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Just wanted to talk a little more about the one-pointedness issue, Fajin – if we can leave all the Buddhist-vs.-Taoist antics behind that would please me greatly.
I’ve excerpted below, from three of the books that have been most helpful to me in my training, some descriptions of emptymindedness, one-pointedness, etc., that reflect well what I have personally experienced. I’d really welcome your reactions to these, vis-a-vis what you know about. If we can just leave aside technical questions of what is wuji, what is hundun, and what is Tao, etc., do these paragraphs jog anything for you? Do they resonate with your own experience? This is a way just for me to understand if we are on the same page at all with regard to the mind itself? Thanks!
“I can’t ‘teach’ this state of mind but I can describe what it’s like… The best state of mind is one in which you are a quiet, completely passive, single-minded observer. In this passive state, your mind does not wander. You are not emotional. You are not analytical either. You are merely an observer… No matter what hits you, you should be in such a passive state that, when something hits you, you think, “Oh. That’s nice,” and just continue…”
[from ‘Out Of Body Experiences’ by Robert Peterson]
“Being able to do this successfully implies that we live in a state in which we are completely unconcerned about the opinions of other people… we are unconcerned or indifferent to any other forces around us… To some people, this state of indifference may seem to be a negative condition. It is not…. [when practicing emptiness] avoid trying to feel any external sensation… you will know that you have achieved success with this part of the exercise when you find that you are unaware of anything apart from your empty mind… you will soon discover why mystics of all ages have loved to spend considerable time in this blank and empty meditative state.”
[from ‘Magic Simplified’, by Draja Mickaharic]
“Once the surface mind gives in and the internal dialogue is silenced, you will experience a profound silence inside your mind that may feel a little strange at first… It will take some time for your deeper mind to get used to this mental silence and begin relaxing and expanding, so be patient. You will grow used to this and one day will learn to love it more than anything else.”
[from ‘Astral Dynamics’, by Robert Bruce]
Do you like these?
Best NN
Hi Nnonnth,
Those three are all good. We are on the same page. Although I didn’t like how in the second one it said to avoid feeling any external sensation. We should accept whatever comes up and not adhere to it.
Let’s say we are following our breath and thoughts just rush up all of a sudden. We shouldn’t move our concentration to the thoughts, but keep concentrating on the breath and the thoughts will subside like any other external interferences, wether an itch, pain, etc. Be completely one pointed. Eventually, like it said in the paragraph, you become very passive and you are in that state and you start loving it like Bruce says. Peterson and Bruce said it best.
Picture all of your surroundings at the very moment, and pretend that they suddenly freeze just like you press pause on a DVD when watching a movie. That is what is meant by the very moment. You have to become aware of that exact moment. But too many things are all hapening in the moment so it is best to pay attention to one thing, eg. breath.
You try to pay attention to something and its changes every single moment. And when you develop this awareness, when you are not practicing, you see things more clearly without clinging to them, and being very passive. There is no subject-object, just object. It is super-concsiousness.
Guatama Buddha said that nothing is impossible if you are one-pointed.
Smiles,
Fajin– I’m with you now completely. I just could not understand what you were referring to before, thinking it must be completely different, because you said, ‘You have to practice Zen’! You surely don’t think still that only the Zen people know these states?? As a matter of fact I did not have to learn how to do this and was born already being able to! (one of the few things I have ever picked up naturally). NN
Hi Nnonnth,
Zen is just a term. I didn’t mean only Japanese Zen. In Chinese it is called Chan. In Indian, it is called Dhyana. In Korean, I think Son. I think it was Max that said, every single spiritual path had stillness meditation. Michael doesn’t utilize it as something transcendental or “final”, I think that’s his weak link. That’s ok. I still respect him very much. Will learn his and Mantak’s version one day.
Regards,
Fajin>>I think it was Max that said, every single spiritual path had stillness meditation<<
Sure… but even those you mention are just the big obvious Eastern traditions aren't they? Speaking as a Westerner…
I mean with all three of the people I quoted you are talking about people who have never heard of zen, ch'an, dhyana, son, or indeed taoism! In fact nothing eastern at all. Bruce and Peterson experiment purely with projection and I think in the case Peterson he never even practiced one-pointedness deliberately – he just suddenly started to understand that it was the right way, then he developed it with his own methods; he's completely self-taught I think. Any path if followed sincerely ends up finding the One. Mind you Peterson had certain natural advantages that not everyone is born with.
Mickaharic was a taught by a fellow magician, not affiliated with any big Western school at all. (He called himself a 'witch doctor'! – just to freak out people! hahaha). He was born in Bosnia but emigrated to New York when quite young, where he practiced his arts in the immigrant communities for decades. He has stopped practicing now (he's ninety years old I think) and decided to write out all his methods in a series of excellent books.
People like this are hidden all over! I have experience of some of them. What I like (personally) is that there is no need for some high-and-mighty religious tradition to back them up – they just get on with it. That's my style too. Mickaharic was a kitchen wizard really. But he could (I have been told) smash rocks together with his mind…
Ask Michael about the Lapland shamans too… some very cool things there. They don't show off, send out missionaries or evangelize. They just do what they do, quietly.
Anyway! I'm glad I understand a bit now what everyone is talking about. Now I know that the arguments are not that important, which is what I always thought.
Best wishes, NN
Thanks Nnonnth,
It was great discussing this stuff.
My final point is that I think powers or siddhis should not be sought after, just once developed keep them kept quietly like the shamans you mentioned. They can set one off his one-pointedness.
The key is to be one-pointed about everything that you’re doing, 24/7. That’s what the Eastern traditions emphasize. Read the sutras. They go deeper into it, making it an art, a philosophy, etc. Of course, also a religion. But that’s not what I go after.
Smiles,
Fajin>>The key is to be one-pointed about everything that you’re doing, 24/7. That’s what the Eastern traditions emphasize<<
It's not only the Eastern traditions which emphasize that either…
"When you are doing any task at all, such as washing the dishes, simply focus all of your attention and concentration on doing exactly what you are doing. Do not allow your mind to wander… Treat the task at hand as if it were the most important thing in the world to you… As soon as you begin to find this exercise difficult to do, you are beginning to do it correctly."
– Mickaharic
"Above all you must become accustomed to performing all tasks with complete awareness, whether it be in your profession or in your private life, regardless of whether you are dealing with something major or not. This exercise has to be practiced for the rest of your life…"
– Bardon, "Initiation Into Hermetics"
I think there really is no mystery about any of this at all. It's all just – practice!
NN
>>I think there really is no mystery about any of this at all. It’s all just – practice!<<
*Well said. The obstacle is a wall 10 feet high. Past the wall, the prize is only 1 foot high. The highest is very ordinary.
Zen quote, "Before enlightenment, chopping wood and carrying water. After enlightenment, chopping wood and carrying water."
Fajin
We *should not* do this at all. We should be very serious and not talk about fairy tales and stroke our beards like sages, but…
Tell us! Tell what Zhang, Sanfeng was capable of! Who doesn’t need to be inspired by excellence occasionally? I don’t know these crazy Taoist guys too well yet, what were their legendary feats?
NN
Hi Nnonnth,
>>Tell us! Tell what Zhang, Sanfeng was capable of! Who doesn’t need to be inspired by excellence occasionally?<<
*Ah, my role model. OK, I'll mention. As you know he is the father of Wudang Kung Fu, creator of Taiji. Here are some links:
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