There are many definitions of what meditation
is and many reasons why people do it. Essentially though meditation
is a spiritual practice, its purpose being to explore the very nature
of what we are.
There is a stereotypical view that the aim is to still
the mind and then transcend this plane of existence. However
the very act of trying to do anything is to identify with the
ego. In this case the ego is the seeker. Instead the aim is
to go inwards until a state of consciousness is reached which
is experienced as being pure awareness. In this state of consciousness
there is no separation between subject and object. In other
words the apparent duality between the inner and outer realities
disappears. We experience being as one with everything.
It is possible
to be in this state the whole time and it is tremendously liberating.
Ultimately, it becomes for us a very 'normal' state of perception
that we are in the whole time - life becomes meditation so to speak. It is often called 'unity consciousness' or 'Samadhi'.
It is what some call enlightenment.
However this state is not the end
of the story, it is only the beginning. To me, this state is
NOT full enlightenment. There then comes a new experience of
duality. The experience of 'unity consciousness' is expressed
through you in the illusionary universe of relativity. When
we can remain in the state of unity consciousness and yet be
fully engaged within the demands of the relative world and yet non-identified
with it, then to me, we have reached the state of full enlightenment.
Having
let go of desires formed within the ego, we surrender to the natural
pull of the soul which takes us each on a unique journey of deeper
realisations of who we are, expressed through the mirror of the relative
universe. In other words we each experience a destined way of life
of the 'true self'.
"Where is the true self?
I look deep within,
it is not the body,
deeper still,
it is not the mind,
deeper and deeper,
until I find it is not even the part
doing the looking,
then finally the true self reveals itself
in the deepest part of myself
and expands out of me to fill the universe
then in each moment I learn to become it,
that which is both looking and being looked upon
that which is both hearing and being heard
that which is both feeling and being felt
the search is over, the true self that I looked for
was there all the time."
About the author:
 Chris
Bourne has studied a wide variety of ancient and contemporay philosophies,
meditation practices
and
martial arts, over a thirty five year period. He works closely
with nature, building on more recent experiences in shamanism. A degree in chemistry from Oxford University has provided him with a
good grounding in 'quantum energy' invaluable in understanding the flow
of ki - universal energy - through and around the body.
Around the age
of 40, he had a sequence of powerful life changing experiences. He explains:
" all of a sudden
I was observing life from two perspectives simultaneously. On
one level, I was engaging in the world in a 'normal' way while
at the same time observing myself and realising that every moment
was designed to reveal an aspect of truth about myself to myself.
I realised this was the true purpose of all experience and it
was intensely liberating. I had undergone an expansion of consciousness."
Chris
lives in Glastonbury and travels around the UK hosting self realisation
courses. He also works abroad by invitation. You can visit the Openhand
website at http://www.openhandweb.org. |
