The plague of a modern person is the overloaded head which is almost impossible to calm down. Here is the coolest animation ever on how meditation helps. Enjoy 🙂
for those, who have not tired out any meditation yet (i guess they are not many today) my tip to start with the following.
LOVE; axinia
axinia
![Lake Dillon and a Tree [In Explore]](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53731226172_4004cbfea4_s.jpg "Lake Dillon and a Tree [In Explore]")
1000 petals by axinia 
this animation refreshed me and was helpful indeed. Thank you for such pictorial sermon. My Butterfly in Plaster continue its fly due to your support.
Brilliant. This actually relates to several of your recent posts. One lesson to take is before you pass judgment or react to any person or event, be mindful that windows to higher consciousness can open in the most unexpected ways.
That’s why material existence should be considered a blessing. Because it offers everyone infinite ways to gain enlightenment. You just have to accept the risk that if also offers infinite traps. That’s why we must meditate. And that is why we need skill with a sword–figuratively speaking.
Any disturbing noise can be as helpful as silence. By dropping inner resistance to the noise, by allowing it to be as it is. true intelligence operates silently. Amazingly, ‘stillness speaks’ the most, doesn’t it! becoming aware of silence, that state of inner still alertness-being ‘present’. One is aware, but not thinking….beyong the thinking mind:))))….the ‘I Am’ that is deeper than name and form.
Silence is the language of God, all else is poor translation. … –Rumi;
I realize…in us, in our secret depth, lies the knowing element which sees and hears that which we do not see nor hear. All our perceptions, all the things we have done, all that we are today, dwelt once in that knowing, silent depth, that treasure chamber in the soul. And we are more than we think, We are more than we know…
‘A Great Silence overcomes me,
and I wonder why I ever thought to use language ‘(￣▽￣)
And we are more than we think, We are more than we know…
Precisely, Mirel! 🙂 That’s why it’s absolutely essential for us to KNOW exactly who we are, and what better way to know who we are than to THINK, discover and find out???
The immortal words, “Man, Know Thyself!” come to mind 🙂
————————————————————-
As you may expect, I don’t agree with the message this video is trying to convey, Axinia 😐
But I do like the animation – it’s wonderfully made and beautifully picturised. And boy, am I impressed by the sword skills of the animated character! 🙂 I wish I could wield a samurai sword with the precision and skill shown by this character!
🙂
im truly happy for this terrific samurai warrior:))
reaching this ‘thoughtless awareness’- a state which lucky meditation folks reach after a certain time and devotion: a very delicate/hard work, it’s the most detached work 🙂
It leads one to a pure perceptive existence as opposed to the usual projective perception of the world,. The mind sees the outside world only through the limitations of his own understanding, through the tinted lenses of human categories, laws of logic and interpretation based on past experiences.
It’s reaching beyond the ‘thinking mind’, allowing one to enter this state of absolute silence, where one is totally aware of the surroundings without ‘coloring’ them with the projection of our thoughts
As pure Being, pure existence, one can experience reality as such, without translator, without thoughts
Words meaningless, one has to reach that dimension to experience it! (even if it is only for a few minutes a day)
It’s reaching beyond the ‘thinking mind’
Dear Mirel, what lies beyond the ‘thinking mind’??? There can be only three things:
1) A RESTING mind – as experienced during sleep,
2) A NUMBED mind – when under the influence of alcohol, narcotics and other mind-altering substances which give one a supposed “high” and
3) A DEAD mind – which is self-explanatory.
#1 is necessary and it’s important that this occurs at periodic intervals for both mind and body to function normally.
#2 means there is something wrong with the mind, if it has to seek external chemical substances to experience a supposedly “blissful” state.
#3 literally happens only once in a lifetime normally. But figuratively, it can happen whenever the mind is not in #1 and #2 and yet, refuses to be in its normal thinking state.
In other words, an unthinking mind that is not in #1 or #2 is as good as a DEAD mind 😐
Of what use is a guitar whose strings have fused together that it cannot even emit a noise (let alone music) 😕 Of what use is a pen that refuses to write as its nib is broken 😕 Of what use is a mind that cannot think because it does not want to 😕 Sadly, all the three are as good as dead! 😐
The beauty of the guitar lies only in its ability to emit lovely music! Without that, it is as good as a dead log of wood. The beauty of a pen lies in its ability to write what its holder wants to put on paper! Without that, it is as good as a piece of junk plastic (or metal or whatever). The beauty of the human mind lies only in its ability to think! Without that, the human mind would be as good as the “mindless” brain of the fly shown in the animation, controlling bodily functions, but unable to perform higher abilities 😐
🙂
Saadi a famous Sufi master in his Gulistan (Rose garden) says: Deep in the sea are riches beyond compare. But if you seek safety, it is on the shore.
Raj’s comment reminded me of something I would like to share. I can speak for myself only that at the beginning of my search, I quite often would say that logical this and that should be the case. When I started to read about meditation when I was younger I had similar thoughts to what Raj has said above. However, when I actually started to meditate, in a sincere way it definitely wasn’t as I imagined it.
A teacher once said: ‘He would taste knows’. Logic from what I was taught and have experienced is quite limited, especially in the expression of things beyond logic. With that said it is possible to have the mind shut off, for periods of time. This has happened to me not just in meditation, but while walking my digs, cooking dinner, working with Red Hat Linux, etc. Ultimately, I feel that unless one has the experiences of this silence that is alluded to in the quote above or to what lies beyond the mind, nothing will really make sense. If one is willing to throw oneself into the ocean then all becomes possible.
Just thinking aloud
Dave
Cher Dave,
Wise as the words of the Sufi master are, would I be willing to jump into the middle of the ocean, where the sea is the deepest, just like that? No, I wouldn’t 😐 You may certainly believe I am an unadventurous person seeking the safety of the shore or a boat while in the ocean, I have no problems with that – as I don’t believe in living in denial. The least I would expect while jumping into the ocean is to have a breathing apparatus on me (to seek and enjoy the riches in the ocean), or a lifejacket at the very least (to prevent drowning) 😐
Unlike fishes and ocean-dwelling mammals (like whales and dolphins), humans evolved to live on land, didn’t we? Then why should we try to live in the sea 😕 Sure, getting to discover what lies in the ocean by diving underwater once in a while is fine, but living in it???
Having said that, I agree with what you said about the mind shutting itself off while performing certain tasks.
After all, once we take a liking to doing something and keep doing it repeatedly and enjoy it, it becomes kind of “second nature”. Once we master a task, we can perform it “without thinking” OR, in seeking to master it, concentrate so hard that all “other thoughts” vanish and the mind gets totally involved only in what we are doing 🙂
But again, “thoughtlessness” is not something so special that it is difficult to achieve. Each and every one of us experiences thoughtlessness every day (or rather, every night) – you guessed it, while sleeping! 🙂
For those who claim that meditation stops us from looking at “existence” based on perspective, experiences, thoughts, logic etc. and allows us to “just exist” without the above mentioned things, sleep ALSO helps us to do exactly the SAME thing! Sleep also enables us to experience “thoughtlessness” and while we are sleeping, we “just exist”.
There is only ONE difference between the two. And that is, sleep is a NATURAL body rhythm, designed to allow the body to periodically rest and allowing the mind to experience “thoughtlessness”. Meditation is a forced and ARTIFICIAL experience, wherein thoughtlessness is NOT brought about by the body, but by the mind tricking itself into “thoughtlessness”. However, as the body is not completely resting (as it does during sleep) and the senses are awake (and therefore aware), meditation becomes “thoughtless awareness” 😐 It’s that plain and simple – it’s NEITHER difficult to understand rocket-science NOR is it some inexplicable “spiritual” phenomenon! 😐
So does meditation a.k.a. “thoughtless awareness” have any benefits? You may be surprised by my answer – of course, it does! 🙂 Just like sleep has its benefits of “refreshing” the body and “resetting” the mind, meditation too has its benefits and it has been proven that it can reduce (at least partially) stress, anxiety, high blood pressure, irritability etc. So it is good to meditate and experience “thoughtless awareness” once in a while or at periodic intervals? – yes, especially if you want to reduce the factors mentioned in the previous sentence.
If it’s good and has benefits, then wouldn’t it be great to go into a state of permanent meditation a.k.a. “thoughtless awareness” 😕 Well, going into permanent mind-induced “thoughtless awareness” is just as good as going into permanent body-induced “thoughtlessness” a.k.a. sleep. And everyone knows what the other word for “permanent sleep” is 😐
Whichever way you look at it, it all boils down to the same. And that is exactly what I meant in my previous comment about states of the mind 😐
This is just the way I believe it is, and you are welcome to contradict me.
🙂
Raj,
It was nice to hear from you. Hope all is well. What you feel is quite fine by me, and I am no one to say what is right or wrong. Or what meditation is or isn’t. At best I can say that your views are different from mine nad what I have experienced. I just wanted to share some thoughts. If they find a resonance within anyone reading then of course doors open up and we ‘sit’ and talk.
The jump into the sea was of course a metaphor. I do not know how to swim and haven’t evolved gills or an air bladder although the water bill may say different. My only point in sharing was more to reflect using metaphors how different things were for me when I read and thought about meditation/mysticism and experienced them myself.
Of course, I understand it was a metaphor, Dave. I tried to use the same metaphorical terms (deep ocean, shore etc.) to convey what I meant to, but I guess I should have been more clear while replying using the same 😐
Yes, I guess our views are a bit different on this (NOT totally different, as I DO realise meditation is quite beneficial). I greatly respect your views on this however different (or similar) they may be from mine as you have good experience with different kinds of mysticism and I like to learn from others experiences and thoughts.
🙂
Dear Raj,
this is for you.
Mental silence promotes better health
By Dr Ramesh Manocha | Published: November 29, 2010
It emerged from this survey’s findings that long term meditators who use a mental silence orientated form of meditation, do experience better mental and physical health than the general population and that the “meditative lifestyle” appears to be specifically associated with better health scores.
Importantly, the strongest and most consistent relationship between the health advantages experienced by this sample was with the experience of mental silence.
Interestingly, those who participated in a convenience sample of meditators using meditation techniques not focused on mental silence, did not appear to experience the same health advantage.
This finding strengthens the notion that mental silence and its associated yogic philosophy, may provide a basis for a typology of meditation that has practical salience. Furthermore, the empirical data here suggests a meaningful link between a specific state of consciousness and health and wellbeing benefits thereby providing a new perspective for scholars interested in the relationship between religiosity and health.
Does Meditation Have a Specific Effect? A Systematic Experimental Evaluation of a Mental Silence Orientated Definition
Meditation is increasingly popular in Western society but the practice itself has been subjected to little high quality scientific scrutiny. The peer-reviewed literature features more than 3,500 english-speaking publications on or about meditation, but currently only 118 are true randomised, controlled trials (RCTs). A systematic review and meta-analysis of these RCTs clearly demonstrates the methodological and conceptual shortcomings that characterise the extant data, showing that there is no consistent evidence of a specific effect associated with meditation. The main reason for this, it is proposed in this thesis, is the lack of a consistent and meaningful definition of meditation that reflects the cultural ideas from which it originated. Exploring the original descriptions of the meditative experience however reveals that a key feature of the traditional understanding of meditation is the experience of mental silence. Despite this, Western definitions characterise meditation as a method of relaxation, focusing of attention or cognitive modification. The definitions of meditation used by Western scientists therefore do not appear to reflect the understanding of meditation as described in the Eastern traditions from which it originated. To explore the salience of the mental silence concept a survey of 348 meditators who used a single, mental silence-orientated form of meditation called Sahaja Yoga was conducted. It demonstrated that meditators had better mental and physical health compared to the rest of the population but also that a consistent relationship between health, especially mental health, and self-reported experience of mental silence existed. Subsequently, a series of clinical studies were implemented with participants suffering from menopausal symptoms, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, asthma and occupational stress to determine if a causal relationship between this mental silence orientated form of meditation and health existed. The latter two studies were RCTs specifically designed to exclude non-specific “placebo” effects. Finally, a heuristic physiological study of meditators manifested reductions in skin temperature during meditation thereby contradicting the “reduced physiological arousal” conceptualisation of meditation. The outcomes of these studies provided consistent evidence that Sahaja Yoga, and hence the mental silence experience that typifies it, is associated with a specific, therapeutic effect that is detectable with certain physiological, behavior
Raj , That’s why Sahajayoga.! It is not just relaxation or like any other relaxation technique which gives simple physiological effects. it is beyond that….. this is from “gut feeling”
In the meditative state of “thoughtless awareness” one is completely spontaneous, drawing knowledge and awareness directly from the Cosmic Principle via the Sahasrara without the interference of intellectual activity.
As Gandhi advised on the value of inner silence: ” What a great thing it would be if we in our busy lives …prepare our minds to listen to the voice of the Great Silence. The Divine Radio is always singing if we could only make ourselves ready to listen to it, but it is impossible to listen without silence”.
When Albert Einstein said that we only use 10% of our brain he was unconsciously alluding to the existence of the Sahasrara. That is, that the highest potential of the human brain, in fact the human being, is not realised when we are in the throes of intense intellectual activity but, in fact, when we go beyond the intellect to access the Universal Unconscious within each of us.
Einstein himself gives a great example of how this aspect of the human brain works: Many of us would assume that he discovered the theory of relativity during an intense period of thought . In fact Einstein made this discovery while blowing bubbles with his grandson! He describes how was admiring the bubbles that he was blowing and then suddenly the solution to the problem of relativity spontaneously came into his attention!
What happened? He was not actually thinking about the problem at the time when the solution occurred to him! In fact he had, momentarily, taken his mind off the problem, became engrossed in the meditative exercise (non-thinking) of blowing bubbles and in this moment his Sahasrara was able to provide an answer that his intellect was not capable of giving.
As Einstein himself said “Ideas come from God”. This is in agreement with Eastern metaphysics which explains that all our ideas, inventions and original solutions are ultimately derived from the cosmic consciousness . When we are seeking an answer to a problem, this cosmic intelligence, in its compassion for us, supplies the answer in the form of insight. The true scientist, in his quest for truth, joins the true mystic as each ultimately strives to derive answers from the stuff of their gut feelings!
There many other examples of our unconscious knowledge of the subtle energies within us. When we navigate “by the seat of our pants” we are using the subtle quality of the mooladhara chakra. Creative block, experienced by artists who suddenly exhaust their creative powers, is due to an exhaustion of the Swadhisthana Chakra.
While this innate knowledge exists within all of us we clearly need to become more attuned to it if we are to use it to our benefit. How? An authentic meditation technique is the key to realising these subtle energy mechanisms. Sahaja yoga meditation is one of only a few techniques that enables the seeker to experience the state of thoughtless awareness and to become tangibly aware of the chakras within us.
Hope you will not angry at me….
Dear Maheshsaheb,
When have I ever been “angry” with you 😕 Or for that matter, anyone who holds very different views from those of mine 😕 I may be a thoroughly hated and despised undesirable to many who cannot tolerate my plain-speaking which exposes their big lies, hypocrisy and rabid deception, but I don’t get “angry” with them unless they get “angry” with me. It’s typical of lowlife hordes to rabidly hate persons whose views and ideas they cannot tolerate as it exposes their own uncouth behaviour, lies and hypocrisy. I wouldn’t want to be stooping down to their level and get “angry” with people whose views are radically different from mine.
As for meditation, I won’t deny (and have NEVER denied) that meditation and “mental silence” has some benefits on health. It does have an effect on reducing stress, anxiety, irritability etc. and improving concentration, focus etc. Translated into physical terms, this can mean (to a certain extent, at least) that some health benefits can indeed be had (like lowered blood pressure, for instance, among others).
But if you want me to believe permanent meditation and mental silence hold the answers to everything, then all I can say is that I’m not that naïve, gullible or clueless 😐
As for Einstein’s quote, with due respects to him, I simply cannot agree with his belief that “All ideas come from God”, if he indeed said that. When “God” itself/Himself is a mere idea, then how in the universe can “all ideas come from God” 😕 If “God” were so connected to humanoids that “all ideas came from God”, then at the very least, “God” should have made able to make all humanoids behave like decent creatures. Considering that there are vast numbers of ever-multiplying hordes of turdy, pea-brained, sub-human, sadistic creatures who exist at the evolutionary level of scum beings, Einstein’s belief has disproved itself as far as I’m concerned 😐
As for the idea that even geniuses use only 10% of the brain, I do agree with him. But that only means the remaining 90% of the potential THINKING CAPACITY of the human brain remains unused. It doesn’t mean the remaining 90% consists of dead, worthless, useless, unthinking capacity. If that were the case, then the cave-dwelling savages of millennia ago (who probably used only about 1% of their thinking capacity) would have been far more evolved than modern day hominoids, getting even more “ideas” from “God” than the ones today do. If Einstein meant such a thing, he would have stated it directly and plainly 😐
You are welcome to believe in what you do, Maheshsaheb, and I’m no one to change your beliefs and have no intention of doing so either 😐 For me, even if Einstein or Newton or Edison or even “God” Himself were to state something, I wouldn’t believe it until I have enough reason to do so. That’s what science, reasoning and thinking are all about. Being someone who hasn’t even reached 10% of his THINKING CAPACITY (as I’m NO genius), I wish to progress (however little it may be) further down the evolutionary path of the remaining 90% and who knows, may be more, that still remains. I’m not willing to completely give up thinking and reasoning ability just because many believe it has been good for them and want me to do the same. It would be regressive as far as I’m concerned and I’m not willing to go down that path.
There is enough evidence all around the world that non-thinking bubble dwelling has proved to be an EPIC FAIL in the service of humankind. What better evidence than that eternal, stinking, sub-human cess-pool of an evil turd world land – the satanic shit pit called the turdy Indian empire? Despite the innumerable non-thinking bubble dwellers who walked upon this land, the ones who believed they had supposedly “solved all the mysteries of the universe” 😆 by dwelling inside their non-thinking bubbles, they were never (and will never be able) to get the hordes and hordes of sub-human savages that inhabited (and continue to inhabit) the eternal sewer of the Earth to behave even in a decent or human way, let alone in a civilised manner.
What’s the use of non-thinking bubble-dwelling when it has proven to be completely unable to turn turdy, sub-human hordes practising the most uncouth, filthiest systems and barbarities on the planet into proper humans, let alone civilised beings 😕
😐
(contd. below…)
(contd…)
I’m very sorry, dear Maheshsaheb 😦 but I would rather buy a bottle of snake oil to cure all ailments than believe non-thinking and bubble dwelling is the answer to everything in the universe, when the opposite is so clearly the case 😐 Perhaps I would have been more willing to believe in the same if I were a typically naïve, gullible or clueless person from a civilised society in the West (not the civilised Far East, as they are not so gullible when it comes to supposed “spirituality”) who is fed up with the fast-paced and tough, draining life around him and who looks to something exotic, untried and different to cure the “effects of materialism” that they have been (savagely and falsely) brainwashed 😡 to believe is the cause of all their worries, both personal and societal.
Not belonging to that category and being someone who is completely aware of (and totally detests and abhors) the sheer savagery, sadism, hypocrisy, deception, barbarism, lies and utter sub-humanism of the turdy and satanically evil eternal sewer of the planet (the filthy, stinking, turd world, sub-humanly evil Indian empire), I’m not someone who can be made to believe non-thinking bubble-dwelling is the answer to all the mysteries of the universe. It is NOT the answer and has NEVER, EVER been the case! When non-thinking bubble-dwelling cannot even make the uncouth hordes who inhabit the land (where many of its practitioners lived and live) behave in a decent, human, ethical way, let alone in a civilised manner of a human being or the turdy, sub-human shit pit called the evil Indian empire behave like even a semi-civilised country, I cannot see even a single benefit to humankind or the planet that non-thinking bubble-dwelling has contributed.
If you mean meditation has certain health benefits, yes I do agree with that as I have so often stated both on this post and elsewhere. I don’t deny those benefits. And I have never denied them anywhere.
But they are nothing special, absolutely not! 😐 The same (and more) can be had by good and regular sleep, healthy activities, physical and mental exercise, balanced and nutritious diet and training the mind to think in a calm and measured way.
On the other hand, if you want me to believe non-thinking bubble-dwelling and a state of permanent, artificial, unnatural thoughtlessness is the answer to unlocking all the mysteries of the universe and is the answer to all of humankind’s problems, then you can be “angry” with me or even start “hating” me 😦 for stating this, but I simply don’t believe in the same 😐
As you (and others) may have guessed, dear Maheshsaheb, diplomatic niceties, couched in polite language, euphemisms and beating around the bush are not my way of saying things 😐 I try to cultivate a habit of simple plain speak, sharply blunt and directly to-the-point, straight from the heart, of describing things as I believe and feel they are, afraid of no one or nothing. While it has lost me many supposed “friends” and earned the sheer hatred and despise of the hypocritical, lying, deceiving, lowlife hordes who cannot stand my plain speak, I’m not willing to give up something I stand for just because it will lose me supposed “friends”. I’m very sorry if what I’ve said caused disappointment to you or even made you “angry” at me, but I couldn’t help it 😐
🙂
Raj I am not angry.I was simply joking by knowing your nature and expecting your reaction. Still you have given very sobar reaction than expected. I know your answer before only. You know I like your straight forwardness. What ever may be right or wrong. I am not expecting change of attitude within one day or one writing as for developing it takes years. And I am not expecting to change also. These are individual views we are sharing otherwise everybody is free to behave with his own way.
What i suggest … dont see extremes try to come at midpoint. or balanced
after all everything is depend on individuals attitude development. your answer is lies in that only ie why or why not and .life is never that easy to answer in one sentence. it is totally depend on humans true development within and outside …million doller question is how many are really ready for that ? and want?and I know that can not be judged in just one angle or view. Thanks Raj even though angry with each other with different view of certain extent we love too… I know.
‘A Great Silence overcomes me,
and I wonder why I ever thought to use language ‘(￣▽￣)
Nimirel, you have written very big and unique question which one should ask to oneself.It is said that man is social animal and to communicate he uses language.It is basic thing but with language are we able to communicate? Then why there is so much diversity and confusion. even can we talk oneself and try to find out what is my need,destination and who am I ? ( since birth we are simply running and running there is no time to talk oneself also and funny thing is we don’t know What is my destination? Why I am creating so much relations and getting involved in its problems arise due to bad language/communication)
I Think during mental silence vibrations are the means of communication rather than generating thought first and then using language but it seems that create confusion more. so look within to find oneself and get connected to almighty ,use vibrations ( Mental Silence) and find better communication with self,others and GOD. One should try and learn to enjoy it. It will reduce ego’s ,confusion, anger,diversity and will increase love and peace What do you think?
Amazing, way to illustrate the power of the human mind — The true power of the human mind!
see within … and don’t get disturbed by any distraction . even certain thoughts actions of our friends or just unknown which we find nuisance can be made productive or helpful by just changing our thought process….. Thought process is like cobweb usually we enters in it and just remain there doesn’t come out. and we find problem bigger and bigger just growing like anything and we find helpless ourselves. Meditation help us to change thought process as well as to come out from it. we always find something good out of it.
what i really like about this animation, is the ideas that as soon as you start following your thoughts /hauting them like flies, the multiplie! To this his is essenial in a meditation – don’t follow the thought, just let it be, and it will go away on its own. But this is too hard to do 🙂 That’s why I am so glad I can do Sahaja meditaiton where, thanks to the cool breeze on top of my head, thoughts dissapear when I satrt enjoying that breeze…automatically! this makes a mediaion really easy.
Really true!
It is base of sahajayoga meditation but it works when you are in balanced position and not in encounter of any delusional thing.so basically we should come in reality and identify problem/ thought and just leave it to mother without attending just enjoy cool breeze at top and you will find problem/nuisance thought vanishing away along with its reducing intensity just like any strong emotion. Balance … thought…emotion…reaction by just paying attention on cool breeze at top and surrendering to Mother.It’s sahajayoga Meditation magic that everything works well.
Really nice animation, i think it show us that the best choice is not to try fighting our noisy thoughtful mind, but be sure about what & where we really are (the spirit in present moment), then the thoughts will go away by themselves.
Thank you for that interesting and enlightening video. It is very inspiring. By the way you are invited to come to the Healing Castle in Schochwitz, Germany at any time, axinia.
Nice video, I admit that I have never done meditation seriously, and perhaps would like to start somewhere… This video was an inspiration 😉
Destination Infinity
glad to hear that, DI! 🙂