In "The Road to the Soul", the author combined his many years of spiritual practice and psychotherapy experience to correct people's misunderstanding of spiritual practice-practice is to escape pain and difficulties or seek extraordinary experience; It is pointed out that practice has nothing to do with possession or IQ, but an ability to discover love. When you have this kind of love, you embark on your own spiritual path. Psychologists began to put forward "transpersonal psychology" in the late 1960s. Since then, there have been various schools and treatment methods that try to combine psychotherapy with spiritual practice, one of which is to combine the wisdom and meditation methods of the East with the theory and practice of modern western psychology. However, there are not many people who can elevate psychology and psychotherapy to the level of spiritual practice and really look at human nature and the road of life pursuit from an integrated point of view. Jack Kornfield, the author of "Stepping on a Spiritual Road", is one of the best, and this masterpiece can also be said to be a model of the combination of psychotherapy and spiritual practice.
This book fascinates me recently. Confield has an open heart. Like this sentence: "only blindly like the sea, the taste of salt;" All true teachings are just blind, that is, the taste of freedom. "The tone of this book also has the taste of freedom.
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Jack Kornfield's On the Road of the Mind
The dazzling effect of light or vision, ecstasy and intense release of energy are all wonderful signs, which indicate the disintegration of old tiny life and physical and mental structure, but they cannot produce wisdom.
How can we understand many amazing and strange spiritual experiences described in the literature of the great mysterious tradition? Do modern people still have these experiences? What is the value of these experiences? The previous chapters talked about the body energy, emotion and thinking mode in the ordinary state of consciousness, which will produce a new calm and clarity when they are released; If you continue to practice, the whole state of consciousness will sometimes change. Through more systematic practice, a powerful supernormal state of body, mind and spirit will be produced. This chapter wants to describe these unspeakable experiences and discuss them as part of the road of practice.
Attitude towards the state of supernormal consciousness
Before understanding the unusual state of consciousness, we should first understand the value of various spiritual traditions in transforming and liberating consciousness, and hold two different views. Some spiritual paths insist that we must reach the deep state of supernormal consciousness in order to discover the "transcendence" vision of life, open a level beyond body and mind and understand the sacred taste of freedom. These schools believe that to climb to the top of the mountain, we must have a cosmic vision, transcend the ego and have an enlightened experience. Many traditions focus on this fantastic and transcendental experience. Lin Jizong of Zen emphasizes strong understanding of solving crimes and strict closed meditation to break through daily consciousness and produce experiences of "enlightenment" and "seeing nature", which is the moment of deep awakening. There are also some schools of Vipassana meditation, which use strong concentration and long-term intensive meditation to guide students to awaken and transcend their daily consciousness. Raja Yoga and Zhuohuo Yoga, some witchcraft exercises and "dark night" of intensive Christian prayer also follow this practice spirit, and help students surpass their normal consciousness by using skills such as repetition, intensity, pain, strong breathing, narrowing the focus, solving crimes, sleep deprivation and visualization.
Many other schools do not require climbing the mountain of transcendence, but bring the spirit of the top of the mountain into every moment of life. Their teaching holds that liberation and transcendence must be found at this moment. If not now, where can they be found? The view of the "inner" school is not to seek transcendence, but to teach that reality, enlightenment and holiness must flash all the time, otherwise it is not true.
The school that attaches importance to the "present" awakening will teach holiness and enlightenment to exist forever, but desire and greed (including the desire to transcend) make it impossible for us to experience this reality. This is what Cao Dongzong of Zen taught. Their method is the so-called "meditation" meditation, which is a deep opening to face the present reality. When practicing, the meditator should give up the idea of gaining enlightenment or reaching any other realm. In the teachings of Suzuki, one of the greatest Zen masters in Cao Dongzong, the United States, enlightenment was never mentioned. His wife joked that it was because he had never been enlightened. In the tradition of Cao Dongzong, all supernormal perception and vision are called "evil influences" or hallucinations, which are ignored. Many Vipassana meditation masters hold similar views. For them, the supernormal state is just another experience, an impermanent phenomenon, or, as Ajiangcha said, "just another thing to let go." Vedanta philosophy, Krishnamurti, yoga and ways of serving God all follow this path.
Inner Tao and Transcendence Tao are both manifestations of Avenue, and their respective ways of practice can lead people to achieve deep release and real freedom. For those of you who pursue spiritual practice, if you practice with piety, most people will experience these two aspects at some time, and each aspect has its own value and danger.
The value beyond the state can bring great inspiration and wonderful vision to our life, make us see the reality strongly, transcend our daily consciousness, and guide us to live according to this highest truth. This kind of experience sometimes has profound healing power and transformation function, but it also brings great danger and misuse. We will feel special and persistent because of this experience; Dramatic experiences, physical feelings, ecstasy and hallucinations are addictive, but they will increase the desire and pain in life. The most common of all dangers is to think that this kind of experience can completely transform us, and that from the moment of "enlightenment" or transcendence, our life will be completely changed. This is a myth, rarely true, but clinging to these experiences can easily lead to complacency, pride and self-deception.
The value of inner practice lies in the powerful way of integration, so that spirituality can be realized in the present and the whole life is full of sacredness. The dangers of inner practice include delusion and complacency. It is easy for us to think that we are "living in the present", but in fact we are only half asleep and still follow the comfortable old habits. The initial feeling of love and light may become an excuse that everything is sacred or perfect, prompting us to cover up any conflicts and difficulties. Some students practice like this for a long time, but they don't get any real wisdom and are trapped in it without knowing it. They may feel calm, but their lives have not changed. They may not have completed their spiritual journey at all, nor have they found real liberation in this world.
After understanding the two views on the supernormal state, let's examine some possible supernormal states and think about how to deal with them properly. We must remember this: because our common consciousness does not understand the mental, emotional and spiritual categories discussed in this chapter and the next chapter, it is very important for us to have teachers, guides and appropriate support when sailing in this field, so as to keep a balance. If you want to travel to the Himalayas, you must have a guide who is familiar with the road.
Ordinary supernormal state
When we begin to practice, we will struggle with the pain all over our body and the armor we have exercised for many years, and face the emotional storm and encounter five common obstacles that appear one after another. However, with continuous practice, when we become more and more familiar with and sympathetic to our deepest difficulties, even the ingrained patterns due to persistence and fear will gradually lose control of us. No matter which way you practice, you can cultivate a calm and stable spirit.
This calm is not the end of practice, but only the starting point. The concentration and stability of the mind is the entrance to other experience worlds. Through continuous meditation or prayer, deep and continuous yoga and focused practice, or special breathing training (sometimes through other extreme conditions, such as accidental physical injury or taking psychedelic drugs), we will find ourselves living strongly in the present, and our attention is completely undisturbed. In this unprecedented complete concentration, our consciousness will indeed shift to a special and brand-new perceptual world.
be as happy as a lark
In practice, whenever strong concentration and energy are aroused, various novel and exciting sensory experiences may begin to appear. Not everyone has this experience, and it is not necessary for spiritual development. These new states are more like the side effects of meditation. The more we know about them, the less we will fall into them, and we will not mistakenly think that these experiences are the goals of spiritual life.
Most people will first experience a series of extraordinary physical feelings, which are mostly classified as side effects in Buddhist classics and are called "five deep ecstasy". In this context, "ecstasy" is a broad term, which can include all kinds of senses that are opened during deep concentration, such as coolness, trembling, brightness, floating, vibration, pleasure and so on. This will also bring great happiness to meditation.
Ecstasy is common in intensive meditation or spiritual practice, and may also be stimulated by powerful rituals or powerful teachers. Sometimes, ecstasy begins with a slight cold or a pleasant whole body vibration.
Great energy will be accumulated in the body through concentration or other spiritual skills. When this energy flows, it will produce a feeling of happiness. When it meets a tight or stiff part, the energy will be enhanced and then released by vibration or shaking. Therefore, ecstasy may lead to trembling or spontaneous release of powerful body energy, which is traditionally called krias in yoga. These spontaneous movements take many forms: sometimes it is a single involuntary movement accompanied by the release of a lump or tension in the body, and sometimes it is a long-term strenuous exercise that can last for several days.
At the beginning of a year-long intensive meditation training, I experienced a very intense state of energy release. My head started shaking back and forth for hours. After a few days, my arms began to flap involuntarily like the wings of a bird. I want to stop, but I can't. If I relax completely, my arm will keep flapping, which will last for several days. I asked my teacher, and he asked me if I fully understood it. I said, "Of course." But he said, "You don't really realize it. If you look more carefully, you will find that you don't like it, and you vaguely hope it will disappear. " I found that he was right. He said, "simply go back and observe." In the next two days, the movement gradually subsided, and I sat and felt the twitch of my arm, which brought me hours of deep relaxation.
This spontaneous release of the body is neither enlightened nor harmful, but a phenomenon when the energy generated in practice encounters obstacles and tension and cannot flow. That's part of the body opening process, which was discussed in Chapter 4. When these spontaneous movements appear, we will begin to pay attention to the depth of the harm of hard support to the body. Many students will release and open their bodies after months or years of practice. When encountering these movements, the best way is to relax, especially the back and coccyx. If it's only a medium-intensity release, it's best to relax as much as possible, but at the same time keep the body still and let the energy open a new channel in the body, instead of just releasing energy with action. This is useless for stronger release, but it can still alleviate the accumulation and flow of energy. When we concentrate, the energy of the body system will follow the natural process of opening and balancing ourselves. We will feel how heat, beating and vibration spontaneously pass through the spine, open the blocked energy channel, and then radiate to every nerve and cell of the body. We will find that some of the deepest healing and physical work will take place during meditation. But remember, it may be a long journey, so be patient with your body.
In addition to Krias and spontaneous movements, there may be many other kinds of ecstasy, including the whole body trembling with joy, tingling, happy fluctuations, happy flashes and so on. At some stage, some people will feel their skin trembling, or crawling all over like ants or bugs, or being stung by needles. At other stages, some people feel very hot, as if their spine is on fire. Some Tibetan yogis have cultivated this state to a very advanced level, and even melted the surrounding snow. This feeling of heat may alternate with that of cold. There was a little chill at first, and then it turned into a strong ecstasy, accompanied by a deep chill. This experience of temperature change is sometimes so real and intense that it makes you tremble in hot weather.
In addition to these dynamic ecstatic feelings, it is also possible to see colored light. At first there were all kinds of blue light, green light and purple light. When the concentration became stronger and stronger, golden light and white light appeared. Finally, many students will see very strong white light, as if watching the oncoming train headlights, or the whole sky seems to be illuminated by the dazzling sun. Different colors of light often appear in a specific state, such as green light and compassion, red light and love, blue light and wisdom. Some schools specialize in discussing these inner colors. Although their explanations are not completely consistent, they all agree that color is the result of deep consciousness and pure openness.
In a deeper state of concentration, we will feel that our whole body is melting into the light. We may feel that the itching and vibration are so subtle that we feel that we are just the form of light in space, or we disappear into the color of strong light. These lights and feelings are the powerful functions of concentration, which make people feel purified and open, and can show us that, to some extent, body and mind and the whole consciousness are composed of light.
In addition to these forms of light and force, there will be a series of unusual sensory perceptions, most of which are related to the changes of the traditional four material elements. The four elements of the body sensory world are soil (hard and soft), wind (vibration), fire (temperature) and water (viscosity). We may feel that we have become as heavy, hard and solid as a stone, or have been crushed by heavy objects or wheels. We may lose our sense of weight and feel that we are floating, so we must open our eyes and peek to make sure that we are still meditating. There is a similar experience. When you walk very intently, the whole room will start to shake, as if you are on a boat in a storm, or you feel drunk when you step on the ground. Sometimes it feels like everything starts to shine, and we seem to be able to cross the floor or the wall. Our vision will rotate, creating strange patterns and colors around us. The shape of the body may change, temperature, hardness and vibration may also change together, and there will be a feeling of heating, melting and flowing.
The body may stretch for a long time, or become extremely short. Sometimes it feels that the head has moved out of the body, or it has experienced a strange breathing rhythm. Every cell in the body is breathing, or breathing through the heel. In fact, there may be hundreds of different body feelings.
Similarly, other senses will open up new experiences. Hearing may become acute, hearing the slightest sound that has never been heard before, or hearing inner voices, such as bells, tunes or chorus. Sometimes it is a clear voice, or a special instruction. Taste and smell will also open in ways we have never experienced before. One morning, I went out for alms, and my nose became like a dog with the most sensitive sense of smell. When I walk in the street of a small village, I will smell different smells every two steps: the smell of washing, the smell of garden fertilizer, the smell of new paint on the building, the smell of charcoal burning in the porcelain shop, and the smell of cooking in the next window. Walking through this world and experiencing all the possibilities of smell is a very special experience. Similarly, our vision, hearing, taste and touch can all reach a new and extremely sensitive realm.
Deep concentration can also bring a variety of visual and illusion experiences! Such as flood memory, images of past lives, exotic scenery, images of heaven and hell, all kinds of great prototype energy will appear in front of us. We will feel like other creatures, in another body, at a different time, in a different world. We will see and meet all kinds of animals, angels, demons and gods. When these scenes appear in a fascinating form, they will be as real as everyday reality. Although these scenes often occur naturally, they can also be cultivated through special meditation exercises as a way to arouse beneficial energy in special fields.
In addition to the opening of vision, hearing and body senses, we will also experience the strongest emotional release, from sadness and despair to joy and ecstasy. When we let ourselves jump into subconscious emotions, meditation may be like an emotional roller coaster, with vivid and profound dreams and various fears often appearing. These are not just the emotions of personal problems, but the opening of the whole emotional subject. You may feel the joy and loneliness of flying, and the darkness of loneliness. When it fills our consciousness, every feeling is very real. When we release these energies, we need skilled teachers as guidance to help us experience these states with a sense of balance.
The center of human spiritual strength
By opening the energy center of the body, we may experience great changes. Traditionally, these energy centers are called chakras. This process will not happen to everyone, nor is it an element of a complete spiritual life. In fact, the body energy and chakras are only opened because these parts are blocked or stuck, while the inner energy tries to flow freely in the body. Traditional yoga practices in Buddhism and Hinduism sometimes intentionally create and guide these experiences, but the energy is usually spontaneous. Here are some ways to experience chakras.
The first chakra is at the bottom of the spine, which is related to safe and stable energy. In meditation, we can experience it through the strong feeling at the bottom of the pelvis. When opened, it will bring about a strong physical release, which often leads to various feelings and images related to protection and survival. These images and fears may make us re-value our bodies and human life, or the opposite-fear of death, loss of control, and loss of what we insist on. We will experience the feeling of going home here and learn to live a truly safe life.
The second chakra is above the first chakra and located in the reproductive area. Its energy often makes us open to sexual desire, reproduction and procreation. When the energy of sexual desire is turned on in this center, we may pour out sexual images and feelings for hours, days or even weeks. For some people, this is a very pleasant experience; But for some people who have experienced sexual abuse or painful experience, they need to face these terrible and destructive energies bravely.
The second chakra will produce all kinds of images of sexual intercourse, accompanied by strong sensuality and ecstasy. A woman opened this chakra in a recent intensive meditation. At first, it was a few hours of intense passion and the vibration of orgasm. Later, she saw the scenes of copulation between people and animals in various worlds. To her, the tree seems to be mating with the sky. When she meditates, she feels that the whole world is going in and out of her vagina violently. This situation was fierce at first, but after a few days, she gradually relaxed and let the process enter a sharp and calm state, full of subtle feelings of combining with everything. This chakra connects us with the infinite reproductive capacity of the world.
The third chakra is located in the solar plexus and is usually related to will and strength. There may be nervousness, fear, pain, nervousness, contraction or difficulty breathing before it opens. We will experience behaviors that we didn't show in the past again, or hold our breath because of fear. When this chakra is opened, anger and frustration will pour out, which may lead to a lot of energy being released. We will feel the great power inherent in life, and our breathing and actions will show a new clarity and spontaneity.
The fourth chakra is located in the heart and can be opened at the physical and emotional levels. The body will feel pain at first, and the heart seems to be tied with a belt, which is the result of years of hard support. Many students talk about the feeling that their hearts feel like a heart attack and want to know if an ambulance is needed. When the inner emotional gate is opened, there will be deep sadness and compassion, followed by laughter and pleasure. The problems of love, connection, loneliness and the main patterns of soul will emerge, and eventually sweetness and love will fill our lives. The opening speed of the heart is fast or slow. Slow time is like opening a petal at a time. When it is fast, it will be accompanied by the outbreak of various feelings. Finally, the heart will surround the whole universe with love and compassion and become the center of everything.
The fifth chakra, also known as the throat chakra, is usually associated with creativity. When it is turned on, all the repressed images and energy will appear first, as well as things that are not spoken or valued in life. On the material level, the opening of the throat chakra will be accompanied by swallowing and coughing for hours or days, or spontaneous sounds. When this center is opened, we will find what we want to say and the real voice, and understand what it means to have a smooth channel to express the impulse to create.
The sixth chakra is located between the eyes and is related to vision and understanding. When this chakra is opened, we will feel pain, burning, tension around our eyes, light and even temporary blindness again. There may be a vision, a strong sense of clarity or the ability to be well informed.
We will see the colors, aura, chakras and tiny life energy around us. When this chakra is purified, your thoughts will stop, and you may lose your judgment, don't know who you are, or don't know your life direction and role. In this clear spiritual space, we may be able to see other people's thoughts, or have a deep intuition and understanding of ourselves and the world around us, as if completely opening up another sense.
The seventh chakra, also known as the top chakra, is located in the center of the head. When it opens, we will feel an opening on the top of our head. At first, we may feel stressed and nervous, and we will feel dizzy, but later we can settle down in a clear consciousness. Energy will pour into or gush out of the head, resulting in a deep sense of core, happiness and connection with the whole world. You may feel a bright light pouring into this chakra, or you may feel like a mandala or a multi-petal lotus in the center of the world. From this center, everything in life is harmonious.
In addition to these main chakras, with the progress of spiritual process, other channels and secondary energy centers of the body will be opened. Although the opening of chakras and the release of energy have basic patterns, they may also occur in many different ways. All great spiritual traditions describe the opening of the body chakra and the release of energy-the Kabbalah Sect of Judaism, the asceticism tradition of Sufi Sect, the mysterious tradition of Christianity, and the practice manual of Buddhism. The most complete description of energy release is the teaching of slow fire yoga in India. Slow fire is spiritual energy or consciousness, which will promote and illuminate the whole life, especially the intense energy release in the spine and chakras, and all the tiny channels in the body that we have talked about.
These processes may occur within hours, weeks or months, and for many students, they will last for years. They are all part of natural opening and purification in deep practice.
A good way to deal with energy and emotional openness
The opening of these energies, horizons and emotions will trigger strong reactions, including confusion, fear, self-expansion and persistence. When they appear, we need the assistance of specific spiritual methods, accumulated wisdom, tradition and practice. The most important thing is to have a teacher personally contact you and understand these supernatural aspects. We must find someone we can trust and rely on his or her skills and guidance.
All experiences are side effects.
Even if there is a teacher, we should keep in mind three principles to deal with unfamiliar spiritual fields. The first principle is to understand that "all mental phenomena are side effects". In the Buddhist tradition, the Buddha often reminds students that the purpose of his teaching is not to accumulate special good deeds and good deeds, nor is it ecstasy, epiphany or bliss, but to confirm the release of the heart and the real liberation of life in any world. This freedom and awakening is the only purpose of every sincere spiritual path.
The dazzling effect of light or vision, ecstasy and intense release of energy are all wonderful signs, which indicate the disintegration of old tiny life and physical and mental structure, but they cannot produce wisdom. Some people have this experience, but there is nothing to learn. Even if the mind is wide open, the process and scene of the fire may become spiritual pride or old memories. Like a near-death experience or a car accident, some people will have great changes, while others will soon return to their narrow habits. Spiritual experience itself is not important, what matters is our integration and learning in the process.
"Unusual experience" may create obstacles in the spiritual journey and become repeated difficulties and traps. Our reaction to them may even degenerate our meditation-we may covet these experiences, or want to repeat and possess them, and then think that we have been enlightened, which is the so-called "last consolation prize"; We may also find them troublesome and push them away. These attitudes are all traps.
A meditation student practiced in India, and after several years of hard and intensive practice, his body finally achieved remarkable enlightenment. Every time he sits down, his body will melt into ecstasy and thrill, and then his heart will be open and calm, and he will be happy. But later, his family urgently informed him to return to England for several months. He couldn't wait to return to India, but when he did, he found that his body and mind were too tight and closed, full of austerity, pain and loss. Therefore, he accepted a series of intensive meditation, trying to regain the light and ecstasy of his body, but failed. Weeks and months passed, and his frustration and remorse grew day by day. I knew I should never have left India! He worked harder to purify himself and struggled for two years, until one day, he suddenly realized that his struggle with obstacles, setbacks and difficulties in the past two years was actually the result of his desire to repeat past experiences. He stuck to the old realm and refused the status quo, so the whole person got stuck. When he understood this and accepted the status quo, the whole practice changed completely. He began to accept his own tension and pain, and there was a broad calm, so meditation once again entered a new realm.