True Meditation - Adyashanti

Recently, just finished reading a book by Adyashanti, namely: True Meditation, I found that his teaching is profound and powerful, it is resonant, simply disrupt our habitual thought patterns, and gives us the glimpse of truth. Now I am reading his second book: Emptiness Dancing. Below is one of the chapters, and attached for sharing.  

True Meditation has no direction, goals, or method. All methods aim at achieving a certain state of mind. All states are limited, impermanent, and conditioned. Fascination with states leads only to bondage and dependency. True Meditation is abidance as primordial consciousness.

True Meditation appears in consciousness spontaneously when awareness is not fixated on objects of perception. When you first start to meditate, you notice that awareness is always focused on some objects: on thoughts, bodily memories, sounds, etc. This is because the mind is conditioned to focus and contract upon objects. 

Then the mind compulsively interprets what it is aware of (the object) in a mechanical and distorted way. lt begins to draw conclusions and make assumptions according to past conditioning.

In True Meditation all objects are left to their natural functioning. This means that no effort should be made to manipulate or suppress any object of awareness. ln true meditation the emphasis is on being awareness: not on being aware of objects, but on resting as primordial awareness itself. Primordial awareness (consciousness) is the source in which all objects arise and subside. As you gently relax into awareness, into listening, the mind's compulsive contraction around objects will fade. Silence of being will come more clearly into consciousness as a welcoming to rest and abide. An attitude of open receptivity, free of any goal or anticipation, will facilitate the presence of silence and stillness to be revealed as your natural condition.

Silence and stillness are not states and therefore cannot be produced or created. 

Silence is the non-state in which all states arise and subside. Silence, stillness, and awareness are not states and can never be perceived in their totality as objects. Silence is itself the eternal witness without form or attributes. As you rest more profoundly as the witness, aII objects take on their natural functionality, and awareness becomes free of the mind's compulsive contractions and identifications, and returns to its natural non-state of Presence.

The simple yet profound question, "Who Am I?," can then reveal one's self not to be the endless tyranny of the ego-personality, but objectless Freedom of Being - Primordial Consciousness in which all states and all objects come and go as manifestations of the Eternal Unborn SeIf that YOU ARE.

Kuala Lumpur -Today

KL Street - Where is the usual KL's traffic jam?

At Monorail, heading to KLCC ...

Church at Brickfield - A serene environment ...

Temple at Brickfield - People being busy for seeking blessing...

Oh, my dear Chief ... How are you?

KLCC ....

Another side of KLCC ...

Oh, I thought it is the St Jame's Park, at the 

very heart of London ... but this is KLCC's Park,

also at the heart of KL. Well, feel relaxed here.

Normally I see this kind of tree, I think of Orang Hutan. 

Yes, it is at center of KL. But no Orang Hutan here, ha ha.

Finally, find a peaceful corner of Kinokuniya, at KLCC.

See any good book to buy or not ....

Here is the St Jame's Park of London ...

Happy New Year, for the Snake Year! Have a nice year, 
peaceful to your life, well & happy ...

Essential Spirituality

Despite our pleasant materialistic surroundings, many people today experience dissatisfaction, fear, anxiety, and a sense of insecurity. What we seem to be missing is a proper sense of human spirituality --- The Dalai Lama

Below are some quotes from the book; Essential Spirituality, the author, Roger Walsh, beautifully articulates the benefits of spiritual living and its practices. 

• Religion and Spirituality - Religion, mostly implies a concern with the sacred and supreme values of life. On the other hand, spirituality, refers to direct experience of the sacred, which is most central and essential to our lives. Spiritual practices are those help us experience the sacred - through meditation and contemplation. 

• Psychological and Spiritual Benefits - The ultimate aim of spiritual practices is awakening; that is to know our true Self and our relationship to the sacred. As we progress along the path. with deep and profound understanding of true Self, we discover our relationship with the sacred world of universe,  Gradually, the heart begins to open, fear and anger melt, greed and jealousy dwindle, happiness and joy grow, love flowers, peace replaces agitation, concern for others blossoms, wisdom matures, and both psychological and physical health improve. Virtually all aspects of our lives are touched and transformed in some way.

• Physical Benefits - Spiritual practices can reduce stress, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. They may help alleviate insomnia, muscle spasms, and diseases ranging from migraine to chronic pain. They even reduce the effects of aging and lengthen the life span.

• The Greatest of All Discoveries - Over time, spiritual practices work their transformative wonders on our hearts, minds, and lives. As the heart opens and mind clears, we see further and further into the boundless depths of the mind. There within ourselves, we finally find the most profound, the most meaningful, and the most important discovery any human being can make. 

• The Secret of all Secrets - Within ourselves we find our deepest self, our true Self, and recognize that we are not only more than we imagined but more than we can imagine. We see that we are a creation of the sacred, intimately and eternally linked to the  sacred, and forever graced and embraced by the sacred. This is the greatest of all discoveries, the secret of all secrets, the priceless gift for mankind from great ancient contemplative religions.

• The Central Message - The words differ from one tradition to another, but their central message is the same: You are more than you think! Look deep within, and you will find that your ego is only a tiny wave atop the vast ocean that is your real Self. Look within, and at the center of your mind, in the depths of your soul, you will find your true Self, that you are intimately linked to the universe of the sacred. There, you share its unbounded bliss.

Today is Chinese New Year, also the Year of the Snake.  We hope, will finally bring peace, justice and freedom to all Malaysians. Happy New Year.