As a personal “note to self,” here are a few thoughts I’ve had lately, both when I was awake and also while I was asleep (which happens quite often to me in lucid dreams):
FIRST: While meditating on the sounds of birds chirping outside this morning, I was in a terrific state, and then each time I heard a bird chirp, my body shook or jerked in response to the sound. That was new, but I think it’s a good thing. (Shaking, jerking, or other involuntary movements during meditation are referred to as kriyas or energetic releases, and are believed to be due to energy release, a relaxation response, emotional release, and/or nervous system adjustments. Sometimes I also come out of deep meditation sessions to find my teeth chattering.)
SECOND: You can’t overestimate how much yoga and meditation were frowned upon in the United States during the 1970s. As just one example, Ram Dass notes that he was called a “yogurt” by some men in the military (rather than a “yogi”). There are many more examples of this, including my dad, who called many people “flakes.”
THIRD: I’ve noted here before that I have hypnopompic hallucinations when I wake up during the night, and at that time I often see colors, words, and other things. A few nights ago I saw many words scrolling by very fast, and all I could catch was one specific phrase that said, “One specific thing: freedom.” (That was one small phrase out of many lines of scrolling text.)
FOURTH: I don’t know how to phrase this without sounding like an egomaniac, but trying to complete the enlightenment/awakening path while living in a loud house with other people who have no interest in meditation and mindfulness is roughly 1,000 times harder than aerospace engineering or functional programming.
books by alvin
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