Inshallah
Darkness October 2011
Since Paramahansaji says that maintaining ones Consciousness in the Spiritual Eye is the fastest way to reach Liberation, I am voting to write another post on this topic.
I have been endeavoring to keep my attention at the Eye for decades with little success at all. I counted myself fortunate if I was able to keep it there most of the time during my Energization Exercises. I can honestly say that I have had difficulty with consistent, proper, positioning of my eyes (upward) even during meditation. No doubt this lack has taken its toll with sleepiness, mind-wandering, overall restlessness. Granted, it is never easy to develop a new habit, and it is like that here in the Darkness as well. There are so many less distractions here yet I have never made it a conscious priority to inculcate this habit. THIS IS THE TIME!
Upon departing my bunk, I resolved to do my best to REMEMBER, TODAY! After a couple of failures I began mentally saying, as I went through my morning ablutions, "I am keeping my Consciousness at the Spiritual Eye while I am brushing my teeth. I offer my teeth-brushing to God and Guru." "I am staying at the Spiritual Eye while I floss my teeth. I offer my flossing to God and Guru." And on and on.
I was getting a double benefit; I was staying Connected to my Eye and Higher-Soul Consciousness and by offering up my actions, I was accruing no karma. Nothing I was doing was attaching to "I" or ego-consciousness. You may say, "How much karma can be involved with teeth-brushing???" haha. It's the HABIT I am building. There are sundry ways our egos DO get involved...even in the little things. Consider pride, frustration, disappointment because of being attached to a certain result or outcome.
When my shower cap fell on the floor, I had to locate it, pick it up, in the Dark. There was no little mental muttering about wishing that hadn't happened or the difficulty in having to deal with it. Dark or Light, little stuff like that happens continuously...and are we at Peace with it?
When Connected at the Eye, there is only THIS moment and the Soul is observing all without attachment or judgment of oneself or others! The result is living a peaceful, mellow life with no stress!!
Because I had started this pattern, it was a snap to keep at the Eye during EE's and maha mudra. Sitting to meditate, my Consciousness was already where it needed to be. And WOW, what a difference it made in my meditation. I went deep fast, and I stayed there.
When I was finished, after a long and great meditation, I contemplated holding my practice while preparing my first meal of the day...lunch. I wasn't perfect but I kept at it. I noticed an immediate slip when I began eating. This won't surprise if you have been reading these blogs very long, haha. What I DID notice was that the food and eating experience was actually more pleasant when maintaining the perspective of the observant Soul. Instead of the ego dashing to finish, gobble gobble, I noticed several enjoyable nuances of taste I would have missed. Eating also took longer, so the food was actually around longer to enjoy ;-).
I wasn't tense as I cleaned up the "kitchen", as I usually am in the Dark, and I didn't feel as wiped-out with the constant vigilance required. (If you absentmindedly put something somewhere you may not be able to find it again...or make a big mess when you knock it over accidentally.) One moves slower, calmer, when in the Eye. Accidents that can have major consequences don't happen. Actually, many of these positive effects of keeping ones Consciousness uplifted would also play out in regular, lighted, existence.
I like how my mind is not in Future or Past. It is right here enjoying the gift of the Present. What I am beginning to feel is that the point between the eyebrows is "HOME": comfortable, safe, and joyous. As I write this I feel a soft smile playing on my lips...not the intense, concentrated jaw-hold of "getting things done".
I pause and can hear AUM softly humming in the background. Perhaps if I could stay out of my ego, It would always be available to me. I do believe developing this practice will take very firm commitment and unceasing patience. Yet, I can tell you, it is a very, very pleasant way to live your life. I can substitute so many adjectives for pleasant-effective, successful, peaceful, beneficial, and VICTORIOUS (best of all).
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