Tuesday, September 30, 2008

a travel inward

I sit in an easy posture, relaxed completely in order to watch, to feel, the happenings in my mind. Some call it meditation especially when the mood is one of reverence, devotion, or surrender. But I do not want to call it by any name because the intention is one of pure observation by means of direct feel. The idea is to try to feel the life pulsating within me, and to feel the source if possible.
I close my eyes. The closing of the eyes cuts off incoming impressions/images through the most important sense, the eyes. But I am unable to cut off the numerous sense impressions coming to me from all around through my two ears. I can be alert and attentive to all of them,- the chirping and singing of the birds, the distant dog barking, an electric motor running in the next house, television sounds from another house, the sounds of people talking as they pass bye the pathway on the northern side, a crow crowing from the tree outside, etc.,etc. I can pick and choose which one to be more attentive to. That means that my awareness that is spread about, can be condensed and focused to any of the particular signals. Similar is the case with the signals coming through the other senses, of touch, taste, and smell too. Or I can also ignore all. If I ignore them my attention/awareness is spread out thinly over all the sense impressions and the memories trying to erupt from behind the quiet mind. The mind has been otherwise quiet because it is engaged with attention to the sense signals. Of course, along with the sound signals their corresponding images also appear before my mind's eye for a split second and disappear as the next signal is focused on. Without the image of the crow, the call of the crow is nothing but an unpleasant sound signifying nothing. All these I am able to ignore, waiting keenly to find out what else is there inside, apart from the memory and reactions to sense impressions coming from outside.
Now, the senses of smell and taste are neutral. Smell can become active when some fragrance or order wafts by my nose. The taste in the mouth remains neutral. But the sense of touch is different. It seems to be there throughout the body, not at the skin level alone. It prevails even inside the body in a sense of alertness of every cell. I feel the breathing and heart beat going on. I can often make the whole body alert, and feel myself in a cocoon of alertness, snug and happy in a sort of nuzzled warmth and light. This I am able to bring about deliberately so as to be quiet, observant, and alertly aware of what next. One can be in that state for as long as one wishes.
All memories and sense impressions are ignored and I am left in a feeling of restful relaxation, a sort of euphoria. Some of the relaxation and euphoria remain even after I get up and go about.
BUT NOTHING NEW COMES UP, WHY? Is there nothing else inside, or through the inside, beyond?

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