. [2]

Alternately turning one's attention outward and inward and outward again, supports the transition from a deeply absorbing meditation to the usual workday state. Or, try to pay attention - without the least strain - to both the inside and outside simultaneously.

Ultimately, one's inner, non-physical, layers should be able to switch to their most subtle or most gross states easily and quickly. At a subtler stage, there should be general, ongoing awareness, of everything. Daaji uses the phrase"360-degree awareness".

 

Your inner layers are not infinite. Experiencing the Infinite within completely needs an infinite number of experiences. Put differently, the spiritual journey is infinite.

NOTES

[1] like coffee tasters - How professionals taste coffee

[2] Daaji's AEIOU exercise, expressed differently

Bottom-line of meditation

 Bottom-line of meditation:

- what am I thinking or emoting or sensing?

- is it my starting object?

- if not, let go of it, gently.

Meditation then blooms, flows, explodes, dissolves, and does everything else by itself.

Attention and meditation

When 'consciousness' is replaced by 'attention', one looks at spirituality differently.

Attention is more neutral.

Attention also explains meditation much more easily than concentration or even focus.

I pay attention, or something grabs my attention. That something could be positive, negative, or neutral.

In Yoga and Sahaj Marg philosophy, Nature provides experiences to unwind my samskaras - all of my personal, interpersonal, and collective samskaras.

In or out of meditation, my attention is drawn easily to things I like, even more easily to those I dislike, or just to familiar things, because of my samskaras and tendencies.

Letting the samskaras unwind by letting my thoughts, emotions, or physical sensations - arising from the "heat" or energy of my attention - escape without grabbing hold, or by my remembering to release if grabbed, allows my attention to go back to its previous object. Hopefully that object is indeed the object of my meditation.

It is easier to understand the training of attention through meditative practice than training of the mind or expansion of consciousness. Attention doesn't encompass so many different overlapping ideas. Still, the quality of attention could be subtle, tight, heavy, light, torpid, distracted, clear, etc., depending more on its object than its supposed giver.

Meditation helps you to learn to sustain your attention with minimal effort through a simple two-step practice.

1. Start with attention on an object and 2. let go of everything else that pops up and moves your attention willy-nilly. This letting go also fosters the ability to switch attention easily and without stickiness.

What can we do with this effortlessly sustainable and effortlessly switchable attention? Anything in the world, really. But, in gratitude to those who so generously and freely regenerated in us this ability, we share this training with others freely.

Once our attention is effortlessly sustainable, we can also train it on subtler and subtler objects or concepts. E.g., Daaji talks about the 5 C's of the Heart Region: the feelings of contentment, calmness, compassion, courage, and clarity - and their opposites - discontment, restlessness, anger, anxiety, and confusion.

One way to measure spiritual progress: observe or witness your feelings in various situations and note how much closer they are to all the 5 C's. 

In the Mind Region, attention may be on the immanent and its opposite, the transcendental. Then the ego flows effortlessly between its separative and zeroed-out modes.

In Heartfulness/Sahaj Marg, we start with attention on an infinite object, one of the subtlest possible, light without luminosity - light without 'light'ness. Much like a Zen koan, it is impossible to grasp intellectually (though one can get to an asymptotic understanding), making it easy to witness the quality of attention itself, and its changes in every meditation.