Little essays looking at the esoteric to exoteric of meanings and and understandings on a variety of sometimes neglected topics.
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
The Practice of Meditation
Monday, May 29, 2023
The Esoteric and The Exoteric - Explained
You may find this exposition of the difference between exoteric and exoteric useful. I find it significantly less than prefect, but also a useful beginning for understanding meanings and differences. To begin simply, esoteric refers to the more difficult to understand and to communicate. The exoteric is the more easily understood and communicated. The core meaning of exo is out or outer while that of eso is in our inner.
rcs
Sunday, May 28, 2023
Our Communication and the Information Around Us
Saturday, May 27, 2023
Contemplating the Practice of Meditation
Meditation:
Meditation covers a lot of ground. One may know that there are many ways to meditate and that there are many kinds of meditation. However, it is interesting to know that that only a few sorts are widely practiced. There are reasons for that. Most of us appreciate simplicity and effectiveness and so we choose a practice which we find effective and simple. Over time one may become grateful for the other ways and varieties of form from which he or she may choose. This introduction is from my point of view of the day and contains hints of what is beyond the intro.
Meditation and Me:
Without a timer I have found myself meditating far beyond my allotted time. At another time I have opened eyes ready to go on to other things only to find that I had meditated only five minutes of my allotted forty-five minutes! Some experience meditators would say that these happenings do not matter, that five minutes is just right for one time and 2 hours just right for another time. However, for me, right now, practicing my time discipline is important to me.
More of me. In my practice I may decide that I shall focus on my breath and that I shall count my breaths. Even so, I may use words to help me with that focus. To begin I might count rounds of four for a time. Counting seems a use of words. An inhalation and an exhalation may represent one complete breath and four such breaths complete a round. I might think the word 'in' as I inhale and the word "out" as I exhale. An in and an out would count as one breath in my rounds of four. As I counted this practice I might add attending to the differences
Form me meditation practice is and ought to be attention and and attentiveness and very often it is just that. One is paying attending to ones self, one might say to your inner self. Your principle attitude is one of attentiveness. I found this to be part of an important learning experience. In each practice I often
focus a limited defined "topic." That topic has often been a word or short phrase or even a very short sentence, which I determine before I begin the practice.
Meditation Generalities:
Preparing to Meditate:
Your Meditation:
Monday, May 22, 2023
Odin Knowledge
Odin of Pre-Christian Europe:
Sunday, April 2, 2023
Our Visitors Seem Like This
Tuesday, March 7, 2023
Freedom Contemplation
Let in more open awareness at the moment of most adversion.
It may be said that:
~ One who sleeps is less conscious of emotions.
~ One is awake in so far as one is aware of being aware of feelings.
~ Awarness of feelings without grasping or adversion brings freedom.
Let there be a courageous, open, and spacious sense of self.
With awareness can come wholeness, well-being, freedom, and a natural flow of life.
A Meditation:
Sit an be aware ofthat which arises in mind and watch itas it moves on.
Where there are repeated patterns, let your awareness expand.
Sense what is asking for acceptance; it may be reality.
Repeating patterns often exist where you resist. Ask, "How am I receiving this?" "Is there a fear or difficulty?"
With awarness can come wholeness, well-being, freedom, and a natural flow of life. Still without awareness can come bliss.
Let a part of your meditation be an investigation and discovery. Let difficulty, conflict, and pain lead you to higher levels of freedom.
Meditation takes some time.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post.
rcs
Monday, March 6, 2023
Zennish Thoughts
This will seem more esoteric than usual. It seems that way to me. You may find it curious. A few may find it valuable. You may get more value from these thoughts the more you stay relaxed and keep it simple. As I write, I believe.
You can see freshly and newly the doings of life and the happenings around you.
Zen is much about posture, breathing, attitude, and understanding, I am told.
Noticing yourself is good for you and me.
We can teach ourselves and learn.
You can be willing to practice.
We can be aware of the dualisticness among us and go beyond.
We can be pleased by becoing more aware of the possibilities. You may be aware of doing so for the first time. Note their newness. Note them.
We are capable of letting more meaning into our lives. Meaning is limitless.
It is said that your posture reflects your state of mind. A straight back is often a part of good posture. You can benefit by being more aware of a strong abdomen.
There is one and there is all. When you know that, you can better know the inbetween.
You can open your mind and so be ready, and it is easier than emptying your mind.
We can exist for ourselves and not be selfish. You can benefit be being more aware of yourself. You are right here and right now. You exist right here and right now.
You are a activity. You can be aware of a pleasant activity within, as you sit relaxed.
You can do. Your are willing to do. You can be ready to do that which you must. You probably don't have to do any doing.
You can be mischievious and be in control. You can practice some of that control by avoiding doing damage.
You can observe an experience or a thought. You can benefit by asking a question about your observation. Some ask, "How is this?" Other questions may be better for you. It may be best to let the happening and observation go. You can let it go as it goes.
It is possible to see doings and happenings as they are and to let them go as they go.
Let the observation into your mind and let it go out. Noting it is enough.
You do not have to continue to be bothered by anything. You can be ready, willing, and able to do something about the bother and it may be best to do it promptly. But you probably don't really have to bother at all.
Our understandings change our attitudes.
Taking some time to keep one's mind on one's breath can be a beneficialpractice, but nor always.
Accepting reality is accepting what is. Not doing so is often deleterious. Still, changing or mind can be the sane action. Often the change can be called beneficial growth.
You know there is more than either or.
We improve. We improve with practice and will. An effort to improve onesself is seldom wasted.
We each have more than one nature. It is good to express them. Express them with care and caution. It is good to express your best selves actively, simply, and directly.
May you be well.
rcs
Friday, March 3, 2023
Introductory Notes Related to Meditation Practice
Ways and Kinds of Meditation:
One may know that there are many ways to meditate and many kinds of meditation, but only a few sorts are regularly practiced. There are reasons for that. Most of us appreciate simplicity and effectiveness, so we choose a practice which we find effective and simple. Over time we may we may come to be grateful for the ways and varieties of meditation from which we may choose.
Body position or movement can represent ways and varieties and may include variations of walking, sitting, and lying down. There are also a number of ways of guided meditation. There are solo meditations and group meditations. There are those that include yoga postures. Meditation is done for a variety of purposes which call for a variety of practices.
A teacher can help one to sort out these ways, means, purposes and attitudes of meditation. I have been a student of meditation and have some experience and knowledge of the practice. I have learned that for me it is best to keep it simple, to aim for good effect, and to treat it as a sort of exploration.
Preparing to Meditate:
For one contemplating practice, some preparation is helpful. Reading this little essay may count for som preparation as can looking over other posts on this blog. Finding a good instructor, teacher, guru, can be useful preparation.
There are many ways to prepare. Some have to do with personal preferences. For example, I feel better when I have some sort of timer which I can set to tell me when the time I have alloted for a session has been completed.
Just sitting in awareness or mindfulness is good preparation. I is also meditating! Still, such sitting calls for having an appropriate place to sit. That is, one has preparation to complete.
Starting to meditate may be the most important act to begin meditating! Just quietly is a real start when you know you are doing so.
More good preparation can be to get a well qualified meditation coach. A qualified coach is one who keeps up to date with what you are doing and how you are doing, he, or she, is one who knows the state of your practice today.
You are the one most responsible for your meditation. You are the only one who can do your meditation. You are well positioned to know what you are doing and how you are doing it. The thing is to do it and to find out more about what it is by way of your observation. As a meditator you are a learner. You may come to note that much learning includes practice and observation.
Beginning to Practice:
For me, practice often begins with me seated in a good chair and closing my eyes. Neither the sitting nor the eyeclosing is necessary, but they both have helped me to a good sort of meditation, and so are often part of my meditation.
A timer isn't necessary for good meditation either, butI have found it helpful. One thing it does is to tell me when the time I have chosen to meditate is concluded. I sometimes have divided a meditation in to parts and the timer can remind me of when to begin the next part. For more of what I chosen to do in meditation, you can search the posts of this blog. You may discover something unexpected.
Sitting in a meditation group has been good for me, but I have often been pleased to meditate alone. I like a calm quiet place and a comfortable chair, but not a chair so comfortable that sleep would tempt me. Actually sleep does not tempt me, but my thoughts of sleep certainly can. However, we can use our power over our thoughts, can't we? For me, meditating includes an awake, alive, alert, observing process. And it is so even when I stretch out on the grass or floor to meditate.
It seems important to add that my meditation is often the practice of maintaining focus. It is way to develop my skill of maintaining attention on that which I have chosen to attend to. It reminds me of the hunter who has decided to come home with fresh venison. He chooses a position from which he expects to see a deer. He waits expectantly. He avoids thoughts or sights that so divert his attention so as to cause him to miss the coming of the deer.
I expect that you are now clear that determining a time and place to meditate is useful preparation for meditation. As further preparation for meditating I, upon arriving at the time and place to meditate, would check to see that my timer and chair were ready. I would arrange my mind to make ready to observe and pay attention to my doings and intentions. Not difficult perhaps, but important. You have probably heard that concentration and focus are often important parts of meditation.
Without my timer I have found myself meditating far beyond my allotted time. Others learn to avoid that problem without a timer, but I have not. at another time I have opened my eyes ready to go on to other doings only to find that only ten minutes of my allotted time of 45 minutes had passed!
It seems to soon to cover much more in any detail. I have covered more in posts available here and will add more in future posts. And, you can use the the "comments" app just below to ask questions as well as to make comments. I try to respond to "comments" promptly in a useful way.
I do have a bit more to write ab0ut before closing this post.
Details of Practice:
For me, meditation practice ought to be about attention and attentiveness and most often it is just that. In each practice, I tend to focus on a limited, defined topic. The hunter had his deer. I have often chosen a word or short phrase on which to focus. The hunter perhaps chose a vision. I attend to all that comes up and may ask myself what it has to do with my chosen focus. Then I let it pass and resume my intended focus.
I may decide that I shall focus on my breath and that process I shall count them. To begin I might count rounds of four. Counting entails words or symbols and that is fair. An inhalation and an exhalation may represent one complete breath and four such breaths complete round. I may think the word "in" as in inhale and "out" as I exhale. An 'in' and an "out" would count as on breath in my rounds of 4 breaths. As I continue the practice I may add attending to the difference of feeling air passing in through my nostrils to the air passing out.
Meditate Now:
You can meditate right now if you wish. Sit with good posture. Take a few full breaths. Now as you continue to be aware of your breath try repeating "good posture, no pain" slowly and calmly. Breath normally or slightly deeper than usual. Intend to breathe smoothly, regularly, rhythmically. When you find yourself not repeating your phrases remind yourself to do so. When you find that you are not breathing as intended, remind yourself to return to doing so. Continue until you have completed the time you have allotted to the session. That's fairly big time meditation. You may now know enough to to develop your practice well for the next many months.
When the above seems too complicated for comfort, set your timer for ten minutes and sit quietly for that time. That's good meditation. Just sit quietly without using the timer. That's meditation too.
Congratulations! You have learned a lot about meditation. You may have moved from esoteric to exoteric. You may have meditated and also have learned a bit about yourself.
Thank you for the visit.
Come back to explore and find out more.
RCS