Comment to 'Divine Eye Unlikely'
  • Divine eye unlikely? That is not such a terrible thing. And I feel that it depends on other aspects of practice as well.

    Stilling the mind is a great achievement. I believe it happens in stages and when it is initially attained, it is an acquired taste. When all the operations of the intellect cease such as memory, thinking, physical sensations, judgements, imaginations, and emotions,  the state of consciousness which is left is unsettling and I often feel an opposing force.  There can be a subtle pull to move off from the emptiness or nothingness. Sometimes I sense an uncomfortable pressure. All of these   indicate that I am actually rapidly toggling between mental movement and stillness. 

    If stillness is achieved, there may be a blank screen in front, grayish and unstructured,  like a fog. In stillness, there is no movement. From the point of stillness there is a knowing, observant function that is totally apart from usual mental operations. 

    Where is the bliss? Where is the sought after peace? Where is the opening of the divine eye? 

    The bliss and peace are subtle attachments which keep one in the sensual sphere. Attachment to any sense pleasure, no matter how subtle, causes one to yearn for these and hold onto these if they arise.

    However when things are truly empty and blank or vacant, that is weirdly strange. I’m trying to get familiar with it whenever I am able to successfully calm down the mental operations. In stillness, there is no mental movement and nothing to know. Desire is absent as well. One overlooked aspect of entering stillness, the place of no mental movement, no clinging, no reaching for any object whatsoever, is the development of virtue. The relationship between virtue and concentration is intimate. Each braces and complements the other. 

    Some very driven yogis are able to master concentration without the mastery of virtuous qualities. They will get mystic skills for sure but will they be able to go to higher realms or end rebirth altogether? What type of rebirth will they get?

    Spiritual and psychic development depends on so many things. Motive and virtue are essential for building the strong foundation for advancement. Patience is also essential. 

    Not developing the divine eye is okay. There’s plenty of other work to do that needs to be done to really elevate oneself.