Freedom from the dictates of the mind - one of Meditation's many gifts....

Everyday human experience is also referred to as waking state consciousness. In this state, the mind and the content of its thoughts are experienced as me; a person who is functioning in the world and whose thoughts are real and true. If these thoughts are repeatedly judgmental, telling me that I am not good enough - that I am too much of this and not enough of that - then what the thoughts say becomes my reality. If, for example, the mind produces thoughts every day that tell me I am not strong enough to overcome an obstacle, I will eventually believe it and not even try to make a change. In this way, the thoughts running through our waking state minds dictate whether we are happy or unhappy, successful or not.

Through Meditation we have a chance to enter a different state of consciousness: a dimension in which we are not defined by our thoughts, but where we know ourselves as the Knower of the thoughts. As that Knower we are not identified with the thoughts. We are able to see them for what they are: simple movements in the mind. As the Knower we can see the thoughts like waves that come and go in the ocean. They may be moving, but they don't affect the one knowing them.

When we first close our eyes to meditate, the presence of thoughts becomes immediately obvious. Depending on how active our day was, there may be lots of thought-activity, even agitation in our mind. As we start quietly watching, we notice that we have two possibilities: we can either engage with the mind's activity and think about the agitation, or we can reorient our attention towards the Knower that is aware of the presence of thoughts. The very acknowledgment of the Knower makes it clear that the thoughts are not as real as we may think in the waking state. If I can watch my thoughts, it means that I and the thoughts are not one and the same. It also means that I can choose where I want my attention to reside. It can either go towards the thoughts, get engaged with them and perpetuate the belief that the thoughts are who I am, or the attention can return and remain with the Knower and be free from the influence of the mind.

A regular Meditation practice, where we choose to be established as the Knower, builds a great inner power: The ability to know our True Nature as that Knower or Self which is free from the mind and its dictates.

If you are ready to establish a Meditation practice that builds your inner power of knowing your True Nature, join our Online Meditation Class for beginners starting on September 21. You will find all the details here: https://www.essenceofthehimalayas.com/online-meditation-classes. #meditation #meditationtraining #meditationteacher #awarenesstraining #onlinemeditationteachertraining #meditationmentor #onlinemeditationtraining

Find the unchanging Self in Meditation

The quote of the Sage says that we find the unchanging Self where the senses and ego are not. Then where is it to be found? In our everyday waking state awareness, there is never a moment where the senses or the sense of I/ego are not alive and active. The senses are collecting experiences and the thinking mechanism is producing thoughts in the mind from the moment we wake up in the morning, until we fall into deep sleep at night. As long this process is active, the sense of I is engaged in it, interpreting what the senses perceive and acting on these perceptions according to what we think must be done.

With all this activity keeping the ego involved and awake, it is safe to say that we won’t find a space within the waking state experience where ego or the senses are not. So what state is the Sage referring to? He is talking about a state of consciousness that can open only through Meditation.

When we close our eyes, our attention is drawn inward, away from the sensory perceptions. We are left with the more subtle perceptions of the activity in our mind. Moving ever deeper on our inward journey, we notice that we are actually able to watch the comings and goings of our thoughts. More importantly, we notice that the One watching and knowing the thoughts is free – free for their meaning, free from their imaginary power or their influence. This Knower Being is our own Highest Self. It is who we truly are - free from ego, from the senses, from thoughts, words and their meaning. Pure Free Forever.

If you would like to learn more about ways to experience the Freedom of the Self, about Meditation or Meditation Trainng, visit our website: https://www.essenceofthehimalayas.com, or download the free guided Meditation audio to get you started: https://www.essenceofthehimalayas.com/why-meditation #meditation, #meditationtraining, #meditationteacher, #awareness, #oneness #meditationmentor #onlinemeditationteachertraining

It isn't the Matter that matters...

Antoine de St. Exupéry, the famous author of “The Little Prince” said that: “What is essential is invisible to the eyes, one can only truly see with the heart”.

He is hinting at the same Truth that the sages and saints have been sharing for thousands of years, namely that we are mislead by the limited perceptions of our senses. They can only recognize things and forms, objects and persons. Our eyes can only tell us the shape of things, never their Source. They inform us of how someone looks, not who they are. The eyes allow us to recognize the color of a rose, but they will never tell us where the fragrance comes from. We can see a heart, but not the Source that makes it beat.

The ordinary waking state consciousness doesn’t have the ability to go beyond the perception of the senses. The sheer magic of the Source Awareness, the fact that it is the origin of all manifestation, all beings, thoughts and emotions is lost on us. Most importantly, the fact that we are not only connected to that Source but that we actually Are that Source, is forgotten.

That’s why Meditation is such a gift. When we close our eyes, we can perceive the Source as the Space in which the thoughts and forms appear and disappear. We can see that they are simple movements that come and go on the canvas of the Source. In Meditation we get a chance to experience that Source as our very own Being.

Want to give Meditation a try? Online Meditation Classes starting in September. For details: https://www.essenceofthehimalayas.com/online-meditation-classes. #meditation, #meditationtraining, #meditationclasses #onlinemeditationteachertraining #meditationmentor