Mindfulness Intercepts Thoughts
I've been working with mindfulness meditation for more than 5 years now. It is painstaking. The task at hand is to vigilantly keep track of mind and body sensations as they arise with the preliminary goal being to establish concentration which forms the basis for insight.
Recently as I was noting the in and out movement of the breath and also noting thoughts as they kept coming and going, I just kept persisting. In this type of meditation there are many struggles such as boredom, mental wandering and the mind's need to be entertained by the notion of "I" and all the stories surrounding that.
I kept persisting, which really is a crucial requirement, and about 35 minutes in, the mind shifted inside and noted a train of thought. At this point awareness was vague. It was by what happened immediately thereafter that I could really verify the internalization.
As soon as I caught and noted the thought train, I intercepted 2 unformed thoughts that surfaced right after. At the point of interception, each tiny form burst with an energy I felt and saw. Each burst out in a mini explosion which sent vibrabratory energy waves, tiny as they were, one after the other. I felt those waves and heard them like the muffled crashing of ocean waves. They appeared as a mixture of silver, black and grey as they exploded and then vanished.
This is all happened in mind moments (which can number up to 3000 per second according to Lord Buddha's calculations). The entire episode of mindfully noting the thought train and the cutting off of the 2 following thought formations happened in a second; in a treasured second.
In Buddhist theory, this experience would probably be classified as momentary insight. If I had been able to prolong the mindfulness, it could develop into what is called access insight. And beyond that follows the jhana states. For me, practicing as a lay person, this is a good experience which encourages me to keep on with the practice.
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inSelf Yoga™ has this practice as well even though it is defined in a different way and is stressed differently. Patanjali also has this practice in the Yoga Sutras where he wrote of the blank place in the moments between the rendering of one thought and then another.
व्युत्थाननिरोधसंस्कारयोरभिभवप्रादुर्भावौ निरोधक्षणचित्तान्वयो निरोधपरिणामः॥९॥
vyutthāna nirodha saṁskārayoḥ
abhibhava prādurbhāvau nirodhakṣaṇa
cittānvayaḥ nirodhapariṇāmaḥ
vyutthāna – expression; nirodha – suppression; saṁskārayoḥ – of the mento-emotional impressions; abhibhava – disappearance; prādurbhāvau – and manifestation; nirodha – restraint, cessation; kṣaṇa – momentarily; citta – mento-emotional energy; ānvayaḥ – connection; nirodha – restraint; pariṇāmaḥ – transforming effects.
When the connection with the mento-emotional energy momentarily ceases during the manifestation and disappearance phases when there is expression or suppression of the impressions, that is the restraint of the transforming mento-emotional energy. (Yoga Sutra 3.9)
It seems that Michael Beloved is the only teacher who stresses location of the thoughts and the realization that this location is itself the instrument which generates thoughts. That may be why my explanations appear different.
Is there really a difference?
Perhaps there is.
If I ask someone to focus on the images and sounds from a television, is that different to if I requested the person to ignore the images and only think of the gadget, the television.
Saying cease the images or saying pull the plug from the television? Is there a difference?
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Question from Michael: Is there a difference?
Marcia's statement/ observation: "I kept persisting, which really is a crucial requirement, and about 35 minutes in, the mind shifted inside and noted a train of thought. At this point awareness was vague. It was by what happened immediately thereafter that I could really verify the internalization."
Patanjali's stipulation: "When the connection with the mento-emotional energy momentarily ceases during the manifestation and disappearance phases when there is expression or suppression of the impressions, that is the restraint of the transforming mento-emotional energy. (Yoga Sutra 3.9)"
I have underlined what I see as a difference:The lapse of time between mento-emotional activities as they just ceased and right before they resume is the focal point in inSelf Yoga, as previously stressed by Rishi in his teachings.
And, that bears an additional difference between the generator of thoughts (even from outsourced origins) as the realizing element itself, to the psychic observer located further back in the subtle (and supersubtle) head.
Michael's statements:
"Is there really a difference?
Perhaps there is.
If I ask someone to focus on the images and sounds from a television, is that different to if I requested the person to ignore the images and only think of the gadget, the television."
I agree that there is also distinction in this aspect:
- The object as the projector and the generator (that may use external elements).
- The absence of that generator, by inactivity.
- And the observer, at a viewing/ perceiving distance.
The observer ultimate interest is to direct its resources and interest and attention onto itself, within that precious ephemeral lapse.
Thank you for sharing this great experience. It's very interesting to observe and analyze the similarities, as they assist me in reviewing my practice and think deeper on my methods.
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Thanks for your comments! I actually cannot understand that translation of Yoga Sutra 3.9.
In reference to this statement of Michael:
If I ask someone to focus on the images and sounds from a television, is that different to if I requested the person to ignore the images and only think of the gadget, the television.
In the application of mindfulness, one isn't focusing intensely. What one does is note and DROP whatever arises. If this is done correctly, after long and steady practice, one will be so swift in dropping that one begins to be situated in the passing away (cessation) state.
The experience I shared, did not develop into that. I did not have enough momentum to situate awareness in the gap/lapse (as Surya referenced to) between expression (arising) and suppression (passing away).
I did reach there once, after reading a book titled Present Fresh Wakefulness by Chokyi Nyima Rinpochi. He describes the lapse/gap as the natural state which has an inseparable ability to cognize. More simply put--a state of empty cognizance.
After experiencing that, I had a nagging sense of needing to penetrate into that emptiness even further.
And yes, Surya, experiences like these, by any of us, are always helpful in getting us to review and think deeper.
And usually for me, I tend to have these types of breakthroughs when I am disgusted with my progress and my ability, with circumstances which don't support practice, and general disenchantment. When I sat to meditate that day, I really was letting go and surrendering to the bare practice.
