--- In meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com, "douglasedarling"
<douglasedarling@...> wrote:
>
> I would greatly appreciate advice on getting off on right foot in this
meditation stuff. I have been to one lecture where the primary aim was to pick
my pocket. A friend who is a yoga instructor has offered to work with me on
initial TM techniques. What to do, what to do? DD
>

Well, first of all, please don't pay anyone another penny!  Meditation is as
easy as breathing (though it's also as hard as breathing calmly).  There is so
much info available free on the internet.  Bob's meditation site is a great
place to start. And there are many good tips right here: just rummage around.

W

I am new to meditation, too. It is my experience that meditation is a practice
just as yoga is a practice. It comes by practicing and doing it regularly. There
are no quick and easy "tricks". For me, it is all about enjoying the journey and
learning what resonates with me. Each meditation is different.

I find it best to sit quietly and I listen to Dr. Wayne Dyer's "I Am Meditation"
(but any meditation is fine). I then sit quietly with my eyes shut and clear my
chakras. Then I ask myself: "What do I need to know?" If my mind gets cluttered
with dialogue, I gently thank it and refocus on my breathing. In through the
nose...out through the mouth breathing from the belly.

I have found that I can go to my local library and there are guided meditations
I can borrow and also New Age music I can use.

Also, if you google "Om Meditation" youtube has different Om Meditations for
different lengths of time. I have found these very helpful.

I have wondered about TM and have heard that it is very over rated and
expensive. But I do not have any direct experience. If you have a friend that
knows about TM maybe that would be helpful. I would be curious to know what
techniques your friends teaches in relation to TM.

Hope this was helpful and good luck with your meditation practice.

Lille

--- In meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com, "douglasedarling"
<douglasedarling@...> wrote:
>
> I would greatly appreciate advice on getting off on right foot in this
meditation stuff. I have been to one lecture where the primary aim was to pick
my pocket. A friend who is a yoga instructor has offered to work with me on
initial TM techniques. What to do, what to do? DD
>

Meditation Takes Preparation

"Concentration is the sixth in the eight-step path
of Raja Yoga. When concentration becomes perfect,
then it becomes meditation. Yet people without any
preparation, without any discipline, without any control,
just go, sit, close their eyes and then say, `Oh, I
don't think I can meditate.' We can't jump into meditation
all of a sudden. We should have a lot of patience.
For many years, we allowed the mind to take the upper
hand. It takes a little time, but, once you train the
mind well, you'll have a wonderful instrument, a very
obedient, very powerful, dynamic instrument with which
you can achieve anything you want in this world. Let us
begin meditation with all the preparations, realizing it's
not to be achieved that quickly; it takes time. If we know
that, we won't be quickly disappointed, but we'll have
patience to continue more and more.

"God bless you. OM Shanti, Shanti, Shanti."
-------------------------------------------------------------
From Wikipedia:

Eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga

The eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga are:

Yama – code of conduct, self-restraint
Niyama – religious observances, commitments to practice,
such as study and devotion
Āsana – integration of mind and body through physical activity
Pranayama – regulation of breath leading to integration of
mind and body
Pratyahara – abstraction of the senses, withdrawal of the
senses of perception from their objects
Dharana – concentration, one-pointedness of mind
Dhyana – meditation (quiet activity that leads to samadhi)
Samādhi – the quiet state of blissful awareness, superconscious(?) state.
Attained when yogi constantly sees Paramatma in his
(jivaatma) heart.

They are sometimes divided into the lower and the upper
four limbs, the lower ones—from yama to pranayama—being
parallel to the lower limbs of Hatha Yoga, while the upper
ones—from pratyahara to samadhi—being specific for the
rāja yoga. The upper three limbs practiced simultaneously
constitute the Samyama.

Yama
Main article: Yamas

Yama (restraints) consists of five parts: Ahimsa
(non-violence), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya
(non-stealing), Brahmacharya meaning sexual abstinence,
and Aparigraha (non-covetousness). Ahimsa is perfect
harmlessness, as well as positive love. The five directives
of Yama lay down behavioral norms as prerequisites for
elimination of fear, and contribute to a tranquil mind.[4]

Niyama
Main article: Niyama

Niyama is observance of five canons: Shaucha (internal
and external purity), Santosha (contentment), Tapas
(austerity), Svadhyaya (study of religious books and
repetitions of Mantras), and Ishvarapranidhana (self-surrender
to God, and His worship). Niyama, unlike Yama, prescribes
mental exercises to train the mind to control emotions.

Asana
Main article: Asana

Asana in the sense of a posture that one can hold for
a period of time, staying relaxed and with normal (calm)
breathing (or, as some sources say, "without effort").

In English, the Sanskrit word asana means "seat", the place
where one sits; or posture, position of the body (any
position). Asanas (in the sense of Yoga "posture") are
said to derive from the various positions of animals' bodies
(whence are derived most of the names of the positions).
84 asanas are considered to be the main postures, of which
the highest are Shirshasan (headstand) and Padmasan (lotus).

The practice of asanas affects the following aspects or
planes of the human being:

physical (blood circulation, inner organs, glands, muscles,
joints and nerve system)

psychological (developing emotional balance and stability,
harmony)

mental (improved ability to concentrate, memory)

consciousness (purifying and clarifying consciousness/awareness)

From the rāja yoga perspective, it is considered that
the physical postures and pranayama serve to prepare the
body and mind for the following steps: pratyahara, dharana,
dhyana and samādhi (withdrawal of the senses, contemplation, meditation,
and state of expanded or transcendental
consciousness, where the activity of the mind ceases and
"The Knower and The Object of Knowledge Become One").

Prāṇāyāma
Main article: Pranayama

Prāṇāyāma is made out of two Sanskrit words
(prāṇa = life energy; ayāma = control or modification).
Breathing is the medium used to achieve this goal. The mind and life force are
correlated to the breath. Through regulating the breathing and practicing
awareness on it, one learns to control prana.

According to Rāja yoga, there are three main types (phases, units, stadia)
of pranayama:

     purak (inhalation)
     rechak (exhalation)
     kumbhak (holding the breath); which appears as:
         antara kumbhak (withholding the breath after inhalation)
         bahar kumbhak (withholding the breath after exhalation)
         keval kumbhak (spontaneous withholding of the breath)

There are numerous techniques of Pranayama, each with their specific goals. The
main techniques are:

     surya bhedan
     candra bhedan
     nadi shodhan (anuloma viloma)
     bhastrika
     kapalabhati
     ujjaji
     plavini (bhujangini)
     bhramari
     sheetkari
     sheetali
     combination of sheetkari and sheetali
     murccha

All pranayama practice ultimately works toward purification of the nadis (energy
channels) and the awakening of kundalini shakti at the muladhara chakra. The
awakening of kundalini energy (also described as the awakening of divine
consciousness or wisdom), and its ascent to the crown chakra is the final goal
of rāja yoga.
Pratyahara
Main article: Pratyahara

Pratyahara is bringing the awareness to reside deep within oneself, free from
the senses and external world. The Goal of Pratyahara is not to disrupt the
communication from the sense organ to the brain. The awareness is far removed
from the five senses. Pratyahara cannot be achieved without achievement of the
preceding limbs (pranayama, niyama, etc.). The awareness comes to rest deep in
the inner space, and during this time the yogi's breath will be temporarily
suspended. Pratyahara should not just be likened to concentration or meditation,
etc. It is a yogic practice that takes on adequacy with the prior 8 limbs as
prerequisites.
Dharana
Main article: Dharana

Real Yoga starts from concentration. Concentration merges into meditation.
Meditation ends in Samadhi. Retention of breath, Brahmacharya, Satvic (pure)
food, seclusion, silence, Satsanga (being in the company of a guru), and not
mixing much with people are all aids to concentration. Concentration on Bhrakuti
(the space between the two eyebrows) with closed eyes is preferred. The mind can
thus be easily controlled, as this is the seat for the mind.[clarification
needed][citation needed]
Dhyana
Main article: Dhyana in Hinduism

     "Sleep, tossing of mind, attachment to objects, subtle desires and cravings,
laziness, lack of Brahmacharya, gluttony are all obstacles in meditation. Reduce
your wants. Cultivate dispassion. You will have progress in Yoga. Vairagya thins
out the mind. Do not mix much. Do not talk much. Do not eat much. Do not sleep
much. Do not exert much. Never wrestle with the mind during meditation. Do not
use any violent efforts at concentration. If evil thoughts enter your mind, do
not use your will force in driving them. You will tax your will. You will lose
your energy. You will fatigue yourself. The greater the efforts you make, the
more the evil thoughts will return with redoubled force. Be indifferent. Become
a witness of those thoughts. They will pass away. Never miss a day in
meditation. Regularity is of paramount importance. When the mind is tired, do
not concentrate. Do not take heavy food at night.

     The mind passes into many conditions or states as it is made up of three
qualities: Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Kshipta (wandering), Vikshipta (gathering),
Mudha (ignorant), Ekagra (one-pointed), and Nirodha (contrary) are the five
states of the mind.

     By controlling the thoughts the Sadhaka attains great Siddhis. He becomes
adept. He attains Asamprajnata Samadhi or Kaivalya. Do not run after Siddhis.
Siddhis are great temptations. They will bring about your downfall. A Raja Yogi
practices Samyama or the combined practice of Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi at one
and the same time.

     Control the mind by Abhyasa (practice) and Vairagya (dispassion). Any
practice that steadies the mind and makes it one-pointed is Abhyasa. Dull
Vairagya will not help you in attaining perfection in Yoga. You must have Para
Vairagya or Theevra Vairagya, intense dispassion." — Swami Sivananda from Amrita
Gita

Samadhi
Main article: Samadhi

Meditation on OM with Bhava removes obstacles in Sadhana and helps to attain
Samadhi. Avidya (ignorance), Asmita (egoism), Raga-Dvesha (likes and dislikes),
Abhinivesha (clinging to mundane life) are the five Kleshas or afflictions.
Destroy these afflictions. You will attain Samadhi.

Samadhi is of two kinds:

     Savikalpa, Samprajnata or Sabija; and
     Nirvikalpa, Asamprajnata or Nirbija.

In Savikalpa or Sabija, there is Triputi or the triad (knower, known and
knowledge). Savitarka, Nirvitarka, Savichara, Nirvichara, Sasmita and Saananda
are the different forms of Savikalpa Samadhi. In Nirvikalpa Samadhi, Nirbija
Samadhi or Asamprajnata Samadhi there is no triad.

In the last sutra (4,34), Patañjali says the soul reaches its end in liberation,
enlightenment, kaivalya.

Hi,

I am very new to this group and would like to share my views based on my past
knowledge and experiences. First of all i would like to mention that Meditation
is very different from Concentrating. I feel that various technique which our
friends mentioned here are a way to concentrate and not meditation. Of course
concentrating is a step towards Meditation. It was very well said by Lille that
meditation is just as yoga. In fact I would say both are same- which is a
process for the unification of soul with God. But this occurs at a very later
stage so there is need for concentration or we can say the very first step
towards Yoga.

Various techniques say it be TM Technique, Dr. Wayne's technique or controlled
breathing provides only a short span of concentration which works only for the
time we are doing these practices but does not give us long time improvement to
our concentration. I am practicing a very ancient technique mentioned in the
earliest scriptures Vedas called Vihangam Yoga. In this technique I just
meditate for 10 minutes morning and evening on a certain specified point on our
body. On practicing this, we can see the difference within few weeks. I have
been doing this technique since my childhood and has transformed my life
drastically than it was before. The very speciality of Vihangam Yoga is that it
is divided in 5 stages and first three stages is completely devoted for the
purification of the mind. I can talk more on this but it would be good that you
look sometime for your self on internet about this technique and come with more
question.

Rest, i will pray to the lord that he enlightens your path with the right
meditation technique.

All the Best,

krishna



--- In meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com, lindamdc <no_reply@...>
wrote:
>
>
> I am new to meditation, too. It is my experience that meditation is a practice
just as yoga is a practice. It comes by practicing and doing it regularly. There
are no quick and easy "tricks". For me, it is all about enjoying the journey and
learning what resonates with me. Each meditation is different.
>
> I find it best to sit quietly and I listen to Dr. Wayne Dyer's "I Am
Meditation" (but any meditation is fine). I then sit quietly with my eyes shut
and clear my chakras. Then I ask myself: "What do I need to know?" If my mind
gets cluttered with dialogue, I gently thank it and refocus on my breathing. In
through the nose...out through the mouth breathing from the belly.
>
> I have found that I can go to my local library and there are guided
meditations I can borrow and also New Age music I can use.
>
> Also, if you google "Om Meditation" youtube has different Om Meditations for
different lengths of time. I have found these very helpful.
>
> I have wondered about TM and have heard that it is very over rated and
expensive. But I do not have any direct experience. If you have a friend that
knows about TM maybe that would be helpful. I would be curious to know what
techniques your friends teaches in relation to TM.
>
> Hope this was helpful and good luck with your meditation practice.
>
> Lille
>
> --- In meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com, "douglasedarling"
<douglasedarling@> wrote:
> >
> > I would greatly appreciate advice on getting off on right foot in this
meditation stuff. I have been to one lecture where the primary aim was to pick
my pocket. A friend who is a yoga instructor has offered to work with me on
initial TM techniques. What to do, what to do? DD
> >
>

Well, this weekend I spent displaying knives I've made at
the Philly Gun Show. 1200 tables full of weapons and their
accoutrements and thousands of people there to buy them.
Much discussion about the duality of "guns don't kill people,
people do" and "if there weren't guns available, there wouldn't
be so many killings" Of course there were local TV crews there filming the
goings on and promising to be "fair" in their
reporting as they focused the cameras on assault rifles and
other semi and full automatic weapons. This will be just a
small part of the ongoing and now top news discussion.

In between actually selling some knives, I spent time
discussing meditation with people and even conducted some
mindfulness exercises semi-maintaining a Witnessing
perspective on whatever was flowing by moment to (what seemed
like) another moment. And as is common when in a wordless
meditative mode, words appear that (right or wrong) point to
"an answer", and here are some that flowed by...

I'm guessing that just as there are hundreds of millions of
words available to us, and they don't seem to solve anything,
there being hundreds of millions of guns and rifles right now
in the USA, and they aren't solving anything either, maybe
just being conscious is the only real "problem solver".
As Gurdjieff put it...
"Do not be affected by externals. In themselves they are
harmless; it is we who allow ourselves to be hurt by them."

(the above is a para-phrase of a post on the Gene's Gulag
forum)

--- In meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com, medit8ionsociety
<no_reply@...> wrote:
>
> Once again, I'll be displaying my knives and sharing
> meditation concepts and techniques (the usual combination
> for a meditation teacher:) at the Philly Gun Show in Oaks PA
> this weekend, Friday Dec 14 from 4PM to 8PM, Sat 9AM to 5PM, and
> Sun 9AM to 4PM. Here's where you can get info and a discount coupon:
> http://www.eaglearmsgunshows.com/oaks-gun-show-philadelphia-expo-center.html
> There will be about 1,000 tables full of weapons, ammo, and just
> about anything you can think of that brings about violence and
> destruction, as well as thousands of people who are anxious to buy
> these items. And there will also be my table where consciousness
> evolving methods will be shared (as well as complaining about the
> Eagles). Many of the knives I have made will be available and with
> the holidays coming, I expect lots of activity that interrupts our
> "high" conversations. But this is all part of what life is about...
> and maintaining a meditative mode in active as well as in passive situations
is what a meditative practice should include. And when
> someone approaches you carrying a machine gun, and has ammo around
> their neck, to discus how best to use a certain knife, or whatever else is
making their mind chatter, it's certainly an excellent opportunity to witness
your own chatter, and to apply Self
> control and maintain your serenity, or to see just when and
> how you lose it (which might be a more valuable benefit).
> So it is actually an excellent environment for learning about and 
experiencing meditation in real life. Hope to see you there!
> BTW, here's where you can see my knives:
> http://www.bobroseknives.com
> Peace and blessings,
> Bob
>

School yoga tries to avoid religious controversy

ENCINITAS, Calif. (AP) -- Public school yoga instructor
Katie Campbell proudly looks out at 23 first graders as
they contain their squirming in a kid-friendly version of
the lotus position.

In a voice barely above a whisper, she says into her
microphone: "Why look at everyone showing me they're
ready for yoga. A-plus, plus, plus!"

Then the lesson begins with deep breathing and stretches
common to many yoga classes. But there is no chanting of
"om," no words spoken in the Indian language of Sanskrit
nor talk of "mindfulness" or clasping hands in the prayer position.

Campbell avoids those potential pitfalls for the Encinitas
Union School District, which is facing the threat of a lawsuit
as it launches what is believed to be the country's most comprehensive yoga
program for a public school system.

Parents opposed to the program say the classes will
indoctrinate their children in Eastern religion and are
not just for exercise.

It's a debate public schools across the country are
increasingly facing with the rising popularity of the
practice and the recent dispute over school prayer.

Yoga is now taught at public schools from the rural mountains
of West Virginia to the bustling streets of Brooklyn as a way
to ease stress in today's pressure-packed world where even kindergartners say
they feel tense about keeping up with their
busy schedules. But most classes are part of an after-school
program, or are offered only at a few schools or by some teachers
in a district.

Encinitas is believed to be the only public school system
that will have yoga instructors teach full-time at its nine
schools as part of an overall wellness curriculum that includes nutrition and a
school garden program, among other things.

"This is 21st century P.E. for our schools," said Encinitas Superintendent
Timothy B. Baird. "It's physical. It's strength-building. It increases
flexibility but it also deals with
stress reduction and focusing, which kickball doesn't do."

The program is expected to teach a 30-minute yoga lesson to
roughly 5,000 students twice a week at the district's schools,
which run kindergarten through sixth grade. It is funded with
a $533,000 grant from the Jois Foundation, a nonprofit whose
board of directors includes the son of the late Indian
instructor Krishna Pattabhi Jois, whose teachings are said
to have popularized Ashtanga yoga in the Western world and
were followed by Madonna and Sting.

Jois Foundation's program director Russell Case said Encinitas
is building a national yoga model for public schools.

"Kids are under a lot of stress. There are a lot of mandates
on them to perform. We think it would be extremely helpful to
have 10 to15 minutes possible to sit and be reflective instead
of go, go, go," he said.

Researchers at the University of Virginia and University of
San Diego will study the program, including analyzing data on students' resting
heart rates.

They want to know if public schools can impact not only
children's learning, but instill in them good eating habits
and skills to help their well-being.

The program started in several schools in September but will
go district-wide in January after months of protests by a group
of parents.

Mary Eady pulled her first-grade son out of the classes.

Eady said she observed a kindergarten class in which the children
did the motions referred to in yoga practices as a sun salutation. The folded
over children, stood upright, sweeping up their arms toward the sky.

She said while the teacher called it an "opening sequence" the connotation was
the same in her mind: Students were learning to worship the sun, which went
against her Christian beliefs that
only God should be worshipped.

"It will change the way you think," she said. "What they are
teaching is inherently spiritual, it's just inappropriate
therefore in our public schools."

Their attorney, Dean Broyles, says they are considering suing
to halt the program.

Despite the long debate over prayer in school, constitutional
law experts say the courts still have not clearly defined what constitutes
religion.

"You might get litigation on a program like this because it's
not totally settled what the boundaries of religion are," said
New York University law professor Adam Samaha.

He points to the 1979 ruling by a federal court that
blocked transcendental meditation classes from being taught
in New Jersey public schools, deeming those particular lessons
to be religious.

But the court did not go so far as to rule that meditation in
general is and Samaha thinks courts would not deem yoga a
religious practice. If they did, it would open the door to scrutinizing a host
of activities.

"It's practiced by enough people, who probably don't believe
they are engaging in a religious practice," he said.

Still, Encinitas Assistant Superintendent David Miyashiro
said administrators are not taking any risks.

"In light of all the attention, it's not enough to remove things
with cultural references but also anything that can be perceived
by onlookers as a concern," he said. "We think it's important
to keep this program in our schools and we're going to do what
we can to protect it."

At Flora Vista Elementary School, those precautions were apparent.

"Spread out, we're getting ready for some airplane," Campbell
said as the children laid on their mats face down and spread
their arms, arching their back and then flopping back down.
Later she said: "now push back to downward dog."

At the end, the children sprawled on their backs to relax
like a "pancake" as the lights went off. There were soft
giggles. Some wiggled in the dark or fiddled with their socks.

"We're like melting cheese," Campbell reminded the students.

Principal Stephanie Casperson said fewer children now come
to her office for acting out.

"I have teachers who say before a test now students do yoga
to calm themselves so they're transferring it into the classroom, into their
lives," she said.

During a recent fire drill, 6-year-old Sylvia Lawrence said
she folded over into a yoga position under her desk.

"It made the fire drill more fun," she said.

Maria Walsh, 11, said she was never into other sports.

"It's just a fun way for me to exercise," said the freckled,
blond-haired girl with a big smile.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Fair Use Notice: This document may contain
copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically
authorized by the copyright owners. I believe that
this not-for-profit, educational use on the Web
constitutes a fair use of the copyrighted material
(as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law).
If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes
of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain
permission from the copyright owner.

By Anushka Fernandopulle

The well-known opening verse from the Buddhist text
The Dhammapada:

     Mind is the forerunner of all things
     Act and speak with an unwholesome mind,
     And unhappiness will follow you
     As surely as the wheel of the cart follows the ox
     which draws it.

     Mind is the forerunner of all things.
     Act and speak with a wholesome mind,
     And happiness will follow you
     Like your never departing shadow.


Sounds like a simple and clear instruction. But what is
wholesome vs. unwholesome mind? Wholesome mind refers to
wise, kind states of mind like compassion, joy, equanimity, generosity and love.
These mind states originate from wisdom
and an understanding of the truth of interconnection.
Unwholesome mind refers to states that originate in delusion
and a sense of separation, such as aversion, greed, fear,
hatred, jealousy, revenge or confusion. They are suffering
in the moment they have arisen, and the speech and actions
taken from these states have unpleasant results for oneself
and others.

During the course of one day, we can have a wide variety of
mind states appearing, like different colored lenses that
drop in front of our eyes. Many times we are unaware that
these lenses are present, except in the strongest of cases,
so speak and act (and type e-mails and text!) through whatever
filter happens to be there at the moment. It's a gamble whether
the speech/action is filtered through wisdom and kindness or something less
positive like anxiety or irritation. Which means
that sometimes we do, say (or type!) things that we later regret.

An underlying problem is that we blindly believe our thoughts
and repeatedly take them to be ourselves. Thus we take up
anything that occurs in the mind indiscriminately, though it
would be much better for us to practice some discernment.

In this way we are like babies who will pick up anything and
put it in our mouth. You have to watch babies very carefully
when they are young because they will eat anything off the
ground -- toys, stones, worms, plug points and occasionally
a piece of food if they are lucky! They have no ability to
discern yet between what is edible or inedible. As the adult
you have to constantly be on guard, and often pry things out
of their little mouths. It doesn't take long for babies to pick
up some random thing and try to eat it! It also means that they
end up choking a lot on the junk they pick up, and crying when
it tasted bad or hurts their mouth. Does this sound familiar
to you? Not just with babies, but with yourself regarding your
mind?

In the same way the untrained mind will take up any thought
and mind state no matter how toxic. We pick up the equivalent
of indigestible stones, dirt, worms and plug points (hatred, jealousy, etc.) and
consume them. It is only after we choke
that we notice something is wrong. The path of practice includes learning to be
aware when a thought or mind state has arisen: what
is this and is this something that is wholesome or unwholesome: edible or
inedible? This usually takes training, just as we have
to train children about what they should put in their mouths.
But we might as well learn, since otherwise we are constantly
in danger of choking!

With insight meditation or mindfulness practice, we get a
chance to practice this in sitting meditation, in the most
basic of conditions. Sitting silently, simply breathing, then becoming aware of
what is arising in the mind and in the body.
What thoughts and mind states are occurring? Are they wholesome
or unwholesome? Edible or inedible?

From this practice we can develop the ability to see clearly
under simple conditions, which helps us to discern under more
complex conditions as well. Then we can see what is in the mind
when we are in the middle of a meeting, driving the car or at
the grocery store. Practice can seem to take a lot of effort,
but it will be well worth it for your own sake and the sake of
all those you meet for the rest of your life. The unwholesome
mind states can be diminished and even uprooted from the
mindstream. And happiness will follow you, like your
never-departing shadow.


Follow Anushka Fernandopulle on Twitter:
www.twitter.com/@AnushkaF
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Fair Use Notice: This document may contain
copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically
authorized by the copyright owners. I believe that
this not-for-profit, educational use on the Web
constitutes a fair use of the copyrighted material
(as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law).
If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes
of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain
permission from the copyright owner.

Yo Douglas,
I agree about TM being needlessly costly economically,
but have no doubt it can be beneficial in many other ways.
I know they may be in another part of Virginia, but I suggest
considering checking out one of the certified Integral Yoga
teachers for meditation lessons. The VA ones can be found here:

http://iyta.org/teachers-directory/?search-context=STATE&search-term=VA&submit=g\
o

I may not be able to direct you to a specific teacher, but I do
know that they were taught meditation as shared by one of the
greatest meditation masters ever - Swami Satchidananda, whose
Words of Wisdom have been posted here many times.

Similarly, my wife and I have been to Yogaville many times
and every time it has exceeded our expectations, and know
first hand that the experiences we had there are beneficial
and ever-after available to everyone who actually uses them.
BTW, Yogaville itself is one of the most serene and beautiful
places anywhere. There is no cult-like or religious obligation
type pressure....just a sharing of wisdom as was taught by
Swami Satchidananda. It would be well worth your going there
for a class or perhaps a Saturday night Satsang.

In any event, I wish you well in you quest to fill with meditative
knowledge. It's the best thing you can do for your Self.

Peace and blessings,
Bob


--- In meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com, Douglas Darling
<douglasedarling@...> wrote:
>
> Virginia Piedmont 45 miles West/South of DC. DD
>
> On Sat, Dec 15, 2012 at 8:34 AM, Michele Mitchell <mcmitch05@...>wrote:
>
> > **
> >
> >
> > ** Have you thought about a class? What area do you live in?
> > Sent on the Sprint(R) Now Network from my BlackBerry(R)
> > ------------------------------
> > *From: * "douglasedarling" <douglasedarling@...>
> > *Sender: * meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com
> > *Date: *Sat, 15 Dec 2012 12:40:54 -0000
> > *To: *<meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com>
> > *ReplyTo: * meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com
> > *Subject: *[Meditation Society of America] Getting started
> >
> >
> >
> > I would greatly appreciate advice on getting off on right foot in this
> > meditation stuff. I have been to one lecture where the primary aim was to
> > pick my pocket. A friend who is a yoga instructor has offered to work with
> > me on initial TM techniques. What to do, what to do? DD
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Douglas E. Darling
> Warrenton, VA 20186
> 540.270.9239
> douglasedarling@...
>
> This Communication is privileged and confidential information intended only
> for the use of the addressee. If you are not the intended recipient or the
> employee of agent responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient,
> any dissemination or copying of this E-mail is strictly prohibited. In case
> of failed or interrupted transmission, or if you have received this in
> error, please call (540) 270-9239. Also, please notify the sender that you
> have received this email communication in error. Thank you.
>

That's a nice, thoughtful sentiment.  Thanks.

W

--- In meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com, medit8ionsociety
<no_reply@...> wrote:
>
> By Anushka Fernandopulle
>
> The well-known opening verse from the Buddhist text
> The Dhammapada:
>
>     Mind is the forerunner of all things
>     Act and speak with an unwholesome mind,
>     And unhappiness will follow you
>     As surely as the wheel of the cart follows the ox
>     which draws it.
>
>     Mind is the forerunner of all things.
>     Act and speak with a wholesome mind,
>     And happiness will follow you
>     Like your never departing shadow.
>
>
> Sounds like a simple and clear instruction. But what is
> wholesome vs. unwholesome mind? Wholesome mind refers to
> wise, kind states of mind like compassion, joy, equanimity, generosity and
love. These mind states originate from wisdom
> and an understanding of the truth of interconnection.
> Unwholesome mind refers to states that originate in delusion
> and a sense of separation, such as aversion, greed, fear,
> hatred, jealousy, revenge or confusion. They are suffering
> in the moment they have arisen, and the speech and actions
> taken from these states have unpleasant results for oneself
> and others.
>
> During the course of one day, we can have a wide variety of
> mind states appearing, like different colored lenses that
> drop in front of our eyes. Many times we are unaware that
> these lenses are present, except in the strongest of cases,
> so speak and act (and type e-mails and text!) through whatever
> filter happens to be there at the moment. It's a gamble whether
> the speech/action is filtered through wisdom and kindness or something less
positive like anxiety or irritation. Which means
> that sometimes we do, say (or type!) things that we later regret.
>
> An underlying problem is that we blindly believe our thoughts
> and repeatedly take them to be ourselves. Thus we take up
> anything that occurs in the mind indiscriminately, though it
> would be much better for us to practice some discernment.
>
> In this way we are like babies who will pick up anything and
> put it in our mouth. You have to watch babies very carefully
> when they are young because they will eat anything off the
> ground -- toys, stones, worms, plug points and occasionally
> a piece of food if they are lucky! They have no ability to
> discern yet between what is edible or inedible. As the adult
> you have to constantly be on guard, and often pry things out
> of their little mouths. It doesn't take long for babies to pick
> up some random thing and try to eat it! It also means that they
> end up choking a lot on the junk they pick up, and crying when
> it tasted bad or hurts their mouth. Does this sound familiar
> to you? Not just with babies, but with yourself regarding your
> mind?
>
> In the same way the untrained mind will take up any thought
> and mind state no matter how toxic. We pick up the equivalent
> of indigestible stones, dirt, worms and plug points (hatred, jealousy, etc.)
and consume them. It is only after we choke
> that we notice something is wrong. The path of practice includes learning to
be aware when a thought or mind state has arisen: what
> is this and is this something that is wholesome or unwholesome: edible or
inedible? This usually takes training, just as we have
> to train children about what they should put in their mouths.
> But we might as well learn, since otherwise we are constantly
> in danger of choking!
>
> With insight meditation or mindfulness practice, we get a
> chance to practice this in sitting meditation, in the most
> basic of conditions. Sitting silently, simply breathing, then becoming aware
of what is arising in the mind and in the body.
> What thoughts and mind states are occurring? Are they wholesome
> or unwholesome? Edible or inedible?
>
> From this practice we can develop the ability to see clearly
> under simple conditions, which helps us to discern under more
> complex conditions as well. Then we can see what is in the mind
> when we are in the middle of a meeting, driving the car or at
> the grocery store. Practice can seem to take a lot of effort,
> but it will be well worth it for your own sake and the sake of
> all those you meet for the rest of your life. The unwholesome
> mind states can be diminished and even uprooted from the
> mindstream. And happiness will follow you, like your
> never-departing shadow.
>
>
> Follow Anushka Fernandopulle on Twitter:
> www.twitter.com/@AnushkaF
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> Fair Use Notice: This document may contain
> copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically
> authorized by the copyright owners. I believe that
> this not-for-profit, educational use on the Web
> constitutes a fair use of the copyrighted material
> (as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law).
> If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes
> of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain
> permission from the copyright owner.
>

"As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth,
so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind.
To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again.
To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over
the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives."

A Good Yogi

"We all need Self-knowledge and, with that knowledge,
we can make the best use of the mind and the senses,
as well as all the talents and capabilities we've been
given. First, know who you are: Who is the one who has
gifts and talents? Know that first, and then you can
feel that you have these gifts and you want to maintain
them. First understand yourself: I am somebody, I have
been given these gifts and I am enjoying them. I am not
those things out there. I am separate; I am the owner
of these things. That feeling should be there. Apply this
to the mind too: I am the owner of the mind, I am not the
mind. Sometimes the mind is playful, sometimes it's happy,
sometimes it's unhappy. It's my mind that is happy or
unhappy, not me. I'm different from the mind.

"God bless you. OM Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.

nspiration Line

Hear an inspiration message from Sri Swami Satchidananda
by calling 434-WOW-GURU. New and improved software brings
an even better sound quality and more reliable system.
New message the first of each month. Call and be inspired
any time and from anywhere you are.

Thank you very much Sandeep for another thought-stopping
and wonder-full sharing. Much more are offered on this
website: http://www.the-covenant.net/

--- In meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com, Sandeep <sandeep1960@...>
wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Who am I.......is  the starting point(and found to be the end point) on
> the path of Jnana(path of knowing)..
>
> ...aka Ramana's famous Self-Enquiry bromide.
>
> As always.....a sharing in the moment........gets captured.....via a
> conditioning and what arises is a scriptural doctrine...
>
> ...which starts getting worshiped.
>
> The thousand bows to the tea-pot, rather than drinking the tea.
>
> Once the transient hollowness of what hereto was assumed to be one's
> identity......aka in the form of a name, sex...
>
> ..... status......whether personal, societal, national....whether
> established via relationships..
>
> .... or as possessor of knowledge, successes,
> failures......experiences........et al...
>
> .....once the transient hollowness of all that is apparent.......it is
> only then that the question of Who am I.... is born.
>
>
> However this is not a quest of replacing identities.
>
> Not a replacement of the name of John Doe with Param Brahman.....or
> Jesus's Old Man....or Yahweh.....or whatever.
>
> Seeing the transience of everything within time........thought posits
> something as the timeless, something as the eternal...
>
> ...and its back to the same round and round ......a different mulberry bush.
>
>
> When the question of Who am I.......is born......the way forward(to use
> a term, as really there is nothing as backward..
> ....for something as a forward to be a direction)...
>
> .....what is to be seen.......is that the question of "Who am
> I".......is an arising and persisting thought of such a question.
>
> Rather than the content of the thought......the quest in quietude
> is......who is it that took delivery of this thought as the question?
>
> The thought as the question............got anchored where?
>
> For whom is the question "Who am I"........a relevant question?
>
> And what ever answer that arises.....irrespective of the content of the
> thought-as-the-answer....
>
> .....it is once again a thought-construction.
>
> Rather than the content of the thought-as-the-answer(which is only a
> confabulation of the known)...
>
> ....the quest in quietude.......remains the same.
>
> Who is it that took delivery of this thought-as-the-answer?
>
> For whom........is the answer.............an answer?
>
>
> And the assurance that this quest in quietude......is not an
> ad-infinitum regression.
>

Are you enlightened? Are any of the thousands of supposed "gurus" we watch on
YouTube today actually enlightened? One of the most important questions that can
be asked on the spiritual path is: How do we know with certainty if someone
actually is an enlightened being? In his now familiar and widely acclaimed style
of sharp honesty and impassioned eloquence, Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
tackles this question head-on with deep philosophical clarity and inspirational
force like no one else before him ever has. Our most intensely fascinating video
produced so far beckons you to face the straightforward answer to the crucial
question: Are You Enlightened?

WATCH THIS FREE VIDEO HERE:

http://youtu.be/tSmRKCQaDDU

Please forward and share this information, and link to this video.

It is said that to have compassion for others,
we must first have compassion for ourselves. But
that has nothing to do with having an "I'm a victim,
poor me" attitude. The symptoms of this dis-ease are
thinking that others words , the way they look at
you, the way they treat you, and so on, justify
feeling angry, offended, sad, or any other similar
adjectives or adverbs. It's just one of the mind's
major ways to keep you its slave and keep you too
busy to realize that you need not carry any of those
negative feelings around. This reactivity is a taught
behavior and started with your parents and siblings,
your teachers and religious leaders, as well as your
friends and the influences of the culture you grew
up in. Witness each moment naked of any previous
influences and you'll be flowing compassionately with
your Self and everyone else in real time in a real way.
This too is a learned behavior and meditation is the
best possible tool to master this mind-control app.
A successful effortless "Witness to life as it takes
place" reaction to events happening moment to moment,
and the instillation of a permanent "I'm blessed"
attitude and experience may take many years occur or
happen in a second, but it will. Meditate! Witness!
And you will live happily ever after.

 

Thank you very much Sandeep for another thought-stopping
and wonder-full sharing. Much more are offered on this
website: http://www.the-covenant.net/

--- In meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com, Sandeep <sandeep1960@...> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Who am I.......is the starting point(and found to be the end point) on
> the path of Jnana(path of knowing)..
>
> ...aka Ramana's famous Self-Enquiry bromide.
>
> As always.....a sharing in the moment........gets captured.....via a
> conditioning and what arises is a scriptural doctrine...
>
> ...which starts getting worshiped.
>
> The thousand bows to the tea-pot, rather than drinking the tea.
>
> Once the transient hollowness of what hereto was assumed to be one's
> identity......aka in the form of a name, sex...
>
> ..... status......whether personal, societal, national....whether
> established via relationships..
>
> .... or as possessor of knowledge, successes,
> failures......experiences........et al...
>
> .....once the transient hollowness of all that is apparent.......it is
> only then that the question of Who am I.... is born.
>
>
> However this is not a quest of replacing identities.
>
> Not a replacement of the name of John Doe with Param Brahman.....or
> Jesus's Old Man....or Yahweh.....or whatever.
>
> Seeing the transience of everything within time........thought posits
> something as the timeless, something as the eternal...
>
> ...and its back to the same round and round ......a different mulberry bush.
>
>
> When the question of Who am I.......is born......the way forward(to use
> a term, as really there is nothing as backward..
> ....for something as a forward to be a direction)...
>
> .....what is to be seen.......is that the question of "Who am
> I".......is an arising and persisting thought of such a question.
>
> Rather than the content of the thought......the quest in quietude
> is......who is it that took delivery of this thought as the question?
>
> The thought as the question............got anchored where?
>
> For whom is the question "Who am I"........a relevant question?
>
> And what ever answer that arises.....irrespective of the content of the
> thought-as-the-answer....
>
> .....it is once again a thought-construction.
>
> Rather than the content of the thought-as-the-answer(which is only a
> confabulation of the known)...
>
> ....the quest in quietude.......remains the same.
>
> Who is it that took delivery of this thought-as-the-answer?
>
> For whom........is the answer.............an answer?
>
>
> And the assurance that this quest in quietude......is not an
> ad-infinitum regression.
>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_J5rBxeTIk&feature=youtu.be

“Let go” is a big thing in the spiritual domain and very much the New
Age Mantra.

What is this Let-Go?

Is it a Let-go……..if the intention is to get something in return ……as
some quid-pro-quo?

Would not the very process of a “let-go”………need a pre-existing claim of
ownership ..….a claim over that……… which is sought to be let-gone.

Without this sense of ownership..... without this sense of claim…

…..whether it is about material thingies……. whether it is of
relationships… .. whether it is of thoughts..... or of great spiritual
understandings …

….without this sense of ownership……without this sense of claim or ownership…

…..all let-go is akin........ the let-go of the yonder blue moon in the
star-lit dark sky.


Was that moon yours in the first place, such that you can no let go of it?


Let-go…….has nothing to do with the usual connotation of let-go.

For, if there is a hoped for end-result of the letting-go.....letting go
has yet to happen.

Let-go……is primarily to do with the unraveling of the sense of
possession...... the sense of ownership, the sense of claim.

Seeing...... that at the very birth…..the hands were empty…….and at
death, the same hands will still remain empty…

..one turns to see... whether in this brief interlude between these two
events of “birth” and “death”....

....whether in that brief interlude.....anything got acquired.....
whether anything got owned..... whether anything got possessed.

Whether any held claim… stands the clarity of scrutiny.


It is fairly easy to see that while one might have societal documents to
show ownership about material stuff….

....none of those assets really matters …...as none of them carry a
warranty beyond the demise of the biological object....

... that has been held to be the owner-oneself.

The difficulty is to see this "non-ownership" in the domain of
relationships...... whether they are the very dear and loved ones or the
not so dear ..

...not so loved ones…The difficulty is to see this non-ownership....in
the realm of achievements, either mental or physical.


Where lies this difficulty?

It lies in the persisting conviction……….that it is this very claim of
ownership...... which defines oneself to oneself.

Without the teaching of Let-Go…(aka I teach, ergo I know how to let-go ,
ergo I am)...…..who is oneself?

Without being….. that wonderful mother........ that wonderful
partner......that success-story.... that environmental/political/social
activist....

...... that “supreme channeler” of messages from outer dimensions..…who
is oneself?

And then we have the usual possessions of identities of being a
Christian....... being a Hindu.... being a Buddhist.....a Jesuit....a
Merkabist...

.... a Kabbalist..... a Scientologist...a Non-Dualist…..…being a Savior.

Without all these claims…….who am I?


A sense of claim…………needs the sense of the claimant.

The sense of claimant........ as a sense of an individuated ,
separative, volitional self… ….defined by the array of sense of
possessions/claims.

Why is such an entity only a notion………why is the very sense of a
claimant-self an ideation?(As prattled by Gurus galore)

In order to be.....i.e..not a notion....that which is to be......needs
to defined........hence isolated on a perch.

Separated out on a perch, now a defining is possible.....attributes can
be ascribed, avered, disclaimed, refuted, defended....the usual circus show.

Separated, isolated........thus definable...needs what has been
separated out and placed on a perch......to have a deinite start and a
definite end.

Without a start point and end point....separated in time.....nothing can
be distinguished.

Where is the start point of life?

Where is the end point of life?

Typically these are held as the birth and death of an object, biological
or othewise.

The opposite of death is not life.

The opposite of death is birth......and life.....contains both birth and
death......and yet remains ever unbounded by these two notional events.



If no aspect, no nuance of life can be isolated, separated out.......how
can even a sense of the claimant–entity…be isolated?

If a me-claimant-entity cannot be isolated.....how can things
.....relationships .....definings be isolated?

What “discrete-ness” …can be isolated .....and a beginning and an
ending.... be sketched?

If none......then…who can claim ……..about what?

And without any claim………..let-go …….of what claim?

Let-go of what stuff that is "owned"?

The empty hands remain completely empty... even in the brief interlude
between the events of “birth” and “death”…

…..birth/death events …which themselves cannot be discreted out…..
cannot be isolated as “events”.




Were you born……..or what was ....born….....(as-if).....a sense of
duration…in which you as an apparently discrete object…

…became seemingly visible?


So....... is this an advocacy of tearing up the title deeds of your
residential property..... or giving it away in charity…

....or...…emptying your Bank account… …or walking away from a
relationship.....… .as the necessary ingredients of being in let go?

Such “movements” may or may not occur ……as nuances of the flow of
totality…..but that is not necessarily being in let-go.


Being-in-let-go……….is when in the seemingly presence …of what is
conventionally defined as possessions....

..... of what is defined as identities……when the in the seemingly
presence OR in the seemingly absence of any of such……

…..one sees only one’s empty hands.


The seeing...... that ……neither…….the presence or absence …..of anything
which typifies Life…... defines oneself.


Let go ……..is existing in a state ( to use a term)…..when let-go is seen
to already be the case....

…because there is none to stake a claim …on anything on any aspect of
one's life…in the first place.


One is so lost in oneself…..that even “oneself”…….cannot be isolated and
referred to.....as "so lost"

So lost...so gone…….. and yet the full and complete engagement
.......…in and as ……this very moment...

….the unfolding engaging is neither diminished nor affected by the loss
of oneself.


The dropping of the "Let"...... in the Let-Go.......is the very so-gone.


Gatey........Gatey.......Gatey

Madzhub is a term used to refer to one who appears to be a
simpleton..... but really one who is one with oneness.

One day this madzhub was moving in the city... in the middle of the
night......happily singing and shuffling to the beat of Dooo Beee Doooo.

It so happened that curfew had been declared in that city...and so no
one was allowed to move about.

A policeman caught the madzhub asked, "Who are you?"

The Madzhub stopped his singing and shuffling.

He did not know how to answer that particular question in
words........within the conventions of language.

So he did not answer.

The policeman asked, "Are you a thief?"

"Yes," replied the madzhub, because when the self is not..

... any name that is given is accepted.

Now, a so-called Guru would be very offended to be called a thief.

They took him in the police station and he was there for the whole
night, quite happy and resuming his singing and shuffling..... as happy
as he was singing and shuffling on the road.

There was no feeling of insult, no lamentation as to where the madzhub
found himself....

... for even the question of acceptance or un-acceptance is not of any
relevance for an empty cup.

A title was offered and was accepted.

In the morning,... the station officer came, and he recognized the
madzhub for what he was.

He said, "I am surprised to find him here."

The policeman said, "He himself said that he was a thief."

"Did you call him a thief. "

The policeman said, "Yes."

The officer said, "I am not surprised.

That 'I' which holds everything to oneself is crushed and effaced and
thrown away.

That 'I' is no longer there, in him.

And therefore all names are his name, all forms are his form, and the
whole cosmos is his own being.

You cannot hold him behind any type of bars.....for there is no longer
any difference between behind and beyond for him.

Let him sing and dance in the open......so that maybe the multitude will
breathe in some of that beneficence".

"... it is interesting to study the state which,
according to the Zen masters, precedes satori
(enlightenment). At this moment the curb on the
imagination has become so strong that it holds
in check all the affective reactions to the stimuli
of the external world. All the illusory significances
which the subject used to attribute to things
(significances which depended on his affective
reactions) now disappear, and the subject is
permanently divided into actor and spectator –
but the actor has become unapparent. 'It is like
two flawless mirrors reflecting one another.'
No longer is there any distress (angoisse), and
the subject experiences a kind of pure and total
alleviation – which is not, however, the state of
positive blessedness. There is now a condition of
unstable equilibrium between the forces that delude
and stupefy and the forces that tend to awake us to
reality. The subject no longer has the old, false
consciousness; but he does not yet possess the new
consciousness. (In Zen, this state is called tai-i,
literally 'great doubt.') Hence the subject who is
in this state says of himself that he is 'like an idiot.'
The screen separating him from objective reality has
worn thin and lost its opacity. Finally, in response
to some sensory stimulus, satori breaks through. In the
past, stimuli from the outside world reached the subject
through this screen and had the effect of stupefying him;
now that they reach him directly they awaken and enlighten.
The screen is imagination, is associative and discursive
thinking. And it is this screen that separated the subject
from objective reality and prevented him from realizing
the absolute identity of the 'I' and the Not-I. ('The eye
with which I see God is the same,' says [Meister] Eckhart,
'as the eye with which God sees me.')"
--------------------------------------------------------------
Fair Use Notice: This document may contain
copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically
authorized by the copyright owners. I believe that
this not-for-profit, educational use on the Web
constitutes a fair use of the copyrighted material
(as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law).
If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes
of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain
permission from the copyright owner.

"These, and all words, are simply pixels on a screen
or ink on paper. Please don't think they contain Truth,
Justice or the American Way. They're not Super, man!"

Kir Li Molari

Make the Best Use of the Breath

"In Yoga asanas or in yogic breathing, one should
never exert oneself. Let things come in their own time.
Remember: Slow and steady wins the race. Particularly
when retention during pranayama comes in, one must be
very, very careful. Many people think yogic breathing
means to take a deep breath in and hold it as long as
possible until the entire body becomes shaky, and that
they call yogic breathing. It's not that. Pranayama is
a controlled, rhythmic way of breathing. As you inhale,
you make the best use of the breath by holding just as
long as is comfortable and then exhaling, taking twice
the time to exhale as to inhale. That is how to approach
pranayama safely.

"God bless you. OM Shanti, Shanti, Shanti."

  Join Satchidananda Ashram's Satsang every Saturday evening

and share the archive with friends.

  7:30pm Eastern, with Livestream

new.livestream.com/yogaville

http://imgur.com/gallery/hsslJ

By Lloyd Glauberman, Ph.D.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lloyd-glauberman-phd/an-upside-down-look-at-heaven\
-and-near-death-experience_b_2289298.html?utm_hp_ref=religion

We've all read about near-death experience (NDE),
the traumatically induced sensory phenomenon that
many believe represents the gateway to heaven. The
imagery (white light, tunnel, dead relatives, etc.),
coupled with the intense feelings of bliss and oneness,
typically make the most ardent nonbelievers reevaluate
their beliefs after the experience. It is powerful
stuff and, arguably, the most interesting of all mystical
experiences.

With the publication of the book "Proof of Heaven" by
Dr. Eben Alexander, the issue of whether NDEs represent
evidence for the existence of heaven is, once again, part
of the cultural conversation. So let's join the discussion.

Because of his credibility as a neurosurgeon, Dr. Alexander's
NDE generated a great deal of attention. His case is
unusually strong, not simply because of his scientific
credentials, but because of what apparently happened to
his brain. Due to bacterial meningitis his entire neocortex,
the part of the brain that makes us human, presumably
became disabled. Without the neocortex functional, a
scientific explanation for his NDE becomes impossible.

Most of his colleagues could not offer explanations for
what he saw. A few, however, refute his claims, including
Dr. Martin Samuels, who said, "there is no way of knowing,
in fact, that his neocortex was shut down. It sounds
scientific, but it is an interpretation after the fact."
And therein lies the rub.

The operative word in near-death experience is "near."
Nobody actually dies and talks to us from heaven. Those
ho experience NDEs end up back here talking to Oprah. And
they all say very similar things.

NDEs tend to have certain universal characteristics,
according to Dr. Gregory Shushan, a religion scholar
with anthropological training and author of Conceptions
of the Afterlife in Early Civilizations: Universalism,
Constructivism and Near-Death Experience. In other words,
regardless of culture or time, the NDE themes consistently
appeared in the ancient civilizations that he researched.

Furthermore, Dr. Shushan noticed that the various
cultural beliefs about heaven are quite similar to
the core characteristics of NDEs. What's interesting
is that this cross-cultural thematic consistency about
heaven does not hold true for creation myths. In other
words, every culture has a different narrative describing
how things began, but the same narrative about how things end.

Ironically, this leads to the possibility that NDEs, as
opposed to providing evidence for the existence of heaven,
might very well be responsible for creating our belief in it.

It's not difficult to imagine how this paradoxical understanding
of the relationship between NDE and heaven could have evolved.
The NDEs that occurred during ancient history -- especially
if it involved a respected elder or priest -- would have been
so instantaneously transformative, so powerfully seductive,
that it would have been impossible for a culture not to
incorporate the experience into a model of heaven. Then, over
the centuries, all subsequent NDEs would serve to reinforce
the belief.

It doesn't get more upside-down than this.

Assuming for the moment that this explanation of how heaven came
into being is accurate, one question remains: does it matter?

On a very practical level, changing people's religious beliefs
is virtually impossible. Faced with incontrovertible scientific evidence about
evolution, some folks still cling to the belief
that the earth is 6,000 years old because the Bible says so.
Not all people of faith take every aspect of the Scriptures
literally but, in general, religious beliefs become hardwired
into the brain. With the exception of those who experience
NDEs, rarely are people changing their mind.

If the NDE is a transitional experience to make death easier
and not the gateway to heaven, do nonbelievers have to discard
the concept of heaven altogether? Or, can we turn everything upside-down again
and simply label our experience of self --
our tiny speck of consciousness -- heaven? In other words,
maybe heaven is ephemeral not eternal. And at the end, our
energy goes back into the energy pool.

At some point in time each of us will know the truth. However,
if you don't believe in heaven and you're right, you'll never
know it. If you're wrong, people will be waiting at the other
end of the tunnel saying, "We told you so."
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