Beyond the Cosmic Weather Patterns

A Course in Tranquility Lesson 14 of 14 — Beyond the Cosmic Weather Patterns

“When you’ve seen beyond your self, you will find peace of mind waiting there.”
-George Harrison. From Within You, Without You

I imagine a homeless person spends a great deal of time looking for shelter. A person with the means to procure shelter does not do this. One with shelter, has additional freedom to explore other aspects of life, such as finding food, or sleeping soundly, out of the elements. Meditation and internalization of attention serves to build a spiritual shelter from our mental/emotional and cosmic weather patterns.  Once built we are then free to explore meaningful matters, such as our relationship to the divine, our life purpose, and the totality of our being. We move from simply looking for an escape from our mental-emotional torment or spiritual vapidness, to diving head first into the richness of exploring a divine, and very much alive consciousness, which is our own Self.

When we do not have a meditation practice it is easy to for us to be shaken by our mental/emotional weather patterns.  If you have a consistent meditation practice, and you still get easily shaken mentally and emotionally, try not meditating for a few days. You will then appreciate the benefits of your practice more thoroughly. You may realize through this fast from meditation, that while your current shelter (meditation practice) may have a leaky roof, or very noticeable draft, that it is much preferred to no shelter at all! Take this as an opportunity to patch up the points in your practice that may need repair. Then you can look forward to very satisfying spiritual exploration.

Assessing Your Current Meditation Practice

If you are like most spiritual aspirants in search of tranquility, spiritual peace, and inner wisdom, you have been meditating for a while. You have noticed that your life has improved a bit. You’re not so touchy, or irritable. You smile more. You understand much more of the spiritual literature that you read. Yet, you may still feel as though you haven’t broken through to that direct connection that the spiritual masters experience. You may still feel separate from the totality of being (God). You may feel like your inner guidance and knowing isn’t what it really could be. Arriving at this point in your evolution, it is advised to take a close look at your practice, to properly and honestly assess your efforts.

Check List for Assessing Your Spiritual Shelter

#1 Is Your Practice Simple?

Ask your self, “Do I have two or three techniques that I can use consistently to calm my mind and emotions?  Or do I jump around from one technique to another, thinking there is something wrong with the technique, since I’m not getting the results I want?”

For the last 10 years, I have used about three techniques consistently.  They are simple.  They are not complicated. They get results. (You have read about them earlier in this course.) When I practice a technique, I give my full attention to it. When I repeat a mantra, I endeavor to sink all of my attention on listening to that sound within my awareness. If other thoughts arise, I brush it aside, and return to the mantra. I do this over and over and over again, no matter how many distractions arise. Then in a few minutes or even sometimes an hour, super-consciousness dawns. I am thought free and existing in the silence.

What made this work? Was it the special meaning of the words?  Was it that I got lucky? No. It was that I decided that I was going to glue my attention on this one word phrase (the mantra), letting all distractions pass until my inner peace was unveiled.

By “ignoring distractions” or “letting them pass”, I like to use the idea of walking through a forest.  You want to get from where you are, a normal mental state, to where you want to be, a clear mental state. We can look at this as though we are moving from point A to point B within a forest. In between point A and point B, there are rocks, trees, fallen logs, vines, poison ivy, streams, and shrubs. These are like your meditation distractions. When you want to get from point A to point B in a forest, you start walking (using your meditation technique). When you come upon a fallen log, you step over it. When you come upon a stream, you jump over it. Etc. You don’t make it into a big deal. You pass them by, giving them very little thought, and you most definitely stop thinking about them, once you have moved beyond them. Treat the mental, emotional and physical distractions you experience during meditation like this. Keep your eye on the technique, while moving through the distractions without too much engagement of your attention.

#2 Are There Stressful Situations in Your Life that You Can Change?

It’s hard to meditate when you are under the pressure of a difficult relationship, have extreme money complications, or have poor health. There is a reason that, in the past, a person accepted in a spiritual tradition had to be a monk, nun, or renunciate type. By giving up all the things in life that cause most of our drama (relationships, money, sex, work,  addictions, etc.), spiritual aspirants of the past, had seemingly less hurdles to overcome. Luckily, in this day and age, anyone with a little sense can have a comfortable home, a healthy body, and a decent work situation that doesn’t take up too much of their vital energy to maintain.

Ask your self, “Am I serious about wanting to experience spiritual growth and tranquility in my life?” If your answer is “Yes, of course I am.” Then when you have people in your life that cause you grief, stress, and heartache on a consistent basis, and this gets in the way of having a satisfying meditation practice, you will have no problem moving on from that relationship, or at least adjusting it, to avoid this unneeded distraction. You have your priorities straight, right?

Remember, you can’t meditate to experience what the masters experience, if you are caught up in emotional turmoil every time you sit down to meditate. Our goal, in regards to this course, is to assist your awakening process to fully unqualified happiness, peace and knowledge, that the masters know. It is not to provide a crutch that allows you to continue in relationship that depletes your soul force. You can meditate, and reset your system as often as you like, after every bad relationship encounter. But that isn’t propelling you onward to higher realizations.

This same idea applies to proper dietary and exercise choices (or lack thereof). It applies to work that constantly puts you under unpleasant strain, and wears you down. It basically applies to anything that takes up your time, that you can avoid through cognitive or behavioral change.

#3 Do You Get Enough Rest?

Is it common that when you meditate, your head bobs, you find your self caught in daydreams, you fall asleep easily as soon as your body starts to relax from the process, or your awareness seems very dull and cannot concentrate? This may be an indication that you need more sleep, or to under take some stress management measures to get your energy back.

Consider taking a nap? Yes, it’s ok to take a nap, and it doesn’t have to mean something is wrong with you. Consider going to sleep earlier. You may have to rearrange your day or cut out some activities to make this possible, but remember, your desire is for spiritual freedom. So you are willing to make this sacrifice. Proper rest, may very well be the first step, that turns your meditation from a dull, half awake revelry, to an enlightening and enlivening process that jump starts your life and spiritual growth.

#4 How Do You Feed Your Mind and Senses?

When you are not meditating, what do you do with your time?  What kinds of books do you read?  What kind of places to you frequent? What kinds of TV shows do you watch? What is the general emotional quality of the people you spend time with?

What ever you feed your mind and senses, that builds up the quality and state of your consciousness. If you read or watch psychologically disturbing, or emotionally charged media, your consciousness will become colored with that energetic pattern. If you spend time with angry, depressed, or confused people, you will resonate in that pattern as well. You will have a harder time meditating than someone who gets their nourishment from long peaceful hikes in the sunshine, or who spends their time with quiet, purposeful and happy people, or who chooses to read spiritually uplifting and inspirational literature.

One thing you might want to ask your self, is “Why do I enjoy these psychologically and emotionally charged forms of entertainment?” It could indicate a boredom or dissatisfaction with life. It could also indicate that you do not really value your Self enough to treat your self to wholesome and happier forms of enjoyment. If this is the case, admit it. Then do what you need to make choices which are more supportive of your endeavors to “awaken”. This may involve a bit of therapy, or just some motivated will power. Everyone is different, and you must find your own way in this regard.

#5 Are You Really Interested in Clearer States of Consciousness

“Am I really interested in clearer states of consciousness?” This is a question I don’t think gets asked enough.  A lot of people proclaim to be interested in spiritual growth, but their idea of spiritual growth might be skewed. Many think that upon awakening, they will become super human. Magical powers will awaken in them. They will know everything. Suffering will never touch their life situation. This shows an interest in fantasy, not understanding.

If you are simply interested in relaxation, and learning to be happier in general. Keep meditating and smiling. But it takes more than a simple meditation relaxation practice to wake up. You need intention, drive, motivation, and patience. You need to seek out people who can help you experience more clarity and spend time with them. You need to assess your life, and make sure you are making choices that keep you from being unduly distracted during meditation so you can focus your attention on deeper matters, beyond relaxation.

When you wake up in the morning, and when you sit to meditate, inwardly proclaim that you are here to wake up, and you are happy about it. Proclaim that you are looking forward to greater Self-knowledge and wisdom with each new day. Mean it!  Accept it as true for you! Relax into that reality, as though it is as natural as the sun rising every morning.

Once we develop a consistent meditation practice, and it has served to de-stress our nervous system, and give us a measure of peace through withdrawing our, often over stimulated, senses we have created an internal shelter. Now we can direct our attention to higher matters, such as exploring our true nature and our relationship with the divine.

Satisfying, Enjoyable, Spiritual Exploration

Over time, meditation becomes enjoyable and deeply satisfying. Once we master the basics, and can set up the proper environment to meditate with ease, we find that all the hard work and practice pays off. This will be the case with any activity we want to excel at and master. Learning to water ski, playing poker well, enjoying successful business interactions, singing, etc; all of these require a lot of commitment to master the fundamentals. Yet, once mastered, a person can enjoy the activity with zeal.

For some reason, I’ve noticed, that many people think, that just by saying they are on a spiritual path, they expect meditation to be knock-your-socks-off fantastic. Realistically, it can be that way, but we need to be honest with our selves, that it might take some time and training to get there.  By now, we know what we need to do to make spiritual exploration and meditation as enjoyable as getting in a nice hot bath, after a long days work in the cold.  (If you still aren’t sure what you need to do, please review all past lessons up to this point.)

“Enquiry is for really contemplating, discovering and feeling out what we are.  Once we are settled, we must direct our attention to truly analyzing and contemplating our Self.”
-Nisgaradatta Maharaj

What Can You Do Now, to Make the Most of Your Practice, and Experience Spiritual Growth as the Masters Do?

#1 - Take some time to reflect on what you would like to know, spiritually speaking.

• Are you interested in experiencing a cosmic conscious state, beyond the ego and your personality and history?
• Do you want to have a greater sense of life and your relationship to the wholeness?
• Do you want to know what it is like to know God’s infinite Love?
• Do you want to know beyond a doubt, that you are eternal and immortal?

These questions are very important. Once you have direct knowledge of their answers, a lot of doubt and despair in your life will evaporate. Get clear on what you really want to know. Write it down. Write down why you want to know this? Once you can have a clear definition of what you want to explore in your spiritual practice, state with intention that you are willing to do the work to have the realization. At the beginning of your meditations, state your intention again. Say, “I am doing my part to know the truth of my being.” Then say, “And I allow the grace and compassion of the infinite to do what I cannot do.”

“That which was there in deep sleep (no I) there was happiness. Now we have an I and are asking to find happiness.  Where there is I there is no happiness.”
-Nisgaradatta Maharaj

#2 To experience a cosmic conscious state, beyond your personal history and limited knowledge as an individualized unit of the One Reality, you need to expand your boundaries. After you have meditated, using a technique you’ve found useful, and are rather peaceful and settled, lift your awareness up into your crown chakra, or just hold your awareness about an inch or two above your head. With your awareness at this point, simultaneously focus on your breathing.

Now, as you do this, acknowledge who you think you are. Acknowledge the quirks of your personality, the failures you’ve made, the successes you’ve experienced, the people you surround your self with, how you feel like you belong to a certain family, how you define your self as having a particular career. With each breath release your attachment to one defining characteristic of your personality at a time. When you’ve run out of characteristics to release (That may or may not take awhile. Time doesn’t really matter, so don’t rush it.) then continue with a relaxed yet attentive focus on the breath and the crown of your head. With each breath feel your self moving through the crown and expanding. Your boundaries are no longer confined to your skin. Imagine what it would feel like to be aware of the room around you, then the house, then the city, then the continent, world, solar system, galaxy, etc, until you reach the edges of the known universe. Go beyond that, then rest in that experience.

At first this may seem like simple imagination, and it will be. It may be hard to imagine your consciousness as encompassing the city, the galaxy etc. Go as far as you can. As your imagination becomes engaged with each daily practice, you release your identification with your limited form. In time, your imagination will give way to the direct experience.

This practice will also work, to encourage a greater sense of your connection to the wholeness of life.

#3 To know what it is like to know the experience of God’s Infinite Love, repeat the above procedure. This time, once you have expanded as far as your imagination and consciousness will allow at present, rest there. Now as you breathe, remember a time when you felt perfectly cared for and loved, or imagine what that would feel like.  On each breath, send that feeling out into your expanded awareness, on the exhale. On the inhale, feel that same love, with intensity, rushing back through the cosmos and into your body.

No matter what arises, seemingly good or bad thoughts or distractions, in your mind during this practice, let this unconditional love flood the cosmos with each breath. If you have a hard time feeling love, you may have to practice feeling it. Use past memories to help access the feeling. The deeper your practice, the greater will be your ability to accept and feel what is always there, a deep abiding love and peacefulness, that is God’s (and yours) very being.

#4 To know beyond a doubt that you are eternal and immortal, the above exercises are helpful, as they lift you out of your mistaken sense of self. Yet there is a special way to know your eternity and immortality.

As you sit in the silence after effectively practicing your meditation technique, then ask your self, “What am I?” Sit quietly and wait for a response to come up for you, either as a thought, feeling, or sensation. Ask again. Continue to objectively watch what rises into your awareness with each asking. “What am I?”

After a while of practicing in this way, then ask your self, “What is it that is aware, of these things (that which has arisen in your awareness)?” Continue to reflect, asking this question. You will find, that on each asking, “What is aware of these changes in consciousness, that I think I am?” You will become aware that there is something that you cannot see, that is the witness, the observer. Get comfortable existing as that unconditioned, quiet, clear presence that sees and experiences all things.

Once you have this direct experience, and can maintain it, you will know your immortal nature. You will know that this same presence, that you are, has been there when you were dreaming last night, when you were at your work two days ago, during your first day of school, and even before you were born. You will know your eternity.

These practices need to be performed on a regular basis, until you have the direct experience of their fruition. This may take days, weeks, months, or even years. Yet, the knowledge provided by these realizations is superior to any other kind of knowledge. Knowing what you are, puts to rest most of your other burning questions, and releases you from much doubt and despair. Needless to say, if you are going to contemplate anything, contemplate what has been covered in this lesson.

Sincerely, Ryan Kurczak 2010

Practices For Moving Fully as Your Self

A Course in Tranquility Lesson 11 of 14 — Practices For Moving Fully as Your Self

Letting Go of the False Sense of Self – Or – Getting Over Yourself

It has been said, if there was no self, there would be no problems. Why?  Because everything that is a problem is in reference to something that a ‘self’, or a personality with a history, either wants or wants to avoid.

Let’s consider the bugs. Every day, I would conservatively imagine, trillions of insects are eaten, run over, stepped on, poisoned, or killed in some way. They do not have a personality or a history as we humans do. They do not look around at all the ‘senseless’ death and say, “Why did this happen to my friends? What are we to learn from this slaughter!?” No. They continue multiplying, eating, and doing what bugs do. It’s not a problem for them.

Humans on the other hand feel very important.  At this point in time, there are only about 7 billion of us after all, and that is a very small number compared to the 10,000,000,000,000,000,000 (10 quintillion) insects in the world, as estimated by the Pulitzer Prize winning Dr. E. O. Wilson of Harvard University. It is this sense of importance that makes it all the harder to shake off our false sense of self.

To some, comparing humans to bugs seems absurd and callous. Why?  Because some are very attached to their sense of self. That’s fine. With that attachment comes potential suffering and confusion. If that’s what they want, they can have it. They can continue the dream, that the unreal is real, and the real is absurd.

We have to remember, that when dreaming, the dream seems very real. If a loved one dies or leaves us in the dream, we cry painfully, and sometimes even wake up with terrible sadness ringing on. If we find a jewel worth millions of dollars, our elation is no less than if we were awake. We are dreaming even now.

There are people in this world who have either had a near death experience, a spontaneous mystical awakening, or an awakening experience brought about through dedication to their spiritual practice. All of them testify to the reality, that this life, is but a dream. Once a awake, all those things that seem so darn important fade away. Then a great peace descends, like a flood of light, and a knowing of immortality, eternity, and playfulness fills one’s consciousness.

Higher Meaning, Order, Purpose and Significance – A Trap to Avoid

Once that peace descends, it is easy to say, yes, we are all just bugs spinning through an infinite cosmos, and smile, because the cosmos is beautiful, and it’s not a problem to be an insignificant bug, because significance is not the point. If you want a point, it’s the being, and the beauty of it all. And when folks who are still dreaming, point, and say, “You’re crazy. Significance is the point! We have to find out the meaning of life! We need to find our purpose and BE somebody in this world! Etc. Etc. Etc.” The awakened ones enjoy the display, knowing the dreamer is part of it all too.

If that is the case, you may ask, “Why ever search for a higher good or meaning or significance?” Is there a higher good if everything is consciousness? Not to my present knowledge. Saying there is a higher good, is further creating categories and divisions in consciousness where there are none.

But…yes there is a but…life is much easier for all involved when there is an order and a structure to things. Not being able to see the beauty of life all around and within, it is easy to fall into lethargy and say, “What’s the point?”  The inspiration towards a higher good, meaning and significance, is really an inspiration to realize the freedom of the Self, and the totality of Being. Many do not know that, and so philosophize or contemplate their higher purpose. This is good. Ultimately, they will realize their higher purpose is Being, harmony with the vastness of consciousness, and not a mental construct or moral dogma. Through philosophy, they will reach a point where realization dawns, that mental concepts and constructs cannot provide the understanding they seek, and they will have to let go of the attachment to figuring things out through the mind. When they do, the light will shine through. Through contemplation, they are moving beyond the mind, into direct experience of Reality.

When in tune with the vastness of our consciousness (beyond the limited sense of self) we would naturally take care of our world and be supportive of others who have yet to realize what we realize, because its all us anyway. Until we are in tune with the vastness and intelligence of our consciousness, we need to be told how to act, as if we were in tune with it. We are practicing.

Awakening is also not an excuse for anarchy. Having a functional, well run government, allows the people of the world to relax, and trust that they are protected and cared for. Making healthy choices allows the body to run without making too much noise, comfortably, so the incarnated soul can explore consciousness and its wonders. To deny the trap of man-made significance, is not to deny that order and harmony are very good supports to awakening. When we have less disorder and chaos, it is easier to turn within, knowing that everything is well. This is why many awakened people promote scriptures and codes of conduct that keep us in line. A well tended garden produces more enjoyable fruits, than one overrun by weeds and neglect.

Letting Go of Attachment to Emotions – We Are Not Our Emotions

Emotions are another matter to consider. Awakening is not to give the impression that once awake, you sit around like a fool on a hill, smiling benignly and ignoring reason and good sense.  Although, once awake and free of attachment and aversion, you can do that if you want. My intention is to share that an awakened one sees the world, and can interact with it appropriately, but does not lose sight of the fact that it is a dream, a temporary play of light and shadow across the infinity of consciousness.

It is also good to realize that we do not have to become like a corpse, emotionless and cold. Emotions seem like an integral aspect of who we are, our sense of self. This is true to a degree. By reflecting on emotional habits and tendencies, we can say, yes, Sam, the personality, has a tendency to be happy when business is going well, and sad when it rains, and he gets angry when he hears about injustice in the world, and elated when he sees homeless people being fed.

Sam can be awake to his true nature, wearing the clothes of his personality, and his emotional habits. The difference between an awakened Sam and one that is lost in identification with the dream, is that Awake Sam, chooses to play the role we all know and love, being emotional in the ways we are used to.  However, Awake Sam is not bound by that role. Meaning, he is not so identified with it, that he forgets that emotions and personality are just the play of consciousness. He can change, and has the freedom to take off his emotional habits and tendencies at will, if it is not appropriate to what is happening right now. He also has the sensitivity and wisdom to know when playing his role, and stepping out of that role is appropriate.

If Sam wants, he can totally reinvent himself. He can decide he’s had enough of his past habits, and take actions to change them, through relaxed will and consistent intention. He can reinvent himself, because he knows there is nothing all that important about the personality we call Sam.  Although that personality may be enjoyable throughout its chosen duration.

This is a scary thought for many people. It is liberating for many others. The effect it has on you, is up to you.

Exercises To Have Your Own Direct Experience of this Knowledge

As mentioned above, this realization can occur from a near death experience, a spontaneous awakening episode, or through dedicated spiritual practice. Our emphasis is not to seek out near death experiences, or to wait around for a spontaneous awakening, but to do what works to ripen our consciousness through spiritual practice. If I wanted, I could sit around on a street corner waiting for some one to give me a million dollars, or I could get up and start earning money to work towards that goal. It’s not impossible that someone, one day, might tune into my consciousness, and hand over the cash, as I sit on the cold hard concrete, but it’s much more likely that I will reach that goal in this lifetime by taking appropriate action.

We’ve discussed many topics in this course that will help to harmonize the life and better prepare the ground of our consciousness for awakening. Review past lessons to strengthen your understanding of these processes.  The following exercises, performed daily, will further purify your consciousness on the deeper levels.

You must stick with them and not give up. As many enlightened teachers have said, “It is better to dig one deep well, when in search of water, than to dig hundreds of shallow ones.” If the mind gets bored, or feeds you the line, “You just haven’t found the right technique, keep looking.” Ignore it.  You are not the mind. Keep going until you have realized what you are.

Always remember, meditation techniques are to serve to engage your attention, to build up the strength of your concentration, so you can hold your awareness on a point until realization dawns. When our attention is weak and every distraction disrupts our focus, we must practice a technique. As time goes by, our attention grows stronger. No longer do we care how bright the room is, or how loud the people outside are, or how many thoughts we have, or how we have a little emotional unrest inside. We can remove our awareness from these things, and sink it into the Self. With each movement of our awareness in the Self, we gain direct knowledge of the fullness of our being. When all that knowledge has been integrated, we are awake.

These advanced techniques are more easily practiced after you have proficiency in mantra or breathe awareness, and you can easily calm your mind and emotions. Don’t despair if you are still working on developing your attention, or calming your mind and emotions. Everyone has to learn how to do it. It’s part of the process.

Also know, that spiritual practice is very good, but it is not substitute for working out mental/psychological/emotional disturbances. It is best to work those out with a professional, and save your spiritual work for just that, spiritual growth. If you have mental/psychological/emotional difficulties, regular spiritual practice may help you move through them, but that is not the point of spiritual practice. This kind of work is for a person who has taken care of themselves in the outer world, so they can turn within without the distraction of mental/psychological/emotional distraction.

Mundane example: Meditation is not going to fix my plumbing, but I guarantee a plumber will. Sitting around meditating on having functional plumbing, is a waste of time when a simple phone call will work. Then once the plumber has done his job, I don’t have to worry about the plumbing anymore and can direct my attention to the Self.  Make sense?

Once you are accustomed to being settled and turning within, begin adding one of these practices to your sitting meditation on a regular basis.

Advanced Meditation Practices

Breathing Through the Spine

Step 1: After sitting quietly for a while in meditation, turn your attention to your spine and the space between the eyebrows. Imagine there is a hollow tube running through the spine, from the base of the spine, up through the spine, up through the skull and ending at the spiritual eye, the space between the eyebrows.

Step 2: Begin breathing slightly deeper, in a comfortable and relaxed manner. Maintaining your attention on the spine and spiritual eye.

Step 3: Now, link the breath to the spine. As you inhale, imagine you are pulling a current of energy up through the spine. It can feel like cool water ascending from the spine to the spiritual eye.

Step 4: On the exhale, imagine that same current of energy flowing down from the spiritual eye like water, warm, soothing, and relaxing. Remain attentive, upright and alert, but let your being relax with each repetition.  Let go of the external world, and move deeper into the Self.

Step 5: After a comfortable duration (don’t strain) of this practice, take another deep inhale, and pull the energy up to the spiritual eye. Then keep your attention at the spiritual eye, feeling that energy there, and let your breath return to normal. Now you are just sitting quietly with your relaxed attention at the space between the eyebrows.

Step 6: Stay relaxed and attentive in this way until the end of your meditation. Then go about your day.

Listening to Silence

Listening to the silence is a very good practice. If we could just do this, that would be all we would ever need to do. Why don’t more people advise it? It can be difficult. It is often hard enough for people to hold their attention on a mantra or visualization, imagine the difficulty focusing on the absence of sound. The good news is, that listening to silence is not exactly what the words imply. We are actually listening to something.

Step 1: After a duration of quiet, relaxing and alert meditation, bring your awareness up to your crown. Simply feel the area at the top of, and/or just above your head.

Step 2: Keeping your feeling at the crown, become aware of your sense of hearing. Listen to the silence in the room, or just around your head. Do you hear a faint sound, such as a high pitched squeal, or a constant tone, or an electrical frequency? Give your attention to that sound.

Step 3: Hold your attention on this sound for a minute or two. If you are like most people, your attention will easily wander. Stay focused, and gently bring your attention back to the sound as many times as you have to.

Step 4: Now listen deeper. Do you hear a different tone or frequency behind or within the sound you initially heard? If so, direct your attention to that sound. If not, stay with the initial sound. Listen for another minute or two.

Step 5: Listen deeper again. Has the sound shifted, changed or deepened? Give your awareness to this sound. Stay listening to this for a minute or two.

Step 6: Continue this process of listening deeper to the sound behind the sound you are hearing. Keep gently returning your attention back to the process, no matter how many times you get distracted. Keep your attention at the crown, throughout the process.

When you begin this practice, be easy on your self. Do it when you are well settled, and in a fairly quiet environment. As your attention grows stronger, and you can go deeper and deeper into this sound, you may eventually become aware of a sound, like the roaring of an ocean, all the while aware of nothing else but being this sound.

You are listening to the OM vibration. By listening deeply, you are following this vibration back to its source, which is pure consciousness, your true nature.

Do not overly engage your mind or analyze techniques. They are for the process of strengthening your concentration and ripening your consciousness. Practice your daily meditations without attachment to the results. Simply do it. Don’t think about it.

Then after meditation, read a scripture that is sacred to you, or speaks to you. If you like analysis, analyze what you are reading. Try to understand the clear intention of the author. In this way, you ripen your consciousness through meditation, and then when you have a direct experience of Self-revealed knowledge, you will have the information from reading the scripture to help you make sense of it.

The words you read about spiritual growth are only to serve as sign posts. That way, when you have a certain experience, the information you gathered from study, allows you to make sense of your process. Always remember, the real power comes from daily spiritual practice.

Sincerely, Ryan Kurczak 2010