True Meditation

1. True Meditation: Letting Go of Control and Manipulation

"The foundation of True Meditation is that we are letting go of control."

Redefining meditation. True Meditation is not about mastering a technique or achieving a specific state of mind. Instead, it focuses on relinquishing control and allowing your experience to unfold naturally. This approach differs from traditional concentration-based practices that often involve manipulating thoughts or sensations.

Breaking free from conditioning. Many people approach meditation with preconceived notions and expectations, which can hinder their progress. True Meditation invites practitioners to adopt an attitude of innocence, free from past conditioning and cultural influences. This open-mindedness allows for a fresh and genuine exploration of one's inner landscape.

Key distinctions:

• Meditation: Letting go of control and guiding experience
• Concentration: Directing and controlling experience
• True Meditation: Investigation through non-manipulation

2. The Natural State of Being: Beyond Techniques and Disciplines

"Enlightenment is, in the end, nothing more than the natural state of being."

Simplifying enlightenment. The awakened state is not an altered or enhanced condition but rather our most natural way of being. It requires no effort, discipline, or manipulation to maintain. By stripping away complex terminology and jargon, we can understand enlightenment as simply returning to our innate state of awareness.

Transcending the ego. Many meditation techniques inadvertently reinforce the ego's desire for control and achievement. True Meditation aims to awaken from the mind and ego, rather than empowering them. This approach recognizes that our natural state of consciousness is one of unity and non-separation, rather than an altered state to be attained.

Characteristics of the natural state:

• Spontaneous and effortless
• Free from mental control and manipulation
• Not enhanced by any practice or technique
• Inherently present, waiting to be recognized

3. Allowing Everything to Be As It Is: The Foundation of True Meditation

"When we allow our experience to be as it was, and made no effort to change it, an underlying natural state of being started to rise into consciousness."

Embracing the present moment. The core practice of True Meditation involves allowing your current experience to unfold without interference. This means accepting thoughts, emotions, and sensations as they arise, without trying to change or suppress them. By doing so, you create space for your natural state of consciousness to emerge.

Cultivating openness and curiosity. Instead of following a rigid technique, True Meditation encourages an attitude of investigation. What happens when you let go of control? How does your experience change when you allow everything to be as it is? This approach fosters a deeper understanding of your inner landscape and can lead to profound insights.

Benefits of allowing:

• Reduces inner conflict and resistance
• Reveals hidden patterns and conditioning
• Cultivates a sense of peace and acceptance
• Facilitates access to deeper levels of awareness

4. Meditative Self-Inquiry: Discovering Your True Nature

"Meditative self-inquiry is the practice of introducing a question—a spiritual question of power and significance—into the meditative state of mind."

Powerful questioning. Meditative self-inquiry involves asking profound questions about your true nature and identity. The most potent question is often "What am I?" or "Who is the meditator?" These inquiries have the power to penetrate through layers of conditioning and reveal your essential nature.

Experiential exploration. Unlike intellectual contemplation, meditative self-inquiry is a deeply experiential process. It involves feeling into the question with your whole being, rather than trying to find an answer through logical reasoning. This approach can lead to direct insights and revelations about your true nature.

Key aspects of meditative self-inquiry:

• Focus on questions that point back to oneself
• Engage with genuine curiosity and energy
• Allow insights to arise spontaneously
• Investigate from the "neck down," involving the whole body

5. The Way of Subtraction: Uncovering What You Are Not

"Before we actually find out what we are, we must first find out what we are not."

Peeling away layers. The Way of Subtraction involves systematically examining and discarding false identifications. This process helps reveal your true nature by eliminating what you are not. It's a process of negation that leads to a direct recognition of your essential being.

Challenging assumptions. Many people unconsciously identify with their thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and personality. The Way of Subtraction encourages you to question these assumptions and recognize that there is an awareness that witnesses all these experiences. This witnessing presence is more fundamental than any temporary state or characteristic.

Areas of investigation:

• Thoughts and beliefs
• Emotions and sensations
• Personality and ego
• Body and mind
• The concept of "I" or "me"

6. Awareness as Your Essential Nature: Beyond Thoughts and Feelings

"Awareness isn't something we own; awareness isn't something we possess. Awareness is actually what we are."

Shifting identity. Through the process of self-inquiry and subtraction, you may come to recognize that your essential nature is awareness itself. This awareness is not something you possess or control, but rather the fundamental ground of your being. It is the unchanging witness to all your experiences.

Transcendent recognition. Realizing yourself as awareness is not an intellectual understanding but a direct, experiential recognition. It's a leap beyond the mind's ability to comprehend, often experienced as a flash of insight or revelation. This recognition can profoundly transform your sense of self and your relationship to experience.

Characteristics of awareness:

• Present before thoughts and feelings arise
• Unchanging and ever-present
• Not limited by form or attributes
• The basis of all experience and perception

7. The Great Inclusion: Harmonizing Spirit and Human Experience

"When we start to let go into awareness or spirit, we start to recognize that that is who and what we are. We start to see that everything in existence is simply a manifestation of spirit."

Embracing wholeness. The Great Inclusion represents a shift from identifying solely with awareness to recognizing all of existence as an expression of spirit. This perspective allows for a harmonious integration of your human experience with your spiritual nature, rather than denying or rejecting any aspect of yourself.

Ending inner conflict. By recognizing your true nature as awareness or spirit, you can begin to see that your human aspects – including your body, mind, and personality – are not separate from your spiritual essence. This understanding can lead to a profound sense of inner peace and unity, resolving the perceived conflict between the spiritual and mundane aspects of life.

Key insights of the Great Inclusion:

• Everything is an expression of spirit, including your humanness
• There is no fundamental separation between awareness and form
• Your human experience is a unique manifestation of spirit in time and space
• Embracing all aspects of yourself leads to greater harmony and peace

8. Living True Meditation: Applying Insights to Daily Life

"True Meditation is something that actually lives with us. We can do it anytime, anyplace, and anywhere."

Beyond formal practice. True Meditation is not limited to sitting in silence; it's an approach to living that can be applied in any situation. By cultivating an attitude of allowing everything to be as it is, you can bring the essence of meditation into your daily activities and relationships.

Transforming everyday experience. Applying the principles of True Meditation to daily life can profoundly shift your perspective and interactions. It involves meeting each moment with openness and curiosity, allowing your experiences – and the people you encounter – to be as they are without trying to change or control them.

Ways to integrate True Meditation into daily life:

• Practice allowing traffic, weather, or other external circumstances to be as they are
• Meet friends and loved ones with an attitude of acceptance and non-manipulation
• Bring awareness to routine activities like driving or household chores
• Regularly inquire into your true nature during everyday situations
• Cultivate an attitude of openness and curiosity towards all experiences

Last updated: August 23, 2024