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Old 30-10-2023, 08:15 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JustBe
my everyday life circumstance has been great those qualities of how you feel wouldn’t it? joyous, blissful you? becoming open and clear,
Yep if external circumstances are pretty rough, meditation practice might be be a bit meh. The idea in that case is more like a continuous practice of trying to remain internally calm when things are rough, and having no disappointment if formal practice is unpleasant or a non-event. Underneath the roughness and what we notice going on with ourselves, having the understand that life has ups and downs and whatever happens will pass is a good way to keep an even keel. It's not easy because mind is habitualised to react, probably over-react, and when everything is going wrong it reverts to that tendency. If it's possible to let things happen without being disturbed by them, maximise that ability with every opportunity. This way, some of the most valuable practice is completely mundane, and when everything is going wrong, it's a wonderful opportunity.

The mental reactivity manifests physically with tension and density in the body, so deliberate practice sessions can be more uncomfortable if life's rough, then you react with aversion to that feeling, produce more tension, manifest discomfort, react, and go into an amplifying spiral and give up the ghost. In that case, instead, since tension and density has already been made, you remain indifferent - 'feels like this' - and cease to react/activity in the mind no matter how agonising it might become. Naturally if a bone is twisting or something, be sensible and don't push yourself to an injury.

If one meditates consistently they can see pleasure turn to pain and back to pleasure, pain, pleasure, coming, going and understand more deeply how that's the nature of changing things. At some point you realise that you've been there all along just the same and remained completely unaffected while feelings changing from one to the other has been going on.

When the love opens up into the whole body, it's a lot of bliss, but after a while you realise, this is changing. It's great, a good sign, but it can affect state of mind such that when it wanes you end up yearning, or just in general, start always craving more.

If it feels good, OK, and if not so good, fine. I know it doesn't sound spectacular, but if something spectacular happens, the core practice remains the same. Whatever happens is opportunity to strengthen your ability for neutral awareness - no matter what it is that happens.
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