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In following the directions for week one’s meditation practice, I am okay with taking stock of my physical and mental status. The trouble I am having is in separating my energy from my physical state and in separating my emotional state from my mental thoughts. What I think is energetic at first usually turns out to be an internal physical sensation. How do others determine whether they are feeling their energy or the inside of their body?
When trying to separate the emotional and mental, I get stuck in that I intellectually understand that a thought is separate from the emotional reaction I may have to the thought, but when I try to take stock of my emotional response, I end up having a thought about my emotion. Is this a good place to just acknowledge that my emotions and thoughts are presently too linked for me to easily separate, or should I keep trying to separate them at this point?
Hi
You’re way ahead of me if you can separate anything from anything else at this point! I keep going back to the description that it’s just about “taking stock” and “seeing what’s on the shelves” rather than carrying out any sort of inventory. I’m happy with acknowledging the complex links between all the different aspects of my being at present. I think separating them is a bit further down the line. It’s like looking at a big tangled up bag of knitting yarns. I can’t see the ends of the individual colours yet to start separating them, but I can see the different colours and textures, and I know they need to be separated before I can use any of them effectively. At the moment, I’m just recognising that it’s a bit of a mess!
Lesley – I think you probably hit the nail on the head on this one. Given it’s a first lesson as well, it’s probably best to stick to just taking stock, and not try to separate the inventory. Trust me – the separating one energy from the other business can be difficult for some who have been practicing for years! Your description is great – it’s all kind of like a big bag of yarn that the cat got into…
….I love the analogy too – perhaps it can help also to recognise how this approach, which is about ‘getting out of your head’, can be a challenge when your head won’t let go easily – at this stage it is perhaps best to simply attend to recognising that the intellect is muscling in on things. I’ve been acknowledging my distracting mind for years! Sometimes there is quiessence and a brief snapshot of serenity – but not very often.
Hi Joseph,
In my experience learning to seperate the various elements comes with time and a lot of practice. To give a few analogies:
In learning Chi Kung you might start waving your arms about and thinking “so whats all this Chi stuff then” as you continue your practice you may feel initially warm and then gradually, over time, become more sensitive to Chi sensations like tingling, breeze, electrical sensations etc.. then you may become more aware of physical, emotional, mental, psychic stuff, blockages and so on.
If you explained these experiences to a complete novice who is a bit desensitised they would quite possibly not believe you. But these are things that generally happen to people who practice Chi Kung regularly, over time.
Being the classy chap that I am, I could probably, if blindfolded, tell you the difference between red and white wine
(just) however amazingly there are people who can not just tell between red and white, but can tell you what the wine is in terms of : country, region, grape, year, vinyard etc…Similarly in the perfume industry there are people who can tell you from smelling a perfume, the entire composition of the various elements that make it up. High notes, mid notes, base notes etc.
These are skills that come with a lot of patience dedication and practice, as you slowly develop the sensitivity for increasingly subtle things.
Meditation seems a bit like this, you start with the jumble or gross impression (red or white) and then slowly become more and more sensitive to the many many different things that are going on. Some of them are so subtle that its easy to discount them to begin with. And of course as you say they are all interconnected.
I have found personally that some of the times I have really noticed something that I was previously unaware of, have been sessions that I have done either around midnight or very early in the morning. I think this is a combination of when the mind is at a more quiet time anyway in its activity cycle, but also a time when there is less psychic interference and clutter going on elsewhere as well.
I think the goal is partially to notice whats going on despite whatever other interference is going on, but initially it might be worth experimenting with sessions at these times of day / night to initially notice things and then its easier to notice them later amidst the clutter because you know what you are looking for.
Anyone else find this ?
Hello, all.
I have to say that after working with Bruce and his senior instructors for almost 10 years that sensitivity does grow. Initially, discerning the difference between an energetic sensation and an emotion was impossible. But with a lot of time and practice, it becomes easy. I think the thing for me was to give up any and all expectations of what things were supposed to feel like and just feel. My ideas got in the way of my direct experience.
Best of luck,
Matthew
Yes, indeed, Adrian! Excellent description. My sensitvity has slowly increased over the years, with constant practice. It may seem a bit discouraging to those just beginning, but practice and discipline will ultimately pay off. I’ve also found that taking classes with Bruce whenever he’s in my area have helped tremendously. Not something that hit me over the head at first, but at some point I started to sense a shift in something in me during/after a Bruce seminar. This new sensitivity often fades a bit after you go home, even with practice, but it is like a seed that has been planted. Enough watering, and eventually it will start to grow in you. Feeling something new in a class with Bruce can give you a sense of what to be looking for in your practice.
A good suggestion about practice times. I’ve heard that before, and it makes sense. I am much more likely to try a midnight meditation than an early morning one…
It’s worth a try, especially for those who live in a noisier or busier environment. Often any little glimpse of what is possible in your meditation practice can fuel your enthusiasm and energy that can be put back into your practice.
Oh, Matthew – you are so right about expectations! That was a big one for me, giving up expectations of what I thought things were supposed to feel like. While Bruce gives good descriptions in his book of what to expect in the inner dissolving process, sometimes I just have to forget about the book for a bit and remember to just feel what’s there, without comparing it to any description. I think it’s just a normal reaction, consciously or subconsciously, when hearing these descriptions to form an idea in our minds of what it will feel like when we really try it. While the descriptions of what happens during dissolving are very useful, it’s good to know when to put the book away and realize that everybody’s inner landscape, way of feeling things, and individual experiences can probably be vastly different.
(just) however amazingly there are people who can not just tell between red and white, but can tell you what the wine is in terms of : country, region, grape, year, vinyard etc…This is an archived forum (read only). Go to our active forum where you can post and discuss in real time.