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How is this meditation working for others? Is there a large group of us working through these months of the Tao Te Ching reflections or is the number small?
I have kept up the month by month practice ideas and find myself still motivated by the method Bruce is outlining.
Hi Joan,
I’m also still working with this material, although I find it not as compelling as the Meditation Circle practice sessions, and as a consequence my practice doesn’t seem as ‘productive’ (wrong world because I’m fully aware that it’s not about productivity!). That said, I feel that my meditation practice is on a plateau, whereas my qigong and tai chi practices are definitely progressing to significantly deeper levels. Maybe my meditation will ‘pick up’ when my qigong and tai chin next plateau! The TTC content is intellectually fascinating and definitely adds to my overall knowledge and understanding, although I’m not sure whether the practice sessions are leading to tangible outcomes – either way I’m still practicing most days. The main issue for me. as ever, is my monkey mind and remaining present. Often, I resort to breath awareness and simply count 100 breaths after listening to the current month’s practice. I know this seems mechanical, I suppose I’m just hoping that ‘something is better than nothing’.
Hey Colin,
It sounds like you’re a little hard on yourself.
I wanted to encourage your practice of counting breaths. I think it’s an excellent practice with a lot of depth that can give you a great deal of value.I think you can practice it in a mechanical way. Something like “Pay attention to breath. Oops, got distracted. Okay, go back to breath. Rinse and repeat”. But you can also add a great deal of depth to your practice by paying closer attention.
When you get distracted, try to notice what distracted you. Was it a physical sensation in your body? Did an emotion float through your mind? Did you remember something that happened to you in the past? Did you think of a todo item in the future?
By trying to notice all these little subtle details surrounding distraction, this basic practice becomes very rich. You start to really notice the menagerie of stuff floating around in your mind. It’s a fascinating practice!
Janak
I feel about the same way as Colin does, he worded it quite nicely. I’m actually thinking about putting a break here because of the lack of any meaningful progress. That is my sitting meditation is lagging way behind my standing and moving. So I’m confused here.
Hey Igor,
What kind of progress were you expecting/hoping to see?
Janak
I feel we all might be on a plateau where we need to stay with what we are doing and trust it. I know that standing and moving meditations are easier than seated meditations just because they are more outer dissolving methods. And seated meditations are mostly inner dissolving which takes more focus and relaxation.
I have found the ideas of the last 3 months especially relevant to tai chi practice. I’m feeling the “golden thread” in my tai chi form and use it as an image while practicing. I also like the stone dropped in a pond image and try to get to the stillness after the ripples stop. I use that in standing poses and it helps quiet my mind.
Here are my summaries of Chapters 14, 15, and 16.
Chapter 14
Focus on some emotion. Observe it. Switch from one emotion to another. Find the thread that connects these emotions. Something continues. Keep the thread. Going from one place to another there should be no stoppage (like in Tai Chi). Mind must be calm, collected, and relaxed. Maintain the “golden thread”. This thread is a different kind of emotion unlike any ordinary emotion.Chapter 15
Breathing as in the Meditation Circle
Sit straight but not being perfect, 70% rule, Notice compulsions to be perfect.
Everyone must find this balance with the least effort. Keep your breathing soft. Be awake and aware. How long do you inhale and exhale? Find that place where there is no pressure.Chapter 16
Sit quietly and be with yourself. Recognize what is happening. Give up the curiosity to know and give up the need to be in control. Recognize everything but don’t analyze it. Like a stone dropped in a pond, let stillness build. “Watch the show”, “Be Mindless”, “Stay with it”, and “Relax into the Mystery”. First step have eyes closed. When comfortable have eyes open. Everything is changing, but find the unchangeable place where it comes out of.
We sit in oblivion or we sit with agenda. At least this is how I understand meditation.
With monthly meditations, Bruce offers a theme a month, so we are not supposed to sit in oblivion but actually address something. This is how I understand this course.
With all this, I don’t feel the themes Bruce has been offering click with me. Some of them – yes, but mostly no. Perhaps I’m not at this level yet and have yet to grow. I see that other students find good value in this monthly meditations. I’m having difficulties with that. This is what I mean by not having any progress.
I put it on the backburner for some time. There is so much material available at the Energy Arts site, so many practices, and you only have so many hours a day you can spend on it. I am currently working with the Meditation Circle in the morning and the Longevity breathing in the evening. I would like to add Hsing-i in the morning and evening, and the Energy Gates in the evening. So where do I fit in TTC meditation?
Jan
I don’t do the meditations but rather try and work it into normal life. Find the core of the teachings and integrate it into yourself. It’s easy to get caught up in formality and lose track of what you’re actually trying to achieve.
I’ve only got the first 3 chapters so far. This is how I think about it. I’m not saying that it is correct.
Chapter 1 and 6 are similar. They are more or less about keeping a clear mind and emotions in everyday circumstances. It’s about waiting there in emptiness (or open awareness) until you penetrate the mysterious female/pass to find essence. I find it’s a good time to practice while driving to/from work.
Chapters 2 and 3 are easier than 1 and 6. It should be quite straightforward as to how to apply these in everyday life.
Thank you Joan for your summaries you share.
I miss the summary for Chapter 13, could not find it in the forum.
Did you post it?
I am more in the process of collecting data of TTC.
I actually do meditation on the base of Bruce`s teaching in Gaunts House and in Germany, but I get hints from the TTC materials.
Helmut
Helmut, you are correct. I did not include the summary of Chapter 13 yet. Here it is:
Chapter 13
Sit Up, Be Comfortable, and Breathe. Dissolve until your system goes quiet.
Look at a physical object. With your eyes (on the inhale) bring that essence into your body. On the exhale have a sense of your energy going out a foot or two. Let the meaning go. Let anything go. You will eventually see the essence.
We are now working with Chapter 18 of this process. I just downloaded the lesson and practice today.
I wanted to encourage your practice of counting breaths. I think it’s an excellent practice with a lot of depth that can give you a great deal of value.This is an archived forum (read only). Go to our active forum where you can post and discuss in real time.