Four Things

Four things: 

during meditation, and more specifically a mantra session, we can expect four things to occur, and if any one of these are happening then we are in the midst of a successful meditation. There's no particular order here, it's not a sequence of events, and really these are only experiences to be noted as aspects of our practice, things that occur naturally during our time of practice. Our meditation is centered on the mantra, it's not a focused practice, it isn't based on effort or concentration but an an easy repetition and remembering of the mantra, gentle, forgiving of any moment that we stray towards our thoughts. 

and thoughts will happen. 

often.

our role is to return to the mantra, easily, making it a joy to return its repetition. The mantra too is a thought, yet one without meaning other than its vibration, a frequency that lends itself to our relaxation and belonging. There is no pace to follow, no rhythm to be concerned for, it's not chanting, it's just a thought and we choose with preference and delight. 

that's our practice.

simple.

easy.

if we're thinking our mantra, giving it our preference over other thoughts, returning to it as often as remembered, then we're successfully meditation. Four things can happen here, and the first two are thoughts, we're either thinking the mantra or giving our attention to mundane thoughts. Both will happen with regular occurrence and as long as we are gentle with our return to the mantra, than our meditation is unfolding perfectly, everything is going fine. Thoughts happen, our mind wanders, and we gently, easily, return to thinking the mantra. That's the nature of our practice. 

or...

we might fall asleep. 

that happens too, of the four things perhaps less likely so, maybe not very often, but on occasion it will, at least if one is very sleepy. Meditation is relaxing, and if daily stress has disturbed our sleep then it will lend itself for deep relaxation and this may result in falling asleep. It's a natural response. When we wake up, no matter the length of time, we return to the mantra, again, easily, gently, no judgement offered to a sleepy mind. Here's the pattern, something happens during our meditation, we're caught in loop of constant thought, perhaps following a stray thought to the realm of our imagination, or we find ourselves too sleepy to maintain our focus, falling asleep for a moment of our practice - noticing this, any of aspect or variations of these three things, and we return to the mantra. No fuss is made, no judgement of success ir failure, just the mantra, again, returning, always our return. 

that's our practice.

four things can happen while we're sitting, with thoughts and mantra being more of a promise and sleeping a rarity of a very tired mind. With this we come to the final one, and it's a promise as well, a natural occurrence, yet magical, and one beyond our personal control. In mantra practice it's called the Gap, an ever present silence found between our every thought, primordial, infinite in its creative potentiality. The Gap is really who we are, presence, remaining unmarred from whatever thought it holds, pure mind, allowing by it's very nature. We fall into the Gap naturally, without effort and without it even being sought. It happens on its own. Always. But sometimes we don't notice, there's no reference point here, being pure awareness there's nothing for it's compare, and it's only after our return to thought or mantra that we realize something magical has happened. We slipped into the Gap, beyond the realm of realization, we were simply presence, beingness, relaxed as our original mind. The Gap is remembered as our return home, and we are naturally drawn there by thinking the mantra, led by it's vibration, settling here without effort or even notice. 

it happens on it's own. 

of these four things mentioned only the mantra is purposely chosen, consciously courted and given our preference. Everything else is a byproduct of our sitting, happening beyond our control, and really without any care. We don't fight what happens naturally, our practice is one of simply allowing, and to give ourselves to the mantra frequently, often. If any of these four things are happening, we are meditating, successfully, easily and there's nothing here for our concern.

that's the joy of sitting, it's how we practice. 

we think the mantra.

nothing more is needed. 

everything else happens on its own. 

~

Peace, Eric