Spiritual Master Of Meditation
Question: What is the relationship between the mind and meditation?
Adonis: The subject of meditation can be rather controversial. So for our purpose I will keep it very simple. To understand what meditation is, it is necessary to understand what it is not. Through negation we will discover what it actually is. No one can tell you what meditation is. Meditation cannot be told. The first thing is to realize that the art of meditation is devoid of a particular technique, system or method. What this means is that in meditation there is no meditator or mediator. I know, you are now scratching your head thinking this is rather complex, but I will assure you it is not. What I want you to do is throw away any ideas, preconceived notions or concepts you may have of what you think meditation is or is not. Perhaps, you have noticed that when I mentioned the word meditation, your consciousness began to search and refer to its definition of meditation. Now, the definition you have of meditation is not meditation. Please listen carefully for a moment and you will discover something extraordinary. Understand that meditation is simply the ending of the conscious processes of the noise inside your head without using effort. Do you notice how your mind is constantly talking incessantly even when your mouth is closed? What if I told you there is a way in which you can turn that off? What if I told you that many of your problems in this life stem from all that noise going on inside of you? So, instead of me telling you, why not let me show it to you in which you will see for yourself the extraordinary power you have within.
What we are going to do is sit up in a chair, preferably in your room or outdoors in a secluded area in which you will not be disturbed for at least fifteen minutes. Now be as still as possible with your eyes opened looking straightforward without moving. Now, feel your heart beating in your chest and feel the natural rhythm of your breathing process letting the breath move in and out through your nose without breaking the in and out process. Looking completely forward observe everything completely for a moment. Now, simultaneously observe your thoughts, feelings and emotions that are passing within your mind. Listen and watch with great attentiveness without trying to direct what is being said or imagined in your mind. Simply let whatever comes to mind flower completely and as this is taking place you are going to simply observe without trying to control what is taking place. You may sense when it is enough.
Spiritual Meditation Beyond The Mental State
Now do this every afternoon or when you feel it is necessary to quiet the mind of its endless noise in order to see clearly. I will not go too deep into the complete art of meditation within this chapter but throughout this book I will reflect on other aspects of developing the mind-body relationship, which will enhance many necessary qualities. Meditation is actually the greatest thing that comes to develop confidence, break the illusion of fear and habit.
Spiritual meditation is not a product of the mind. It is not a thing the mind can capture and pervert to its own likes and dislikes. The essence of meditation is a doorway which goes beyond the material existence. It is a rite of passage into the timeless. It is to go within oneself and transcend the mind, effortlessly.
The initiation of meditation is to discover that all of life is one. Spiritual meditation is the reposing into the nothingness without any intent. Not even the intention of goodness. It is the art of flowing with the restlessness of the mind and body. The bringing of ones being into stillness comes without will, desire or resolve. It is the bringing to the surface all that one is. So, in the awakening of light, there is the dissolution of oneself. You see, meditation is mind-blowing. It blows you away completely. It’s like being a scientist without a particular science, a philosopher who knows nothing of philosophy, a religious man who doesn’t have a religion. For I have found the center-line, the very thread, that runs through all things, which is perception.
It is like I have reached this point of one-pointedness, an equilibrium and equanimity in which nothing can disturb. All concerns are vanquished in which nothing really matters. The self is its own damnation, for it is the impasse that prevents the seeing into the absolute. The thinker is a falsity. The self is the living dead. It has no life of its own. It lives and thrives on ignorance. If you destroy the root of this disease, the very cause, not merely its symptoms, then the withering trunk, branches and dried leaves, which is the effect, comes to an end.
SPIRITUAL TEACHER ADONIS ALEXANDER
