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Validation and Verification of Personal Experiences on the Second Day
of Starting the Practice.
THE EFFECTS OF TM ON MIND & BODY
When we talk of mind and body we talk of consciousness and nervous
system. This is the sixth step in learning the practice of TM which is
the practical aspect of the Science of Creative Intelligence.35
In the First Day of Verification and Validation
of Personal Experiences, we analyzed the experiences in the light of
correct and incorrect characteristics of meditation. And after the first
day of verification and validation of experiences the beginner of
meditation feels so confident in his practice intellectually that the
real joy of practice starts from the next day. It is always
supplementary; knowledge is always supplementary to experience. When the
first day one meditates and when his experiences are verified and
validated as correct experiences and if he has been a little off the way
he is brought back amended. Incorrect experiences amended -- practice
stabilized. And then when he starts to meditate he really experiences
something with the total value of his mind and feelings, emotion and
understanding. So the Second Day after starting the practice it is very
important to see what he experiences in the full value of his enthusiasm
of the practice. Because the First Day he has known this is right, this
is not right; now with this knowledge of right and wrong of the practice,
when he practices naturally the practice is more straight and therefore,
we expect him to experience whatever he experiences during the meditation
much more clearly than what he did on the First Day; and therefore this
is the time, the Second Day is the time, to actually analyze the
experiences in the light of body and mind. Consciousness and nervous
system; again there is a standard form to fill out; and the items of that
form then are analyzed in terms of what is happening to the mind and what
is happening to the body.
And it is a very, we would say, critical time in the history of
practice of meditation that a man starts on; he starts on a new page of
the history of his life; the Second Day of verification and validation of
personal experience is so very important; this, as we say, he's starting
on a new page of the book of history of his life.36 This is
the day when he is going to know what happens on the level of the body;
mind and body; consciousness and nervous system; and very interesting and
very informative knowledge is going to come up. We'll begin with
reviewing these experiences from both points of view, mind and body. All
the fine mechanics through which the mind traverses in this practice will
be revealed on the basis of the personal experiences which the man writes
down on this form. Let us see the form and closely, on the basis of these
items in the form, we'll analyze, and lay out a procedure which will
establish the details of happening on the part of the mind and on the
side of the body. Yes, let's see what the form contains.
SECOND DAY FOLLOWING INITIATION
- How many times have you meditated since your last checking?37
- How long did you meditate each time?
- Did you at any moment find that you were unaware of body and
surroundings?
- Did thoughts disturb you?
- During meditation did you notice any change in your breathing?
- Approximately how many times do you lose the mantra during each
meditation?
- Do you remember any moments when there was [sic] no mantra and no
thoughts?
- After meditation do you feel inclined to rest or do you feel energetic?
- Have you noticed any indication of increasing clarity of mind?
- Have you noticed any improvement in your relationship with others?
- Has anyone remarked upon any change in you?
- How do you feel today as compared to yesterday?
- Do you now feel that you have understood how to meditate?
- Any other remarks?
- Come tomorrow for verification of experiences and further
instructions at: time place.
Read out the theme of analyzing these experiences.
SECOND DAY EFFECTS OF TM ON MIND & BODY: CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE
NERVOUS SYSTEM
PURPOSE: To explain normalization of the nervous system.
Mechanics of stress release. Inward and outward strokes of meditation,
bubble diagram, and grid. Value of thoughts and subjective and objective
experiences.
Structure of Meeting:
- Pass out forms and collect.
- Go over forms and answer questions (20 minutes).
- Could being by asking for particular results noticed in activity.
- Ask if everyone had their two meditations at home; if began and ended
with half minute/two minutes of silence.
- It was easy, some relaxation afterwards?
- Group meditation as soon as convenient.
DISCUSSION OF EXPERIENCE
We do not attempt to evaluate our meditations subjectively.38 But tonight we are
going to analyze and evaluate all the possible experiences which can come
up.
We have experienced in meditation that the mind experiences finer
stats of the mantra without any effort on out part to reduce the mantra
to finer states.
This means the mind travels inward spontaneously. Spontaneously means
motivated by its own nature to settle down, therefore when the mind
travels inward spontaneously, it is surprising how it comes out into a
thought.
We must find an explanation for this outward march of the mind. Let us
examine what happens when we meditate. The mind experiences finer states
of the mantra, less concrete, more vague. Mental activity is reduced.
When mental activity is reduced, the physical activity of the nervous
system is reduced. We experience that breathing becomes less. With this
the nervous system gets rest. With deep rest, deep rooted stresses are
released (dissolved).39 The activity of release of
stress is physical activity in the nervous system. This produces
corresponding mental activity. This mental activity is a thought. Thus we
find that a thought is an indication that some stress has already
been released. Stress in the system is a foreign material40 and the nervous
system is so constructed that it wants to throw out any deposit of
foreign material. This is the nature of the nervous system.
Bubble Diagram
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Thus we find the nature of the body (nervous system) is responsible
for the outward stroke of the mind. Whereas the nature of the mind is
responsible for the inward stroke. It is clear therefore that the
movements of the mind inward and outward are both natural and it's better
that we don't interfere with that which is natural. We start meditation
and then, because everything that happens is natural, we are happy with
what is naturally happening. Nature does it, and because nature is
Almighty, we refrain from interfering with what nature is doing, because
it is not possible for our individuality to succeed in what nature is
naturally accomplishing. If we try in any way, we can only cause strain,
therefore we don't try to stop the mantra as it is becoming finer and
finer.
This is the inward stroke of meditation. Allow it to go to whatever
extent it goes. We don't stop the mantra when it is going away and we
don't resist thoughts as they come. Innocent is the way to deal with
natural phenomena. Innocence is the technique of TM. Whenever we find
that a thought has come up, we quietly, innocently come back to the
mantra. Thoughts result from the release of some stress and therefore we
can only have a friendly attitude towards it. Never do we grumble against
thoughts because grumbling against thoughts means grumbling against the
release of stress and that means grumbling against the most intimate
effect of successful meditation.
Grid Diagram
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- What we mean by stress and how it got there: Physiological
abnormality at the material or structural level caused by undo pressure
of experience (overload). Introduce bubble diagram and grid.
- How it can be dissolved: The natural and most effective way of
eliminating stress is through rest. The rest gained during sleep is
valuable in eliminating the normal fatigue of the day. The deeper and
more significant rest gained during TM allows the body spontaneously to
throw off the deeper accumulated stresses.
- What happens during this process: When this process of release
of stress occurs, there is an increase in physiological activity in the
nervous system. This produces a corresponding increase in mental
activity, which is experienced as thoughts in meditation. With this
knowledge about the mechanics of TM we now have a basis for understanding
all our experiences during meditation.
NOTE: [Macro error: Can't compile this script because of a syntax error.]
It's just like diving. Even a shallow dive brings us
out refreshed -- to move towards purity, i.e., towards a field of greater
happiness, i.e., to "throw off" impurities. (snowplow analogy
-- clear the way and advance.41)
NOTE: Someone's experience is a good launching pad for
discussion of stress release.
What is now essential is to relate the mechanics of TM to the
meditator's specific experiences. All these experiences will fall into
the following general categories:
- 1. Mantra
- Vehicle for inward stroke of meditation (principle of comfortable ride)
- 2. Thoughts
- The release of stress is physical. Physical activity causes mental
activity. It is the quality of the stress that structures the mood of the
mind. Mind cannot have a mood on an abstract basis. Therefore mind picks
up something familiar, something of the environment now, and justifies
its mood on this basis. If one is guided by the meaning, by the meaning
of a thought, then one is completely misled. The thought may be my friend
coming tomorrow. To this is attributed the happy mood but in actuality
the happy thought has been structured by the mood that arose from the
release of a stress which was caused by some experience of overpowering
happiness. This is the reason our policy is not to be moved or guided by
thoughts in meditation. We don't take thoughts seriously. We don't give
any importance to any thought. We don't act on thoughts that arise during
meditation, just because they came during meditation. When we want to act
on a thought that came during meditation then we consider it from the
level of common sense afterwards. Thoughts are not the dissolving
but are the by products of dissolving process (analogy: cleaning house --
dust flies -- why bother to look at dust). So we don not bother analyzing
thoughts, we comfortably come back to the mantra.
3. Amount of thoughts
- (Initiator should ask meditators, "How many have felt that they
were having many thoughts?" or "How many people have felt that
they were absorbed in thoughts for a long time, or day dreaming,
etc.?" Such questions are important to bring out the teaching and
should be employed frequently.)
ANSWER: Many thoughts indicate a valuable release of stress.
Being absorbed in a thought or daydreaming, etc., means a continued
dissolution of some stress. When the activity of release of stress is
completed, thoughts no longer grip the mind, we become aware, "Oh, I
am aware I am thinking thoughts." Then this is the green light to
come back to the mantra.
- 4. Mantra & thoughts
- Some release of stress occurs but not sufficient to overshadow the
mantra. We take it as it comes.
- 5. Mantra becoming finger
- "Sometimes the mantra gets fainter and there is some light
dissolving of stress which is just enough to keep the mantra from going
any finer. Then the mantra seems to stay on the gross levels but
it has become faint enough to start the release of stress which then may
prevent it from getting fainter. At this point the mantra keeps going and
at that time we don't become annoyed with the mantra because it is not
becoming fainter or subtler. We are unconcerned with how the mantra goes
-- just take it as it comes. What holds the mantra from becoming finer?
The release of stress due to deep rest causes some mental activity which
is not strong enough to overshadow the mantra from that level."
"At any time we don't mind if the mantra does not become finer.
Our policy is not to look for refinement of the mantra."
"In a lighted room, we don't expect any shadow. Nevertheless
every object casts a shadow. As light increases, shadows move and our
attention may go to that movement. But shadows are moving on their way
out (and then ultimately when the light surrounds the object there can be
no more shadow). In this analogy the body is like the room and the pure
nature of creative intelligence (pure consciousness) is like the light.
As the influence of the pure nature of creative intelligence increases,
all aspects of the nervous system become enlivened; and as this
enlivening influences increases, it dissolves the stress which inhibits
and restricts the light of the pure nature of creative
intelligence."
The disappearing of the stresses is likened to the moving of the
shadows and as the light of the pure nature of creative intelligence
enlivens the nervous system more and more, stresses dissolve and
eventually all the stresses disappear, and then there's no obstruction to
the full brilliance of the pure nature of creative intelligence. In this
state, life is lived in pure consciousness. This is the state which we
will deal with tomorrow. Now, coming back to the analogy; when the
shadows move, since we have been accustomed to them (stresses), we may
feel some uneasiness, some roughness.42 This could result in a
desire to get up out of meditation. The experience will depend on how
fast the shadow is moving, how fast the shadow is being released. Then is
not the time to get up. This is the time for the mind to cooperate with
the body, which is losing its familiar acquaintances. Stress has been
sitting there for a very long time.
"We know it for what it is, release of stress. IF the release of
stress is very dominant, don't try to force the mantra, ease off, and the
mind will be innocently drawn to some physical activity in the body (checking notes) When the situation is
easier, and we notice that other thoughts are coming, we quietly come
back to the mantra."
- 6. Two minutes of silence at the end of meditation
- It is very important not to jump out of meditation. If we come
out fast, the system will receive a shock. During meditation the
system continues to be more and more restful. When this is the case then
it's good to give it a moment to stop that process before going into
activity. Thereby we prevent a shock. You don't put the car in forward
gear while it is reversing. The transition from increasing rest to
activity should be gradual in case, during meditation, unknowingly, some
little effort has occurred and owing to that some stress has
accumulated.43 During the two minutes of
silence this can be neutralized. Another point -- in case during this
period of quietness one feels some sensation in the body, mind will
naturally locate it and in feeling it for these two minutes of silence
most of it will dissolve. I said most of it -- that means in case
some of it continues to be felt after two minutes, don't mind -- easily
get up and start activity.44
There may be a third situation in which the sensation continues to be
felt even after meditation. This will indicate that some stress is continuing to be released. The best way to
deal with it is either continue feeling it for another five minutes
sitting, eyes closed, or lie down with closed eyes, continue feeling it.
If sleep comes, let it come.
In case strong physical sensations are felt, it is advisable to keep
the eyes closed for some time. Sit quietly until sensations significantly
diminish.
- 7. "No mantra, no thought"
- This is transcending or inner wakefulness. It's possible to have a
clear or perhaps hazy experience of this.
We may transcend many times during a particular meditation, perhaps
even for a fraction of a second, but whether we experience this clearly
or vaguely, the value of pure consciousness begins to be established in
activity.
CONCLUSION
This evening we have discussed the inward and outward strokes of TM.
Inward stroke is based on the natural tendency of the mind to evolve.
Outward stroke on the natural tendency of body to evolve. Whether during
meditation we find the inward or outward predominates, we are
happy45 with
what is happening because we know that development of both mind and body
are necessary to support freedom and fulfillment in life.
AS A BRIDGE TO THIRD NIGHT
Talk about activity, bring out the value of activity. "We have
seen that we don't meditate for the sake of meditation. It is out of
meditation that we enjoy the results of meditation. When TM is added to
the routine of life, then transcendental consciousness, pure
consciousness, the pure nature of creative intelligence, rises into
waking activity and makes us more creative day by day and brings life to
higher levels of achievements. Tomorrow evening we'll go into higher
states of consciousness."
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