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141

Brain Development and Enlightenment Part III: Insight Meditation

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Brain Development & Enlightenment Series: Insight Meditation

Art of Meditation: Brain Development & Enlightenment Part 3 of 3

To bring about the molecular/cellular change to the brain and have it work par excellence is the secret to having the organism function at its highest potential and return to its natural, completed state.  The first 2 parts of this series provided; meditations for honing the senses and a master pranayama set for refining and vitalizing Kundalini energy. We now come to the part that works to ignite insight which brings the profound changes to the brain.  The pranayama set, of part 2, begins this work as well but the real catalyst for transformation is insight.  So how can we set the stage for the explosion of insight and cellular change to occur?  Let us find out…          

Brain Development

Let’s first clarify what we mean by insight.  Insight is not understanding reached using logic and reason.  It is not the product of analysis and thinking.  By insight, we mean instant comprehension via direct perception.  You see it and you realize.  The realization may be framed by thoughts and words concurrent to its occurrence, but is not a product of that.  It is objective and impersonal.  It is immediate and not a function of time.  It is clear and free of doubt as it is not an argument or other conclusion requiring evidence to support.  Below are some famous examples given to illustrate these points.          

In eastern philosophy the example often cited to describe insight is one of the stick, which looks like a snake.  If you were walking along a path and were to see a snake you would be alarmed and fearful.  If, upon closer inspection you saw that it was actually a stick, all tension would evaporate and you would probably have a big laugh.  The seeing and understanding of the false (snake) in the fact (stick) and the immediate relief is insight and its action.  Similarly, the example of a cliff is given.  If you were walking along and suddenly came to the edge of a cliff, you would not hesitate and just stop dead in your tracks. Seeing the danger would be immediate and the action too would follow spontaneously.  From these two examples one more component of insight is revealed – that the resultant action it has is coupled directly with its occurrence.  There is insight and immediate action resulting from it.  Let us now explore insight and its action with regard to the brain and thinking.           

In Part 1 we said that the continuous self-centered activity was the root cause preventing the organism from reaching its full potential.  This continuous struggle is due to unending desire.  As long as desire is functioning the organism is under stress to achieve some future state.  With desire always comes suffering.  If desire is there, there is discontentment, as desire means something is lacking, missing- yet to be attained.  The problem is that desire is not extinguished even if we achieve the goal, as instead it just finds a new goal to pursue.  Thus the sense of incompleteness never ends and we remain trapped in endless effort.  In turn, this effort drains our energy, which would otherwise be harnessed by the brain to complete itself and reach its full potential.  What can be done about this?  Nothing.  For to try to do something is still within the pattern of motivated action and keeps the energy trapped.  Insight is seeing this whole thing clearly, like seeing the edge of the cliff.  So the mind/thought, upon inspecting itself closely, sees that any willful action on its part perpetuates desire and thus suffering, so like seeing the danger at the cliff, which spontaneously acts on one to stop, the mind upon seeing the danger of ambition stops itself.  This then frees ones energy, which was so far being lost in the conflict between what is and what should be.  This energy then goes on to work on completing and unleashing the full capacity of the brain.  

The details of this meditation, the igniting of insight, is described in “The Silent Mind Meditation Program: Chapter 12 Silent Mind Meditations” but I am going to summarize the essence of it here as well.  I suggest though that you read that chapter, as it provides much more detail, which will be helpful to you in your practice.            

To do this meditation, sit or lie absolutely still with your eyes closed.  Then begin the meditation of listening to sounds as described in part 1.  Once you feel thoughts have lost some of their momentum and the mind is a little quieter, gather up all your energy and start to watch your thoughts as best you can.  The objective is to see and understand the entire story behind each thought as it occurs.  Understand the hidden or obvious motive, the goal you are being seduced by, the implication of time and self-centeredness, etc.  Initially you may find this difficult, as thoughts are very quick and you will be missing most and grasping just a few, but don’t worry keep at it.  To grasp and comprehend swiftly will require acute attention and sharp intelligence.  Remember we are not analyzing thoughts here; we are seeing thoughts and trying to comprehend them entirely as they occur.  As you keep at it, the intensity of your demand to comprehend, will slow the mind down bit by bit and by and by thoughts will start of reveal themselves.  Concurrently, this practice will also greatly improve your awareness and intelligence.  Thus, the mind will slow, awareness and intelligence will be honed, and more and more energy will be harnessed, as instead of participating in psychological effort you will be taking a position of a keen, passive witness.  Keeping at it, will bring you to the remarkable occurrence of insight as suggested previously, where the mind will see itself as the root cause of its own suffering and stop.          

Let me tell you this is not easy.  It is arduous.  Not complex, but arduous.  Sometimes when I sit and am fully zoned in, fully integrated and applied, I wonder who the hell is going to do this.  I wonder if there is any point in telling others about it, for the requirement is stiff.  I think, no way others would be able to devote themselves in this manner.  Fall repeatedly back into their thoughts and get up again to fight the next day with the same passion and zeal.  No way others have the fortitude and abiding passion.  I hope you prove me wrong.  I hope you sit your butt down on a pillow and wage war like there is no tomorrow.  I hope to hear from you, that you went after it with all that you are, you threw everything and the kitchen sink at it, maybe the explosion of insight occurred or maybe it didn’t, but you were up the next day fully armored with the sword of intelligence drawn and ready.  If you do that much I would be so proud to call you my friend.

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Internet Resources for Brain Development, Meditation, Kundalini Yoga and Personal Development:

The Urban Monk has included this article (Brain Development and Enlightenment Part III: Insight Meditation) in the Personal Development Carnival Edition 3 on March 25, 2007.  Furthermore he says, “My favorite would have to be the Meditation article by Anmol Mehta.” :-D.  Thanks to the Urban Monk for his kind words.  You can see it and find other great articles on his website The Teaching of the Urban Monk.

This article (Brain Development and Enlightenment Part III: Insight Meditation) has been selected to be a part of the Carnival of Powerful Living edition which is hosted by Verve Coaching.  Head over there to read more great stuff on Powerful Living.

Thanks to Shaheen for selecting Brain Development and Enlightenment Part III: Insight Meditation to be a part of the Brain Blogging Carnival Edition 3. Head on over to Brain Blogger to read more great articles related to the brain and mind. 

Brain Development and Enlightenment Part III: Insight Meditation has been selected to be a part of the Esanga Newsletter which can be found on The Middle Way blog.  Head on over there to read more great stuff on Zen and Buddhist teachings.

Thanks to the Laura for selecting Brain Development and Enlightenment Part III: Insight Meditation to be a part of the March 25th Edition of the Personal Development Carnival. Head on over to The Dragon Slayer’s Guide to Life to read more great stuff on personal development.

Thanks to Lynn for selecting Brain Development and Enlightenment Part III: Insight Meditation to be a part of the April 1 Edition of the Carnival of Metaphysics.  Head on over to The Mystical Realm to read more great stuff on Mysticism and Spirituality.

Thanks for Ainslee for selecting Brain Development and Enlightenment Part III: Insight Meditation to be a part of the Philosophers’ Carnival.  She has done a great job in presenting this edition.  Head on over to Ainsleehooper.Blog to read this edition and other great stuff on philosophy and self knowledge.

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142

Silent Mind Meditation Program: Non-attachment: Chapter 16

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Chapter 16

Silent Mind Meditation Program: Non-attachment

With attachments lie the root of our imprisonment and problems. It is not just attachment to material objects and people that leads to suffering, it is the attachment to name, image, reputation, beliefs, ideas, etc. that further complicate the situation. As you engage in Silent Mind meditations what you will observe is that thoughts are very sticky. They easily capture your attention and draw you into their world. This stickiness of thoughts is because of our attachments. It is this component of a thought that makes it seductive. Without this component thoughts would be like clouds in the sky, easily separated from and easily witnessed from afar. The goal of SM is to dissolve these attachments and free oneself from being sucked into the web of thinking. There are several attitudes that greatly help in diminishing the strength of attachments and in this chapter we are going to discuss a few of them. For the next four weeks, experiment with them and see which ones work best for you. Keep in mind that these are just tools to help us weaken attachments, don’t get caught up in their theoretical validity.

Silent Mind

From the great Tantric schools comes the decree, “Whatever comes let it come, whatever goes let it go”. This is essence of the “Law of Karma”. It is suggesting that whatsoever is happening is due to karmic debts which have accumulated over lifetimes. These debts are determined by our past actions. In some situations we are owed and we are getting what we are due, while in others we owe and are paying it off. In either case, the advice is not to take anything personally and just let life play itself out. Stay detached from all the comings and goings of your life and remain calm and undisturbed as it unfolds before you – passively watching.

Closely related to the above view is the concept of “The Neutral Mind”, arising from the related schools of Yoga. The Neutral Mind is also called the Yogic Mind and suggests against being caught up in the polarities of pleasure and pain, success and failure etc. It is this partiality that lends itself to attachments. Our constant desire for pleasure and fear of pain builds in us thoughts soaked in emotion, which is another subtle way of describing attachments. As above, the Neutral Mind, encourages the aspirant to maintain equanimity and composure when faced with the fluctuations of life, treating the polarities equally, favoring neither one nor the other.

From the traditions of Zen Buddhism comes another helpful technique to combat attachments, the approach of Mindfulness. This approach asks the student to remain as much as possible in the present, aware of that which is occurring physically, emotionally and mentally. Awareness is the archenemy of attachments. Attachments are strengthened by the endless time that we spend thinking about them, chewing on them. By demanding that we are instead focused on the ordinary present, starves the attachments of the constant coddling they get, and they begin to wither away. As this process continues we start to come out of our mental reality and become more connected with life as it actually is.

All three of the above time tested teachings are effective in cutting the bonds which bind you and cause suffering, but all are easier said then done. At the end of the day, you want to be like the deep ocean, where the storms of life only disturb the surface while you remain calm and peaceful deep within. It is well worth the effort.

143

Silent Mind Meditation Program Overview: Chapter 2

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Chapter 2

Silent Mind Mediation Program Overview 

There are 2 main branches to the SM program.  One branch is focused on developing the necessary attributes and conditions of optimal vitality required to participate in the SM meditations.  This branch will work on the 3 dimensions of your being, physical, emotional and psychological.  Purifying and balancing your systems and increasing your energy.  The second is the meditations themselves.  These are the core of the practice and herein will lie the opportunities for transcending the ordinary mind.  Both branches work in parallel and look to build progressively to more advanced stages.  The table below [Table 1] provides an overview of the program and gives an overall picture as to what the strategy is…

Silent Mind

Weeks: 1-4

Physical: Yoga for Meditation
Emotional: Confidence
Psychological: Honesty
Meditations: Breath, Sound, Body, Third Eye

Weeks: 5-8
Physical: Yoga for Energy
Emotional: Passion
Psychological: Urgency
Meditations: Basic Meditations + SM Meditations

Weeks: 9-12
Physical: Yoga for Awareness
Emotional: Sensitivity
Psychological: Non-attachment
Meditations: Silent Mind Meditations

Table 1        

Each week consists of exercises and meditations that are targeting the following 2 goals; refining of your energy and helping you master the power of attention in order to break free of the conditioning of egocentric effort.  Overall, there are 3 phases to the program, with each phase consisting of 4 weeks.  In each phase particular attributes of your being (Physical, Emotional, Psychological) are focused upon and certain meditations are practiced.  The attributes targeted are the essential components for laying the foundation for a successful practice.  The meditations in turn look to build up the mind so that it can then exploit the more powerful SM meditations, which begin from the sixth week onwards (middle of Phase 2).

The time required is 1 hour per day, although later in the program you may well wish to spend more.  The most important part of this practice is to do it.  This is best accomplished if a set time is put aside every day, preferably in the early morning, to complete the required work as best as you can regardless of mood.  The rest of the chapters will delve into the particulars of the 3 phases of the program.  The 3 sections that follow, one for each phase, consist of 5 chapters each.  The first chapter being a table detailing the daily practice that must be done over that phase followed by 4 chapters, which explore each of the dimensions and the meditations for that phase in depth.

144

Brain Development and Enlightenment Part II: Vitalize Energy (Kundalini)

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Brain Development & Enlightenment Series: Vitalize Energy (Kundalini)

Art of Meditation: Brain Development & Enlightenment Part 2 of 3:

In Part 1 of this series we indicated that the natural state of the organism is one where all the internal systems were working at peak capacity. We spoke of how refining the senses, vitalizing energy and sharpening awareness and intelligence were the keys to the completion of this process. In Part I we also provided some specific meditations to help develop the most important (meditation related) senses of hearing and seeing. In this article we will delve into vitalizing energy (kundalini).

Brain Development

Vital energy is required for, not only optimal health, but also for doing the meditations that finally hone intelligence and awareness (discussed in Part 3 of this series). There are two primary sciences for building this energy, yoga (the use of physical postures (asanas), body locks (bandhas) and motion), and pranayama (the science of breath). In this article we will provide a very powerful and complete pranayama set which, when done consistently, can remarkably increase and awaken energy. For those familiar with Kundalini and the Chakra system I will provide the details of how each pranayama exercise works with regard to the charkas. If you are not familiar with this framework not to worry, the set will work for you just the same (and you can familiarize yourself with this topic, if you like, by visiting the Kundalini Yoga category). For this article it is sufficient to think of Kundalini as the total energy of man. Kinetic Energy, which is already active and flowing and Potential Energy that lies within waiting to be awakened.

More information on this set and 3SRB is available on the website www.3srb.org and this work has been transmitted to us by the great modern Yoga master S. N. Tavaria. 

Below is the detailed description to channel & release these energies:–

Preparation:

  1. The sitting positions for the set can be cross legged (Sukn Asana) or on a chair (refer to the Silent Mind Meditation Program Chapter 4: Yoga for Meditation for more details on these postures if required)
  2. Starting time for each pranayama exercise is 15 seconds; build up to 3 minutes per exercise.
  3. All the pranayamas should be done one after the other with no rest in between if possible.
  4. The rhythm for the breathing is 36 cycles per minute where specified. The exercises normally are done to music, which provides this correct rhythm of 36 cycles per minute. In the event you do not have this music, use a stopwatch or other time device to set the pace of your breathing correctly.  If you are using a time device it helps to break it down to 18 cycles / 30 seconds to help keep the correct pace.

Pranayama Set For Vitalizing Kundalini

Begin:

Exercise 1: Chest Pump Pranayama: Place both hands on the center of the chest one on top of the other palms facing in; relax the elbows. Begin breathing deep and fast limiting the breath to the chest area only. The breath should be in rhythm and at a pace of 36 cycles / minute.

Benefits: Works on the Lungs and Heart. The pranayama improves lung capacity thus allowing intake of more of that magical ingredient prana (the life giving and vital aspect of air). It also helps blood flow and circulation by working on and improving the heart. This is also the region of the energy vortex (charka) called the Anahat Chakra, which is responsible for the flow of that divine energy called Love.

Exercise 2: Navel Pump Pranayama: Place both hands above the navel one of top of the other palms facing in. Begin breathing deep and fast limiting the breath to the abdominal area. The breath should be in rhythm and at a pace of 36 cycles / minute.

Benefits: The pranayama works on optimizing the digestive system and all associated organs in that region. Both absorption and excretion are improved. The Nabhi or Manipura Chakra governs this region, which is the seat of Willpower. Work on this region balances the organism providing it a calm strength and ability to sustain difficult activity over time.

Exercise 3: Full Pump Pranayama: Sit with legs extended, keeping knees straight and hold as far down the legs as possible while keeping the back straight. Holding the toes is ideal. Begin breathing deep and fast allowing it fill both the chest and abdominal cavity. The breath should be in rhythm and at a pace of 36 cycles / minute.

Benefits: This posture along with the pranayama promotes healing, longevity and flow. It stretches the longest nerve in the body (the sciatic nerve) along with stretching the entire backside of the body. It elongates the spine and frees it of blockages and insures proper flow of energy up and down the vital channels that run in and along the spine (sushumna, ida and pingla). The lower 2 chakras (Muladhara and Swadisthan) are activated and balanced by this exercise, which relate to our grounded and creative natures respectively.

Exercise 4: Staccato Breathing Pranayama. In this pranayama you will partition the breath into 5 short, successive inhalations through the nose, filling the lungs completely, to make one complete inhalation, then release the breath forcefully via the mouth in one exhalation. In other words, one 5 part inhalation through the nose, followed by a single explosive exhalation through the mouth.

Benefits: This pranayama dramatically increases lung capacity and elasticity and improves blood circulation. The partitioned breathing is key in increasing lung capacity for we seldom use our full lungs when taking a single breath. This exercise is also very potent in increasing the overall strength of our nervous system.

Exercise 5: Segmented Breathing Pranamaya. In this pranayama you will inhale slowly for 5 seconds, hold breath for 5 second, exhale slowly for 5 seconds and hold again after exhalation for 5 seconds before repeating the cycle. In other words each portion inhalation, hold, exhalation, hold should take 5 seconds so 1 complete cycle takes 20 seconds.

Benefits: This pranayama works to calm the entire organism including brain function. It helps to break down the pattern of the constantly reactive mind and ignite insight by teaching the system to be still and behold.

Exercise 6: Neck Lock (modified Jalandhara Bandha). Sit up straight, take a deep breath hold, pinch the nose shut with thumb and index finger and apply Jalandhara Bandha (neck lock). Neck lock is applied by bringing the chin down to the hollow of the throat and with free hand pressing down gently on the top, back of the head. Once in the position swallow as in the act of drinking 5 times and then release, lower your hands and raise your head. Take another deep inhalation, hold and repeat exercise.

Benefits: The exercise works to sharpen all the senses. Also works on the thyroid, parathyroid and pituitary glands thus improving all the related functions for these critical glands. The throat is the seat of the Vishuddhi Charka, which is responsible for our communication as well as our thinking. Thus working on this chakra gives you power over speech and improves your brain function.

End: Pranayama Set for Vitalizing Energy Kundalini

This pranayama set above has its roots in Sage Pantajali’s Yoga Sutras and from the research I have done it has been revived and explained by S.N. Tavaria, a modern master of Yoga. This set is a rare gem. It is very complete, does not require all day to do and most importantly the pranayamas are very effective in refining and optimizing your critical physiological systems at many levels. It has numerous health benefits but for those interested in the science of enlightenment, this set helps turbo charge the entire system and prepare it for the next stage. Having vitalized Kundalini energy, we are now ready for the next and most important requirement, which is to sharpen awareness and intelligence to promote insight. In the next part of the series I will cover this work, but before that I would like to provide some comments and helpful hints regarding the above set.

Hints and Comments:

1. Do it regularly! I can’t emphasize that enough. This pranayama set is going to radically change you physically, but needs to be done consistently to bestow its affects. If you are doing 1-2 minutes / exercise you can do the set twice a day. If you are doing the full 3 minutes / exercise only do the set once a day.

2. Don’t try to do more than you are comfortable with. Take your time building up. If you push too hard you may find yourself resisting doing the set daily and that will be counter productive.

3. Drink plenty of water after doing the pranayamas as it helps wash out any toxins that were released into the blood stream.

4. Before doing the pranayamas stretch a little. Especially your hamstrings for exercise #3 and more so if you plan on practicing it in the morning, when the body tends to be stiffer.

5. Don’t eat at least 1-2 hours prior to doing the set.

6. While doing the pranayamas remain as attentive as possible of the present moment, try not to wander off mentally.

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Internet Resources for Brain Development, Meditation, Kundalini Yoga, Health and Wellbeing, and Personal Development:

Thanks to Lynn for selecting Brain Development and Enlightenment Part II: Vitalize Energy (Kundalini) to be a part of the Carnival of Natural Health.  Head on over to Medicinal Herbs for other great stuff on natural healing. 

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