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11

Best Spiritual Books

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Best Books for Spiritual Growth

List of Best Spiritual Books  

 
In the article, 3 Simple Tips to Inviting Enlightenment, one of the tips for attracting enlightenment experiences was reading great spiritual books.  Although, these suggestions came from personal experience, comments scattered throughout the blog have confirmed that these techniques have worked for others as well.  Below are examples of such testimonials with regard to enlightenment experiences taking place simply on account of reading great books on spirituality. 

Books

The goal of this article is to compile a list of the best spiritual books out there and this will require your help to do .

 

Readers Experiences Just from Reading Spiritual Books:

Mahesh Says:

I got and read some books regarding enlightenment.  Now I feel same like Anmol.  I did not do even a continuous meditation.  I got kundalini pressure in my spine too.  I got only love, all other are same like before. Happiness but no reason. I have told to my wife.

You know, I feel more happy and I never felt before.

 

Malini (who had spontaneous Kindalini Awakening simply from reading), says:

My question is: “is it possible to have the awakening without any effort?”  Because I never tried or wanted that. I even never heard of Kundalini.  Only thing which I think might have contributed to it was resigning from my job (from World Health Organization) and sitting at home and reading Bhagawat Gita. Though I don’t know whether I did that consciously.  It was very unlike me.

Stewart says:

Anyway after my friend left, for about the next two weeks i started reading my bible and borrowed an old cassette tape with songs on… On a sunny day in April 1994, i was walking throw a park listening to this tape, the song was ”Breath of God Breathe on Me” as i listened to this acappella song and the harmony unity in all the singing, something inside me broke, gave up, i started crying and as i did i was suddenly overwhelmed with this amazing love, heat, and i felt something travel up through and out of top of my head. For the next 3 weeks or so, i felt this burning ball of energy in my navel/stomach area, and was in love with everything, i mean a deep divine love and i felt so pure.

Nyporter says:

(I get) Intense pressure/energy in crown head area when in temples/religious places and reading religious scriptures.

Best Spiritual Books:

One of the best aspects of blogs and the internet is that the sharing of knowledge and resources can take place so easily, and my hope is that in this article and thread we can share with each other what books we have found to be helpful with regard to spiritual evolution. These can be books on spirituality, meditation, yoga, God, enlightenment, religion, anything at all which you have found was helpful to your spiritual growth.  This way we can compile a very useful resource of the best spiritual books, which can then be used by others to accelerate their own progress. 
 
To that end, I would like to share with you some books on spirituality and meditation which were instrumental in helping me on my own spiritual journey.  Although, this can be a long list, I want to give you a few of those which I found to be the very best.
 
If you are interested in getting these books, make sure you search for them on the web first as some are freely available as online e-books.  If you want to purchase them, you can use my quick links at the bottom of the article.
 
Best Spiritual Books:
  • Think on These Things – J. Krishnamurti (other books by JK are great too)
  • Krishnamurti’s Notebook – J. Krishnamurti
  • Courage, The Joy of Living Dangerously – Osho (other books by Osho are great too)
Best Books on Advaita Vedanta (Non-dualism):
  • I Am That – Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
  • Ease of Being – Jean Klein
Best Books on Zen Buddhism:
  • Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind – Shunryu Suzuki
  • Everyday Zen, Love and Work – Charlotte Joko Beck
Best Books on Yoga & Tantra:
  • Autobiography of a Yogi – Paramhansa Yogananda
  • Aghora, At the Left Hand of God – Robert E. Svoboda

Best Spiritual Books Summary:

From the reader testimonials above, The Bible and the Bhagavad Gita have been mentioned as well,  which I am sure is not a surprise .  So what other books have you found to be great?  What other books do you feel you were lucky to come across and have been helpful to you in your spiritual and personal growth?  Which spiritual master pieces are your favorites and you feel should make the Best Spiritual Books List?  Please do share these with us in the comments section below.  

If you are interested in purchasing any of these books from Amazon, you will find easy and quick links on this page using my affiliate account .  Thanks and Happy Reading!

12

Meditation Help | How to Silence the Mind During Meditation

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Helpful Meditation Tips

Zen Meditation Technique Help

(PS: Inadvertently only a summary of this article went out to those of you who subscribe to my posts via email.  Rest assured that was unintentional and future articles will be emailed to you in full as before.  Thanks for being a subscriber :-).

One of the most common questions beginner’s have when they start any kind of silent meditation is what to do with their thoughts.  Often this can lead to frustration or confusion as beginners may feel that they are not doing their meditation correctly or are not succeeding with their technique.  This is primarily because they feel they are not achieving the “enlightened” state of a silent, empty mind.  To help you understand how to deal with thoughts during meditation, I found the following excerpt on Zen Meditation (Zazen) by Zen Master Shunryu Suzuki very helpful.

From:         Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
Author:       Shunryu Suzuki
Chapter:     Mind Waves – Pages 34 – 35
Publisher:   Weatherhill

Meditation Help from Zen Master Shunryu Suzuki:

When you are practicing Zazen (Zen Meditation Technique / Breath Awareness Meditation), do not try to stop your thinking.  Let it stop by itself.  If something comes into your mind, let it come in, and let it go out.  It will not stay long.  When you try to stop your thinking, it means you are bothered by it.  Do not be bothered by anything.  It appears as if something comes from outside your mind, but actually it is only the waves of your mind, and if you are not bothered by the waves, gradually they will become calmer and calmer.  In five or at most ten minutes, your mind will be completely serene and clam.  At that time your breathing will become quite slow and your pulse will become a little faster.

How to Silence the Mind

It will take a long time before you find your calm, serene mind in your practice.  Many sensations come, many thoughts or images arise, but they are just waves of your own mind.  Nothing comes from outside your mind.  Usually we think of our mind as receiving impressions and experiences from outside, but that is not a true understanding of our mind.  The true understanding is that the mind includes everything; when you think something comes from outside it means only that something appears in your mind.  Nothing outside yourself can cause any trouble.  You yourself make the waves in your mind.  If you leave your mind as it is, it will become calm.  This mind is called the Big Mind.

Meditation Help | Analysis of Mind Waves:

There are many wonderful and helpful meditation insights in the above excerpt, which are very practical in nature and I want to highlight and discuss some of these below.

1. Thinking Stops by Itself:

This is a very important aspect of meditation to understand.  The mind has to stop itself.  The way of bringing about this cessation that Master Suzuki is referring to above, is by simple witnessing.  Allowing the thoughts and feelings to run their course and finish.  This is truly the art of observation, and is the heart of meditation practice.  For those more interested in this topic, you can head over to the article, How to Attain Enlightenment, where I go into this topic in more details.

2. Remain Beyond the Drama of Life:

This helpful meditation hint, is actually indicating how to live your life.  Unfortunately, it is of course easy to say, but hard to do.  To not be bothered by anything is the ultimate freedom, but how many of us can be Ok, with anything and everything that life throws at us?  Problems with health, finances, relationships, children, jobs, are just of few of the challenges we have to face in life.  I have discussed this fascinating Zen view of enlightenment in the article Zen Definition of Enlightenment, for those who want to read more about it.

3. Non-Duality and the Zen concept of Big Mind:

At the end of the excerpt above, Master Suzuki gives us a helpful meditation term which defines enlightenment from a Zen perspective.  He calls it Big Mind.  He also describes this Big Mind, as the all inclusive mind, where everything is understood as being within the mind, and nothing lies outside of it.  For the students of Advaita Vedanta, this is will sound an awful lot like the definition of the Big Self, and it should, because it is really referring to the same thing.  In the article Understanding Non-Duality, Hinduism & Buddhism I discuss this common thread of these great religions in more details.

For those interested in trying to get a taste of this Big Mind, you may wish to purchase a guided meditation MP3 that I created for this purpose.  You can get more detail on that here:  Consciousness Expanding Guided Meditation MP3.

Finally you can get more helpful meditation tips in the article, Tips & Tools for Daily Meditation Practice.

Sit Well!

13

Zen Teachings on God & How to Get His Help

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Zen Buddhism Teachings of God Giving

Shunryu Suzuki Teachings of Non-attachment

I wanted to share with you some very profound wisdom from Zen Master Shunryu Suzuki about God, giving, non-attachment and living in the now.

Book:            Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind

Author:        Shunryu Suzuki

Chapter 65: God Giving

According to Christianity, every existence in nature is something which was created for or given to us by God.  That is the perfect idea of giving.  But if you think that God created man, and that you are somehow separate from God, you are liable to think you have the ability to create something separate, something not given by Him.  For instance, we create airplanes and highways.  And when we repeat, ” I create, I create, I create,” soon we forget who is actually the “I” which creates the various things; we soon forget about God.  This is the danger of human culture.  Actually, to create with the “big I” is to give, we cannot create and own what we create for ourselves since everything was created by God.  This point should not be forgotten.  But because we do forget who is doing the creating and the reason for the creation, we become attached to the material or exchange value.  This has no value in comparison to the absolute value of something as God’s creation.  Even though something has no material or relative value to any “small I,” it has absolute value in itself.  Not to be attached to something is to be aware of its absolute value.  Everything you do should be based on such as awareness, and not on material or self-centered ideas of value.  Then whatever you do is true giving, is “dana prajna paramita.” 

Zen Teachings on God

When we sit in the cross-legged posture, we resume our fundamental activity of creation.  There are perhaps three kinds of creation.  The first is to be aware of ourselves after we finish Zazen.  When we sit we are nothing, we do not even realize what we are; we just sit.  But when we stand up, we are there!  That is the first step in creation.  When you are there, everything else is there; everything is created all at once.  When we emerge from nothing, when everything emerges from nothing, we see it all as a fresh new creation.  This is non-attachment.  The second kind of creation is when you act, or produce or prepare something like food or tea.  The third kind is to create something within yourself, such as education, or culture, or art, or some system for our society.  So there are three kinds of creation.  But if you forget the first, the most important one, the other two will be like children who have lost their parents; their creation will mean nothing.

Usually everyone forgets about zazen.  Everyone forgets about God.  They work very hard at the second and third kinds of creation, but God does not help the activity.  How is to possible for Him to help when He does not realize who He is?  That is why we have so many problems in this world.  When we forget the fundamental source of our creating, we are like children who do not know what to do when they lose their parents.

Analysis of God Giving:

This is a great chapter in the book, and I almost wanted to include everything from it in this article.  Instead let me in this analysis try to highlight some of the profund wisdom that is being conveyed by Suzuki in this excerpt.

1. Non-attachment:

Non-attachment is the most important teaching of Zen Buddhism.  In fact, when Buddha was asked to summarize all his teachings in one statement, he said, “Don’t attach to anything.”  Keeping in mind that all things that we do or create, is a gift from God and being done by Him, takes the “small I” (ego), entirely out of the equation and is the basis for non-attachment.

2. Getting God to Help:

Getting God to help, is remembering the real source of everything, always.  Remembering you are the “Big I”.  In Advaita Vedanta terms, cling incessently to the real Self.  If you can live and operate from there, everything will simply flow.  Problems take place when you look start to look at life from the standpoint of the “small I” or ego, but if you look at everything from the standpoint from the “Big I”, then life is just a moment by moment unfolding of creation.

3. Living in the Now:

Hidden above in the excerpt, Suzuki offers a very interesting perspective, when he speaks about the absolute value of something.  Normally, some things have more value than other things, when we look at it’s value from the perspective of the ego, but if you realize that everything has absolute value, then every moment becomes sacred.  If you remember that all things are being created and done by God, then all things are sacred and deserve your full attention.

4. Life is an Offering:

A very nice approach to life, is simply to look at everything as an act of giving.  Look at all that you do as a an offering, then too you will not attach.  Using the words of Dogen Zenji, “To give is non-attachment,” but that is also to say that whenever you are not attached you are giving.  Either way works.  The most important aspect is to keep the “small I” out of it as far as possible.

14

Understanding Zen Meditation – Effortless Effort in Zen Teachings

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Effort in Zen Meditation Practice

Zen Teachings of Effortless Effort

Zen Meditation is without a doubt one of the greatest tools for enlightenment and Self-realization.  This meditation technique is simple in it’s design, watch your breath being it’s core requirement, but fully appreciating Zen Meditation and Zen teachings requires a vast and open mind.

One aspect of Zen meditation or Zen teachings that often lead to confusion is the idea of effortless effort, or the role of effort in one’s spiritual practice and meditation practice.  In the Zen bible , Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, master Shunryu Suzuki explains how one should approach effort within the context of Zen Meditation.  Here is that excerpt…

Understanding Zen Meditation

Zen Master Suzuki on Effort in Zen Meditation

Book:     Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind

Author:   Shunryu Suzuki

Chapter: Mind Weeks (Pg 37)

Strictly speaking, any effort we make is not good for our practice because it creates waves in our mind.  It is impossible, however, to attain absolute calmness of our mind without any effort.  We must make some effort, but we must forget ourselves in the effort we make.  In this realm there is no subjectivity or objectivity.  Our mind is just calm, without even any awareness.  In this unawareness, every effort and every idea and thought will vanish.  So it is necessary for us to encourage ourselves and to make an effort up to the last moment, when all effort disappears.  You should keep your mind on your breathing until you are not aware of your breathing.

We should try to continue our effort forever, but we should not expect to reach some stage when we will forget all about it.  We should just try to keep our mind on our breathing.  That is our actual practice.  That effort will be refined more and more while you are sitting.  At first the effort you make is quite rough and impure, but by the power of practice the effort will become purer and purer.  When your effort becomes pure, your body and mind become pure.  This is the way we practice Zen.  Once you understand our innate power to purify ourselves and our surroundings, you can act properly, and you will learn from those around you, and you will become friendly with others.  This is the merit of Zen practice.  But the way of practice is just to be concentrated on your breathing with the right posture and with great, pure effort.  This is how we practice Zen.

Analysis of Effort in Zen Meditation & Zen Teachings:

There are some very nice points that master Suzuki makes above and I would just like to highlight those for you.

1. Zen Meditation Technique:

Zen meditation requires you to simply remain concentrated on your breathing with right posture and right attitude.  Simple to do, with life transforming results.  For more details on this technique, you can refer to my article Zen Meditation Technique.

2. Zen Meditation Works Over Time:

One important aspect of Zen meditation, which is also a challenge for the impatient, is that this technique works on you slowly over time.  In fact the changes are almost imperceptible, although if you stick to it long enough, they are absolutely profound.  The end result of Zen meditation is that it transforms you into a purified, joyous, compassionate and wise being.

3. Effort to End all Efforts:

This is how I like to view effort in the context of meditation and spiritual growth.  Collect all your energies, all your desires and put them together to make one big, great, pure effort.  With this effort then immerse yourself passionately into meditation and spiritual practice.  This one great effort will then lead you to the place of effortless living.  Call this place nirvana, enlightenment, tao, heaven, moksha, satori, whatever. 

The bottom line is just find a way to meditate, then let meditation take care of the rest.

If you are new to meditation you may wish to sign up the the Free Online Beginner’s Meditation Class, which incorporates Zen Meditation in it.

15

How Yoga Helps Still the Mind for Enlightenment

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Yoga to Still the Mind

Yoga to Facilitate Mindfulness, Peace & Awareness

In this article I want to explore further the framework which can be most suitable for the pure Witnessing Consciousness to emerge (a.k.a. Enlightenment).  The Witnessing Consciousness, or pure awareness without center or sense of separation, is the Reality that all serious spiritual seekers thirst for eventually.

In this non-dual state, all appears as “I”, or all is just seen as Oneness.  I explained this state in the article, The Miracle of Self-Awareness, I AM ALL, and also discussed it further in the article, Understanding Non-Duality, Hinduism, Buddhism & Enlightenment.

The core of the practice that leads one back to pure Witnessing Consciousness is meditation and moment to moment self awareness, but in this article I want to explore the role that Yoga plays in helping facilitate this evolution.

Yoga Helps Still the Mind

By Yoga here, I am referring to Asana (Posture), Bandha (Body Locks) and Pranayama (Breathing Exercises).  Of course if you take Sage Patanjali’s definition of Yoga (Raja Yoga or Asthanga Yoga), then you include in it meditation as well, but here I am going to discuss the value of the “physical yoga” and it’s role in enlightenment.

Yoga of course has a wide range of wonderful benefits.  It’s popularity and longevity is a testament to that.  You can read about these benefits in the article Top 10 Benefits of Yoga Practice, but the greatest benefit of yoga practice, for those passionate about enlightenment, is the tranquility of body and mind that it helps bring about.

Non-Dual Master Jean Klein Speaks on Yoga & Mind

I will let the great non-dual, enlightened, master Jean Klein explain the value of Yoga in his own words.  Jean was a Westerner who had a thirst for the Truth.  He made his way to India to study under the non-dual masters there (Advaita Vedanta teachings in line with Ramana Maharishi & Nisargadatta Maharaj).  He sub-sequentially merged and lived as the Witnessing Consciousness and transmitted the profound teachings of non-duality in many of the excellent books he has authored.

Below is one small excerpt from his amazing book Ease of Being and I think it brings forth clearly the benefits and role of Yoga for those of us passionate about living an enlightened life.

Questioner:

Did you practice yoga to come to deeper levels of surrender and alertness?

Jean Klein:

The word practice generally means habit.  We must use it only in the sense of becoming more and more aware of body and mind.  We must see that the body is a field of fear, anxiety, defense and aggression.  However, the emphasis must not be on the body but on presence, on listening.  What is important is to become acquainted with the field of tensions and see that the constantly interfering I-image is not separate from this field but belongs to it.  When this is clear, tension finds no accomplice, the perception is freed, and energy integrates in its totality.  The traditional approach is through listening to the body, not mastering it.  Dominating the body is violence.  But one can sweep the floor or wash the dishes and be in listening.  It makes no difference.

Exploring the body brought me to deeper layers of relaxation and this relaxation brought about the cessation of repetitive patterns in the body and mind.  In welcoming the body I became more and more aware of the feeling of letting go, so in this way the yoga participated in the fore-feeling of reality.  But it only led me to where I no longer emphasized the object, the body, but the ultimate subject.  Yoga brings you to a kind of alertness, a tranquility, and a tranquil body reflects tranquil mind.  But of course you can come to the peaceful body-mind without yoga!

I think the above quote is a great summary for what Yoga can do for the spiritual aspirant.  It is an excellent vehicle for bringing peace to the body and mind, and raising your level of awareness and energy, which are all key aspects in your journey back to the Source.

How to Approach Your Yoga Practice

I would like to make one additional point with regard to how you should approach your Yoga practice, if indeed you are sincerely interested in enlightenment.  To make my point here, I will take the help of another great master of non-duality, this time from the Zen Buddhist tradition, Zen Master Shunryu Suzuki.

In the article Shunryu Suzuki Speaks on Enlightenment & Zazen Practice, Master Suzuki explained how to approach Zazen (Zen Meditation Practice).  He explained that one should simply do one’s daily meditation, while forgetting about all gaining ideas and all dualistic ideas.  This same approach should be applied to your Yoga practice.  Just do your Yoga practice with full awareness and don’t place emphasis on goals or results.  Just remain a silent witness during your practice and allow everything to progress naturally.  If you are sincere, eventually the stillness will emerge and the blossoming of Truth will occur.

Some Free Yoga Resources

If you are interested in integrating yoga into you spiritual practice, to help you still the mind, you are welcome to join the Free Online Yoga Courses here on Mastery of Meditation, or check out the Free Online Yoga Videos or other Free Yoga Tools & Books that are available. 

Don’t forget, stay alert!

16

Understanding Non-Duality, Hinduism, Buddhism, Enlightenment & Life!

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Non-duality, Hinduism, Buddhism & Enlightenment

Advaita Vedanta & Zen Buddhism 

I did a google search for the term “non-dual” on this very site and got 742 hits!  So I thought it was high time I wrote something on this topic :-D.

Actually, a reader asked if I could help him understand what all this business of non-duality was all about, as he was not quite sure he was grasping it properly, and as understanding non-duality is absolutely key for real spiritual growth, here is hit number 743.

For those who understand Hindu Philosophy, non-duality is Creation (Param Brahman).  From there, emerges multiplicity as Creation pours out into Existence (Bhuh, Bhuvah & Swaha).  But, in my view, to really grasp deeply what is meant by non-duality, philosophical discussion or debate is not the best approach.  I think it is better understood from the point of view of experience, and I will delve into my own personal experiences with non-duality to help clarify this most profound of concepts and phenomenon.

Understanding Non-Duality

Hinduism (Advaita Vedanta) & Non-Duality:

Non-duality is best understood in Hinduism and Advaita Vedanta by the phrase Tat Tvam Asi, or Thou Art That.  I have described in the article, The Miracle of Self Awareness – I AM ALL, my experience with this Truth.  The true nature of reality is that all is just you.  Everything is you.  It is actually how it is. 

The apparent sense of separation of “me” and “you” is actually false.  There is no you.  There is only me, or as put forth by Advaita Vedanta, there is only “I AM”.  The “I” referred to here though is not the ego, but the True Self.  Everything is a part of this big “I”, and when awareness shifts from the egocentric “i” to the real “I”, you actually see that all is just you.  Then there is no duality of any kind.

Another article which goes into Advaita Vedanta, specifically from a meditation and experiential point of view is, Enlightenment via Who Am I – Advaita Vedanta Neti Neti Meditation.

Buddhism (Zen) & Non-Duality:

Buddhism looks at non-duality also as the absence of the sense of a separate ego.  Simply because that is the Truth, it is not Hindu or Buddhist, it is simply the Truth.  Instead of asserting that “You Are All”, Zen simply stops at the negation of the false sense of separation.  This sometimes helps prevent the confusion of the small “i” versus big “I” concepts in Advaita and Hinduism.

In both cases, a shift of awareness is what creates an encounter with the non-dual nature of Reality.  Such a shift of awareness can produce an experience such that one encounters the emptiness or absence of the sense of separate existence.  There are states where the organism continues to function, with each sense organ working perfectly, but there is no center or “i” to be found.

So in my view, Hinduism and Buddhism only differ in the nature of the non-dual experience.  If you are experiencing the natural working of the organism, without any sense of separation, you are enjoying a Buddhist enlightenment experience, while if you feeling the expanded sense of the Oneness with everything, you are experiencing enlightenment from the Hindu perspective.  Of course I may be over simplifying it a bit, but I think you get the idea.

At the end, it does not matter what you label it, and if you wish to argue it differently you may.  The point is that the roots of non-duality lie in the absence of the sense of separation and to help you understand it all even better, let’s expand this idea of no-self even further.

Understanding Enlightenment Experiences of Non-Duality:

You will notice the common ground of non-duality, is the fact of no-self.  But, above you will notice one other common denominator between the Hindu and Buddhist versions of this experience, which is that both result from a shift of awareness.  From here we can formulate the following definition of enlightenment experience (non-dual experience) which I think is very valuable.

A shift of awareness outside of the ego-centric mind, produces an enlightenment experience.

Predominately, we live consumed by our little lives and little self.  All the time dwelling on our personal drama and struggling for a little more pleasure and security.  Those who are lucky, get a chance to experience cracks in this shell of the ego, and when that happens they get a glimpse of what lies beyond the self-obsessed mind.  That experience of Reality, absent of ego-centric thought, is an enlightenment experience.

Such experiences are wide and varied and the nature of these experiences can form the basis of great philosophies and religions.  Here I want to point out that the experiences do not have to always be mind-blowing to be significant.  Any glimpse of the non-dual nature of Reality, is indicative of cracks in the shell of the ego and will provide the inspiration for further challenges to this apparent dualistic reality.

These non-dual (or enlightenment) experiences can range from being swept away by the enormity of the mountains, the flow of great love, the ecstasy of sexual union, to experiences with the greater sense of Self (Big Mind in Zen Meditation), Bliss, Divinity, Natural Spontaneous Living, etc.  So from here I can even come to a definition of life which I am comfortable with…

Life is an opportunity to set the stage for this shift of awareness to occur.

This shift of awareness is something that happens to you.  As explained in the article, Interesting Osho Quote on Enlightenment, the mystic sage Osho simply defines enlightenment as the reward for living a mindful life.  This is echoed by great spiritual masters throughout history.

Enlightenment, or the necessary shift in awareness, is not something you can force or create in any way.  What you can do though, is help set the stage to facilitate it’s occurrence.  This is where meditation, yoga, self-study and spiritual living comes in.  They are the tools for preparing the soil such that the flower of Truth can blossom.

Additional Reading on Enlightenment & Non-Duality:

There are many articles that expand on the ideas above to help you understand more deeply the concept of non-duality and enlightenment.  Here are a few of these for you… 

Zen Definition of Enlightenment 

Jiddu Krishnamurti on the Flowering of Goodness

Shunryu Suzuki Speaks on Enlightenment and Zazen

The Secret to Enlightenment

The Day When My Identification with Anmol Mehta Snapped

The Secret to Compassion

17

5 Key Principles for Living an Enlightened & Good Life

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How to Live a Good Live

I think it’s time to update the famous Yamas (Dos) & Niyamas (Don’ts) spelled out by the great Yoga Sage Patanjali.  These observances are the ethical and moral requirements generally accepted by Yogic teachings.  Don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of Patanjali and the Yoga Sutras, but frankly, I was never very impressed with the Yama Niyamas that he laid out in the Sutras.  Furthermore, recently I am seeing many attempts to broaden and reinterpret the meanings of these observances to make them “fit” better and be more comprehensive, and I think these wranglings are getting a bit out of hand. For example, “celibacy” is being translated as healthy sex with your partner if you are married and between the ages of 25 and 50 with no adultery.  I mean come on, let’s just be brave and come up with a new model.  It could very well be that in Patanjali’s time these Dos and Don’ts made sense, or it could be that they were meant for a different purpose than what is currently thought (I suspect Ashram rules to assist in the study of Yoga), but, in any case I think it’s time to put forth a new set of principles for enlightened living and that is the focus of this article.

Principles for Living

The 5 Universal Principles below for living an enlightened and good life is the result of decades of spiritual exploration, experimentation and self-study.  These are the principles that I live by.  They are my mantras, my vows and I have found them to be extremely helpful in navigating the waters of spiritual living and help forge a sweet life.  First, I will just briefly list the original Yamas & Niyamas of Sage Patanjali, which can also be found in the article Introduction to the Universal Principles of Yoga, and then I will go into my 5 principles for living an enlightened and good life.

Original Yamas Nyamas from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali:

  1. Yamas:  Yamas are self-restraints.  They are non-violence, truth, control of sexual energy, non-stealing and non-covetousness (non-greed).
  2. Niyamas:  Niyamas are self-observances.  There are 5 niyamas.  These are contentment, self-study, austerity, purity and devotion to the Lord.

Updated 5 Key Principles of Living an Enlightened and Good Life:

1. Relax:  This principle is not to be brushed over.  It is the key to developing the right approach towards life and all the twists and turns that inevitably come your way.  If you can stay relaxed you will have a chance to break the reactive pattern of automatic response to conditions, thus, meeting more of the moment with more of your being.  It all begins will having this ease of being.  To relax means to not be easily swayed by the pull of dualities.  Neither buying excessively into the promises of gain nor fearing excessively the consequences of loss.

Here are some articles that explore the concept of relaxation in more detail: Embrace Reality and Let the Universe Fulfill Your Desires, Shunryu Suzuki Speaks on Enlightenment & Zazen Practice and Today I Finally Passed the Test & Officially Became a Man.

2. Witness:  This is a big ask I know.  No human being ever has or probably ever will be able to bear witness constantly to all that is taking place within their mind and body.  That being said, the more you can do it the more awareness will illuminate the inner walls of your mind, thinking and emotions.  At the end witnessing is really all that is needed for enlightenment, so devote yourself to this practice of mindfulness.  As Osho and Gurdjieff describe it, look with double arrowed awareness.  One arrow observing that which is being done, thought and felt, while one arrow observing the doer, thinker and feeler.  This is the secret to self-knowledge and being a light onto yourself.

In addition, witnessing is the basis of all insight meditation and you will find more details, hints and tips on this practice in the following articles:  Brain Development & Enlightenment – Insight Meditation – Part 3,  Silent Mind Meditation Program – The Silent Mind Meditation Chapter 12 and The True Meaning of Laziness.

3. Affection:  Forgive, be kind, be thoughtful, be nice, be good, be sensitive, be loving, be compassionate.  All in all, it’s the practice of Loving-Kindness Meditation.  Let me tell you the hard part here.  It is easy to do all of the above when things are going your way, but, can you do all of the above when things are not?  As they say a well fed dog is friendly, but the real nature will be revealed when he is hungry.  So it is with us.  We can put up our best when all is good, but, can you do the same when you don’t get what you want? When someone insults you?  When your ego takes a hit?  Will you be able to side with affection under duress or will the subconscious, hidden, egotistical nature take control?  That is the real test of adhering to this principle of affection and be warned it is not easy, but if you wish to ascend this practice must be mastered.

4. Honesty:  Absolute honesty I should say.  In word, deed and behavior.  You will have fun with this one.  Just give it a try and you will be amazed by how much you learn about yourself.  How hard the mind works to manipulate perception and procure security, without any consideration to what is true.  I have gone into this concept in more detail in the following article so head on over to read the nitty gritty:  Silent Mind Meditation Program: Honesty – Chapter 6. 

One additional helpful tip.  In the article, 10 Things to do Everyday for A Happy, Meaningful & Good Life, which I hope you are all following religiously :-), item #7 speaks of doing your daily accounting at the end of the day.  This is a great time to reflect on all the times during the day you were dishonest, insincere, hypocritical and pretentious.  Please don’t start judging yourself, simply maintain a healthy sense of humor and learn about the antics of your ego and mind.

5. Courage:  By courage here, I also mean self-confidence and self-belief.  Courage is important on 2 fronts.  First, the path to enlightenment is ultimately walked alone.  Without courage you will not get very far, as at the first sign of danger you will balk.  Second, to live a good life means to live according to your passion and if you lack courage you are going to play it safe always and never take the necessary chances to follow your heart.

This is another topic on which you can find lots more information here on Mastery of Meditation.  I would suggest the following 4 articles to help explore this concept more:  Silent Mind Meditation Program: Confidence – Chapter 5, Inspiring Osho Quote on How to Live Courageously, New Kundalini Yoga Classes & the Courage to Live Dangerously and How to Escape Your Suffering – The Blind Man vs. The Cripple.   

Conclusion:

So there are my 5 golden rules for living an enlightened and good life.  I try to review them every morning and have them posted in handy places as reminders as well.  If you have a set of observances you follow or other techniques which have helped you in your life, please share them with us below so others can benefit as well.

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Powerful Kundalini Yoga Battles Profound Zen Meditation (Zazen)

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Kundalini Yoga Versus Zen Meditation

Kundalini Tantra Yoga vs. Zazen Zen Meditation!  Now that’s a heavy weight bout if I ever saw one.  Those of us familiar with the rich spiritual landscape sometimes come across really tasty debates (much more so since Al Gore invented the internet of course ;-) and of the many such wonderful discussions out there, this one certainly ranks high up on the list.  Forget Ali vs.Frazer’s Thrilla In Manilla – – this war is far more enticing – Kundalini Yoga vs. Zen Meditation – Prana vs. Jyana.  Yes sir let the battle begin.

The story below I think will help reveal the Truth on which one stands supreme, Kundalini Tantra Yoga or Zazen Zen Meditation.

Story: Kundalini Tantra Yoga vs Zazen Zen Meditation – Prana vs. Jyana

It was a great time in the history of man.  The pursuit of the Truth was considered the greatest undertaking and society built itself to support the passions of such men and women.  During this era of wisdom and love, one family stood apart from the rest, on grounds of having produced some of the greatest Yogis and Monks of that time.  Lady Shanti, much to the envy of her friends, was married into this esteemed family.

Powerful Kundalini Yoga

In due course she got pregnant and to everyone’s delight, not only was it determined that she was carrying twins, it was also determined that they were due to arrive on Maha Shivratri.  Maha Shivratri, is the day dedicated to Lord Shiva and is considered the most auspicious day of the year.  Lord Shiva is considered the God of the Yogis and the Deity for those you follow the path of Jyana (Widom) Yoga.  A massive yagna (prayer) was planned for that day and after a trouble free labor, 2 healthy sons were born.  They were appropriately named Yoga-ji and Zen-ji.

As per their names and true to the legacy of their family each grew to be a spiritual giant.  Yoga-ji, who had been sent to a Kundalini Yoga Ashram for his studies, became a Master of Kundalini Tantra Yoga and Zen-ji, who had been sent to a Buddhism Monastery, become a Zen Master.  Both were immensely powerful personalities, highly respected with large following and, of course, each convinced that their particular training was the supreme path to follow for enlightenment.  In addition, each considered themselves to be the greatest spiritual being their family had produced.  Here is what transpired when both returned home to wish Shanti a Happy Mother’s day one year. 

Soon after pleasantries had been exchanged, the battle of the sciences began.  Kundalini Tantra Yoga vs. Zazen Zen Meditation.

“Kundalini Yoga is undoubtedly the path to take for moksha and nirvana.  This science gives one complete knowledge of Kundalini Shakti (energy) and how to manipulate her by using prana (life-force component of the breath).  I can rotate prana thousands of times a second through my chakras (energy vortexes), thus clearing my emotional past and merging with Super Consciousness,” Yoga-ji asserted confidently.

“Kundalini Shakti rises in me automatically when I sit for Zazen, I don’t even need to toy around with prana.  Sniffing through one nostril, then the next, what rubbish.  I simply turn my glance to my thoughts and the intensity of my witnessing demands she rise and function within me.  She then dissolves the jam of emotion soaked thoughts and clears the way for the light of Truth to shine through,” Zen-ji responded disdainfully.

“Hah! Kundalini therefore moves in you just by chance and only as she pleases.  I direct her as I please.  By the knowledge of Tantra Yoga techniques I am able to maneuver her to work for me, to cure any illnesses or bestow great powers,” came the retort from Yoga-ji.

“Those who practice Zazen are able to find a state of non-dual awareness which is optimum for their health so they seldom get sick in the first place.  Your Kundalini Yoga practice allows for these acquisitions which binds you to desire and makes you greedy,” Zen-ji fired back.

“It’s better than becoming scizophrenic.  Big Non-dual Mind trying to extinguish the Little Ego Mind.  Compartmentalizing your brain and self into 2 realities, you don’t need to find God, you need to find a therapist.”  The debate started to turn a little ugly.

“Psychosis!  That is the result of YOUR Kundalini Yoga practice.  Messing around with Cosmic energies, forcing her to awaken and then unable to deal with her power, having to check into a mental hospital,” Zen-ji spit back.

“At least we show the courage and heart to confront danger in order to attain the highest goal via the fastest path.  You Zen monks have to spend 30 years watching your breath go in and out, in and out and then at the end of it you catch a small glimpse of heaven.  The brave are not deterred by a little danger,” Yoga-ji shouted back.

“Even without a glimpse of heaven we march on.  That is how strong Zazen makes us.  We are able to handle any contingency in life.  If heaven comes we smile and even if hell comes we smile.  We free ourselves from duality and desire.  You do nothing but chase,” Zen-ji yelled back.

“We converge all our desires into one big wave.  To merge with the Supreme, you just confuse yourselves about having no desire without which how can you act?” a now heavy breathing Yoga-ji hissed back.

That’s when Dad, having had enough, intervened.  “Stop it!  Today is Mother’s Day can’t we have peace for just this one day for her sake.  You are both a disgrace to your respective teachings.  I suggest you go ask your mother who is the greatest spiritual one this family is produced, she never lies and her declaration can settle this argument.”  Yoga-ji and Zen-ji agreed and approached Shanti with their question.

Shanti looked affectionately at her 2 wonderful sons and in her infinite wisdom replied, “Yoga-ji you would be the greatest spiritual being if you learned the secrets of Zen Meditation,” and then turning to Zen-ji said, “Zen-ji, without a doubt you would be the greatest spiritual being if you learned the secrets of Kundalini Tantra Yoga,” and that was the end of that.

Commentary:

Both paths will take you to enlightenment.  Speaking broadly, Kundalini Tantra Yoga is a path of using the body, while, Zazen Zen Meditation is a path of using the mind.  Why not use both great teachings to help you with your spiritual evolution?  Body by Yoga, Mind by Zen, or, Yoga Body Zen Mind.  My personal insight and knowledge of Kundalini Shakti came first from meditation.  During meditation Kundalini would rise with great power through my spine, forcing it to elongate and straighten, filling me with the necessary energy to penetrate the veil of thoughts.  Later, I developed my expertise in Kundalini Yoga and understood Kundalini Shakti via the tantric techniques of this great science.

The discussion above between Yoga-ji and Zen-ji is also filled with wisdom which is worth digesting.  I will highlight 1 point for each of these sciences below which I feel are worth repeating.

Kundalini Tantra Yoga Important Highlight:

As Yoga-ji acknowledges there is a danger factor with practicing Kundalini Yoga.  So please read the article 10 Important Guidelines for Kundalini Yoga Practice (specially Item #4 Kundalini Yoga Safety) before starting your Kundalini Yoga practice.  To learn about Kundalini Tantra and start you Kundalini Yoga practice you can sign-up for the Free Online Expanded Online Guided Meditation & Kundalini Yoga Classes here at Mastery of Meditation.

Zazen Zen Meditation Important Highlight:

As Zen-ji points out, one of the keys to Zen Meditation is to practice without any emphasis on gaining ideas and to approach all things with a non-dual attitude.  Whether it be heaven or hell, to not lose one’s composure and remain undisturbed by the storms life throws at you.  The article Shunryu Suzuki Speaks on Enlightenment and Zazen Practice goes into this idea in greater detail.  In addition, this article Zen Meditation Technique – Free Guided Meditation Book for Daily Practice Ch 1 will guide you step by step on how to practice this most profound meditation.

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Zen Meditation Technique – Practice & Hidded Secret – Free Guided Meditation

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Buddha Doing Zen MeditationThe Practice of Zen Meditation – Zazen

The first meditation we will explore in the Free Online Guided Meditation Techniques E-Book is the famous Zen Meditation Technique, also called Zazen or Breath Meditation.  At the end of the meditation script I will reveal the real secret behind this most profound meditation technique.

1

Background of Zen Meditation Technique (Zazen):

This was the meditation technique of Lord Buddha – I should have to say no more in order to motivate you to try this meditation. It is one of the most widely used meditations in the world and is the heart of Zen Buddhist teachings.  If one was to make a short list of the best meditation techniques, Zazen would most certainly make the top 10 list.

Tools required for Zen Meditation Technique (Zazen):

  • Zafu (traditional Zen Buddhist meditation cushion), Smile Cushion or other firm meditation cushion.  I purchased mine from zafu.net. I also purchased a zabuton (meditation mat) from them, a zabuton though is optional.
  • Loose comfortable clothing.
  • An alarm clock, stop watch or other time device.

Benefits of Zen Meditation Technique (Zazen):

Primary Benefits: 

  • Builds Concentration and Focus.
  • Self Knowledge – both, the workings of little self (ego) and awareness of the Big Self (True Divine Nature).
  • Calmness
  • Compassion
  • Spontaneous Joy

Secondary Benefits: 

  • Improves health and wellbeing.
  • Increases willpower and builds character.
  • Bestows psychic powers.

Cautions for Practicing Zen Meditation Technique (Zazen):

There are very few cautions with regard to Zazen practice, but the one I would like to point out has to do with emotional storms. 

There can be periods of time, either during a single sitting or spanning across several weeks, when emotions you may have suppressed rise up to the surface and force you to deal with them.  During these turbulent times, don’t exacerbate the issue by chewing on the emotion laden thoughts that come up.  Traumatizing yourself in this way has no value.  Instead, sit with the emotions and related thoughts without resistance, then let them go and return your awareness to your breath. 

This emotional cleansing is due to the visibility of the subconscious mind once the conscious mind is quieted by the meditation.  In the short term, this can be a difficult time to go though, but in the long term its a necessary and healthy cleansing that will promote greater peace, depth, joy and clarity in your life. 

Basic Zen Meditation Technique:

  • Find a quiet place and sit in a comfortable cross legged position.  If using a zafu or similar meditation cushion, sit on the forward third of the cushion.  The objective is for your hips to be raised above your knees and to form a three point base with your knees and buttocks touching the floor/cushion (leave a comment below if want to use a chair or meditation bench and would like me to explain those details).
  • Set your alarm or other time device for 20 minutes.
  • Now elongate your spine upwards and to align it with the back of your head, subtly bring your chin back and in like a soldier at attention.  There will be a slight inward arch in your lower back.
  • Now rock gently from side to side in big arcs, making them smaller and smaller till you drift to a stop.  You should find yourself perpendicular to the floor with no tension or pull from either side.
  • Have your eyes half open with an unfocused gaze on the floor in front of you.  You should be looking down at a 45 degree angle about 2 to 3 feet in front of you.  You may also close your eyes if you prefer.
  • Bring your hands to your lap and place them in the cosmic mudra.  To do this rest your right hand on your lap, then rest your left hand on top of it and have your fingers overlap.  Now bring the thumb tips together thus forming an oval frame.
  • Close your mouth, swallow your saliva creating a slight vacuum and place your tongue against the roof of your mouth.  After this point there should be absolutely no more movement of the body.  No fidgeting, scratching, shifting – nothing – be like you are frozen in time.
  • Take 5 deep, slow breaths though the nose.  This will oxygenate your blood and relax you.
  • Now bring you attention to your breath without trying to manipulate it further in any way, just become aware of its flow.  Spend a few minutes just observing it intimately till it starts to become regular and relaxed.
  • At this point begin counting your breath.  Count an inhalation as one, then the exhalation as 2 and continue to count your breaths until you reach 10.  At which point return to 1 with the next inhalation.  If at any point you get caught in a mental story line and loose your count, gently, without passing any judgment, return to 1 and start over.  That’s it, continue for the duration of the meditation.

Intermediate Zen Meditation Technique:

Follow all the steps for the Basic Zen Meditation Technique, except for the last step a complete inhalation and exhalation cycle should be counted as 1.  So you will do 10 full cycles of inhalation and exhalation before returning to 1.  You can also increase the time to 30 – 40 minutes.

Advanced Zen Meditation Technique:

Follow all the steps for the Basic Zen Meditation Technique, except for the last step instead of counting the breaths, just “be the breath”.  Don’t try to jump to this step too soon, first build your concentration and focus.  You can also increase the time to 1 hour.

Hints and Tips for Zazen:

  • Do some stretching or Yoga before sitting in zazen.  It will help your body adjust better.
  • Be regular, the benefits of this meditation are vast, but they take time to manifest.
  • Some good internet resources and books on zen meditation and zen teachings are listed below…
    • Charlotte Joko Beck’s Ordinary Mind Zen School and her book Everyday Zen: Love & Work
    • Zen Mountain Monastery – Mountain and Rivers Order of Zen Buddhism
    • Shunryu Suzuki’s San Francisco Zen Center and his book Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind

Secret of Zazen:

The secret of zazen does not lie in the awareness of the inhalation or the exhalation.  It lies in the gap in between these breaths.  It lies when the breath is spontaneously suspended.  It is in this gap where the mysteries of the Universe are hidden.  This gap and the gap between 2 thoughts are best friends, and in this silence between 2 thoughts the absolute is revealed.  Don’t try to force this pause, just continue with your zazen, it will come about naturally.

More Internet Resources for Zen Meditation

Zen and Zazen Information

20

How Much Time Should You Practice Meditation For Daily?

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There is a famous story of a Kundalini Yoga Master who was desperate to increase the amount of time he spent doing his daily meditation practice.  The story says that the Yogi nailed his pony tail to the wall so that when he would start to dose off he would be rudely awakened by his contraption, and that this technique allowed him to successfully meditate for 22 hours daily.  Are you ready for that :-)?  Luckily, 22 hours of daily meditation is not a prerequisite for spiritual growth or enlightenment, but the point of the story is that the ask is not cheap either.  So how long should one meditate for daily?

Before we go into the numbers it is important to clarify exactly what type of meditation we are talking about here.  There are many schools of meditation, each with their own techniques and methods.  Here, we are referring to the meditations that are done being mostly physically still.  So this would include zen meditation (zazen), vipassana, insight meditation, jyana yoga, the Silent Mind (SM) Meditations, and meditations that utilize an object for concentration (3rd eye meditation, mantra meditation, visualization, sound, trataka (candle flame gazing), 3 step rhythmic breath (3srb) meditation or similar variation of breath meditation, etc).  The other types of meditations involving dance (shiva tandava – dance of death), Osho’s meditations (kundalini, dynamic, etc), laya yoga meditations, and other such meditations have specific time requirements to work their magic and I am not referring to them in this discussion.  So, now on to the numbers.

Practice Meditation For Daily

The minimum time one should aim to set aside for daily meditation is 20 minutes.  Let me tell you a true story.  In my post graduate years I was studying cognitive psychology and artificial intelligence, looking to actually do empirical studies on meditative states of consciousness.  One of my philosophy professor’s told me to join a Zen meditation club which practiced zazen regularly on campus.  Till then, I had only meditated on my back lying down or during long walks, but I decided to attended their zazen session.  It was meant to be two 20 minute sessions and let me tell you I ran away after the first 20 minutes.  I still to this day remember the sensei saying “I guess he is leaving,” as I snuck out the back door.  Only later, after luckily coming across Charlotte Joko Beck’s Everyday Zen: Love and Work, did I really start to established a strong, regular zazen practice.  The point here is that 20 minutes initially, if you have not done formal sitting meditation before, is much harder than you might think.  So, if it takes you some time to get to 20 minutes of daily meditation, that is perfectly fine.  Start with less, but aim at building up your meditation to this amount of time.  Read The Golden Rule to Stop Excuses and Start Meditation Now for more guidance to get your practice started if you need it.

Why 20 minutes of meditation?  From my experience I can say that 20 minutes daily proved to be very effective.  On its own everything just start to transform.  Others, over time, have also probably found that this amount of time has worked well for bringing about positive changes in themselves and so the number has become the de facto standard for a starting practice.

The next stage is 30 minutes, 2 times daily.  On my trip to Zen Mountain Monastery for their Zazen Training program, 30 minutes was the minimum time requirement for any zazen session.  I could relate to the difficulties some of the first timers were having with this length of time and unfortunately for them there was no back door to escape from either ;-).  Also, interestingly at Zen Mountain Monastery, you could request to be struck with a cane on your shoulders (at special acupressure points) to help you stay awake, drain emotional junk out of your system or as an aid to go deeper.  This is called keisaku and it can work as an alternative technique for you if you don’t have long hair like our Yogi friend above :-).  So work your way up to 30 minutes of meditation, and try to do that twice daily if possible.

Finally, you should build up to 1 hour of steady meditation practice everyday.  For extracting the maximum benefit from a meditation program this is the golden number.  To get to the experience of “Big Mind” as Zen Master Shunryu Suzuki describes the detached state, or the “Big Self” as described by the Advaita Vedanta teachers, or to get to the explosion of insight as put forth by J. Krishnamurti and the Silent Mind Meditations, 1 hour of meditation is usually needed.  This is primarily because it takes some time for the thinking process to slow down and for us to extract ourselves out of the daily drama of our little egos.  So there you have it.  Start and aim for 20 minutes of daily meditation and then build up to 1 hour.  You will find everything you are looking for, as you will discover that everything is you.