HOW WE CAN LOOSEN OUR GRIP ON THE THROAT OF LIFE AND ACCEPT WHAT IS
COMPILATION AND COMMENTARY
BY LUCY WARNER
JUNE 14, 2017


THE FOLLOWING PSYCHOLOGY TODAY ARTICLE IS ON PERSPECTIVE AND OUR PARTICULAR VIEW OF REALITY. WITH HATE GROUPS ABOUNDING THESE DAYS, WE COULD USE SOME APPRECIATION OF DIFFERING POSSIBILITIES. THE THING THAT BOTHERS ME MOST ABOUT MODERN AMERICAN VIEWS ON RELIGION AND REALITY IS THAT WE AREN’T A MEDITATIVE SOCIETY BY AND LARGE; AND THE MOST COMMON VIEW OF RELIGION IS TO LEARN WHAT WE ARE “SUPPOSED TO THINK” (IN ORDER TO GO TO HEAVEN OR SIMPLY TO FIT IN) AND THEN WE MUST FORCE OURSELVES TO CONSIDER IT TO BE 100% ACCURATE AND VIRTUOUS. WHEN IT COMES TO LETTING IN ANY NEW PERCEPTIONS – LEARNING, FOR INSTANCE, OR DOUBT – WE ARE IN EFFECT LOCKED IN OUR PROTECTIVE CASTLE AND, TOO OFTEN, AFRAID TO VENTURE OUT. READING A BOOK OTHER THAN THE BIBLE OR THE KORAN IS LIKELY TO BE THE SOURCE OF DEADLY SIN.

MENTALLY, WE ARE ALL SIMILAR, BUT ALL DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT ALSO. SOME ARE SO FAR OUTSIDE THE NORM THAT WE ARE SEVERELY ILL, BUT MOST OF US ARE NOT. THAT DIFFERENCE, HOWEVER, IS WHAT CAUSES MANY OF THE ARGUMENTS BETWEEN PEOPLE, AND IF A DOGMATIC FUNDAMENTALISM OF ANY KIND PRECLUDES OUR SEEING ANY OTHER WAY OF LOOKING AT THE WORLD, WE MAY REMAIN NEGATIVE FOREVER. THROUGH MEDITATION AND ALLOWING OURSELVES TO FIND NEW EXPERIENCES, WE CAN OPEN UP OUR HEARTS AND MINDS. IN THAT STATE OF MIND, THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE ALT-RIGHT DOESN’T HAVE A CHANCE.

I DID TAKE A WEEKEND SIDDHA YOGA COURSE, THREE DAYS AT AN ASHRAM IN WASHINGTON DC. IT WAS A LITTLE PRICEY -- $100.00 WHEN I WASN’T RICH YET. I KNOW. THAT DOESN’T NARROW THE TIME DOWN MUCH, BECAUSE I’M STILL NOT RICH. IT WAS AROUND 1980, I WOULD SAY. THAT KIND OF MEDITATION IS CALLED SIDDHA YOGA AFTER THE PERSONAL NAME OF BUDDHA, SIDDHARTHA. THAT MEANS "HE WHO HAS ATTAINED HIS GOAL." BUDDHISM IS BASED ON THE TEACHINGS OF A HINDU THINKER, SANKHYA, WHICH IN THE WORDS OF A DR. PUSHPINDER "REJECTS ALL PERSONAL GODS, HEAVENS OR HELLS" SO DOES BUDDHISTIC PHILOSPHY." [THIS COMES FROM THE CROWD WISDOM SITE, https://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/]. SO WHEN YOU GO IN THE ASHRAM, FIRST THING TO DO WHEN YOU ENTER THE ROOM IS TO TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES AND PUT THEM AT A DESIGNATED PART OF THE ROOM. JUST IN CASE YOU’RE WORRIED ABOUT THAT MOST EMBARRASSING OF ALL THINGS, FOOT ODOR, DON’T BE. THE FEMALE LEADER TOOK A SPRAY CAN OF A LIGHT FLORAL SCENT AND SPRAYED THE FLOOR. (THOUGHTFUL, WASN’T IT?) WE THEN SIT CROSS-LEGGED AND AS ERECTLY AS POSSIBLE WHILE STILL RELAXING, AND WARM UP OUR INNER CONSCIOUSNESS WITH A BEAUTIFUL HINDU RITUAL IN WHICH A YOUNG LADY IN A GORGEOUS EASTERN OUTFIT SLOWLY, RHYTHMICALLY AND OH SO GRACEFULLY, MOVED HER ARMS OVER AND AROUND HER HEAD FOR ABOUT TWO MINUTES, WITH A LIGHTED CANDLE IN EACH HAND, AND MOVING TO THE RHYTHM OF AN EASTERN MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. I LEFT THAT LAST SENTENCE IN THIS LITTLE SLICE OF LIFE ESSAY JUST AS IT IS -- THOUGH I DO REALIZE IT IS A SHOCKING EXAMPLE OF A RUN-ON SENTENCE -- BECAUSE I WANTED TO GET THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE OUT IN ONE INTEGRATED MENTAL MOMENT. THE BEAUTY OF IT ALL WAS WONDERFUL TO ME, AND IT STILL IS.

THAT RITUAL WITH THE CANDLES, WHOSE PURPOSE IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY IS TO SYMBOLIZE AND STIMULATE WITHIN EACH OF THE ATTENDEES, THE MOVEMENT OF THE KUNDALINI – A FLOW OF ENERGY UP AND DOWN THE SPINE TO THE BRAIN. THEN WE SANG (“CHANTED”) LOVELY, SIMPLE MELODIES IN AN EXTREMELY FOREIGN LANGUAGE, WRITTEN IN WORSHIP TO SOME FASCINATING -- UNFORTUNATELY HEATHEN – CLASSICAL DEITIES. I ASKED MY FRIEND WHO WAS A MEMBER OF THE ASHRAM WHETHER MOST HINDUS ACTUALLY BELIEVE IN THE DEITIES IN THE LITERAL WAY THAT FUNDAMENTALIST CHRISTIANS BELIEVE, AND SHE SAID THAT THEY DON’T. IT HAS SYMBOLIC MEANING.

MY FAVORITE OF THOSE GODS IS THE PARTIALLY MALE AND PARTIALLY FEMALE GOD WITH THREE OR FOUR SETS OF ARMS – SHIVA DOING "THE DANCE OF LIFE." HE/SHE IS CONSIDERED MALE, BUT LOOKS VERY ANDROGYNOUS. HE, HOWEVER, IS THE SOURCE OF THE MALE KUNDALINI, OR FERTILITY, CREATIVE ENERGY AND INTELLIGENCE. THE FEMALE CONSORT OF THAT DEITY IS CALLED SHAKTI. NONE OF THIS IS ANYTHING OTHER THAN SYMBOLISM, IN CASE YOU’RE THINKING OF FERTILITY CULTS.

THEN THE MALE LEADER OF THE ASHRAM GROUP, THE SWAMI (OR GURU?) BROUGHT OUT FROM BESIDE HIM A COCONUT. THE MILK WAS ALREADY POURED OUT OF IT AND A KNIFE CUT HAD BEEN MADE AROUND THE MIDDLE, SO THAT WHEN HE HIT IT WITH A SMALL HAMMER IT SEPARATED INTO TWO PERFECTLY EVEN HALVES. THAT WAS TO SYMBOLIZE THE OPENING OF THE MIND. AS ALL THIS WITH THE CANDLES AND THE COCONUT ARE BEING DONE, THE SINGING GOES ON AND THE MALE LEADER PLAYS AN INSTRUMENT THAT SITS ON THE FLOOR. IT SOUNDS A BIT LIKE A BAGPIPE, THOUGH NOT AS SHRILL AND SHARP, AND IT IS SHAPED AND PLAYED LIKE AN ACCORDION. AFTER THAT WE SAT FACING HIM AND RECEIVED INSTRUCTION ON MEDITATION.

YOU’VE HEARD OF MANTRAS. THE SWAMI SAID THAT THE MANTRA USED THERE IS CALLED “HAN SA,” WHICH ARE THE SOUNDS MADE AS WE FIRST BREATHE IN AS DEEPLY AS POSSIBLE, THEN BREATHE OUT AS FULLY AS POSSIBLE. THAT REALLY EXPANDS THE LUNGS, MAKING FURTHER DEEP BREATHING MUCH EASIER. IT’S, OF COURSE, A CLEVER AND SIMPLE USE OF ONOMATOPOEIA. (I LOVE IT WHEN I GET A CHANCE TO USE THAT WORD.) SO, WE FIRST STRONGLY BREATH OUT WITH OPEN MOUTH UNTIL WE CAN’T FORCE OUT ANY MORE AIR. THEN WE SLOWLY AND PROGRESSIVELY BREATH IN AS FAR AS WE CAN STRETCH OUR LUNGS, AND HOLD THAT BREATH AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. I SUSPECT THAT WHAT THAT REALLY DOES IS TO FLOOD THE BRAIN WITH OXYGEN, AND STARTS THE MEDITATION PROCESS.

MEDITATION OF THIS KIND PRODUCES AN ALTERED TYPE OF BRAIN FUNCTIONING. NO DRUGS ARE INVOLVED, BUT THE MIND BEGINS TO “FLOW.” THE BREATHING IS TO BE DONE SLOWLY AND DEEPLY. IF ONE DOES THAT FOR AS MUCH AS 30 SECONDS, THE BODY WILL START TO RELAX AND THE BRAIN FUNCTION WILL BECOME MORE FLEXIBLE, LETTING GO OF STRESS AND NEGATIVE EMOTIONS. THOUGHTS AND SOMETIMES VISUALIZATIONS WILL SPONTANEOUSLY OCCUR. THAT'S NATURAL AND HARMLESS, AND THE STATE IN WHICH INSIGHTS CAN FORM.

CONTINUE TO BREATHE IN AND OUT IN A DEEP, SLOW RHYTHM WHICH AFTER FIVE TO TEN MINUTES OR LESS MAKES THE MIND GO INTO WHAT I THINK MUST BE THE BRAIN STATE IN WHICH WE DREAM. YOU CAN FIND THAT PLACE INSIDE YOUR MIND BY LYING IN THE BED IN THE DARKNESS, BREATHING DEEPLY AND BECOME AWARE OF YOUR MUSCLES GRADUALLY RELAXING. (THAT’S THE WAY I WORK ON MY BACK PAIN, ALSO.) JUST AS YOU START TO GO TO SLEEP, YOU MAY BE ABLE TO SEE DREAM IMAGES, OR AT ANY RATE SOMETIMES I CAN. IN THAT STATE OR CONDITION, THE MIND FLOWS SMOOTHLY ON A PATH OF ITS’ OWN, LIKE A SMALL GENTLE STREAM. THAT’S THE ESSENCE OF MEDITATION. IN THIS SIDDHA YOGA MEDITATION TECHNIQUE, TRYING TO FOCUS ON ANYTHING AT ALL IS LIKE PUTTING ON THE BRAKES IN A CAR.

IT’S NOT A TIME TO PONDEROUSLY “THINK,” BUT RATHER TO LET YOUR BRAIN DO THE WORK NATURALLY, AND TAKE NOTE OF WHERE IT TAKES YOU. IT’S ALSO VERY SIMILAR TO THE CREATIVE PROCESS. IT CREATES A DIFFERENT VISION OF THE WORLD AND REALITY. IT ISN’T THAT ONE IS TRUE AND THE OTHERS ARE LIES, BUT THAT THEY ALMOST CERTAINLY REPRESENT DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE SAME THING. I’M NOT ONE WHO CAN BE CONVINCED THAT “THE REAL WORLD ISN’T REAL,” AS THE PSYCH TODAY ARTICLE SAYS, BUT I AM SURE THAT LOOKING AT ANYTHING IN A DIFFERENT WAY IS ENLIGHTENING.

LOOK UP “BRAIN WAVES MEDITATION,” FOR AT LEAST THREE GOOD ARTICLES THAT I SAW ON WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING. IN ADDITION TO THAT THERE ARE MEDITATIVE MUSIC SAMPLES ON YOUTUBE, ONE TO RELAX, ANOTHER TO PERK UP, ONE TO STUDY BY. THAT ONE WAS MUCH TOO STIMULATING FOR ME TO READ WHILE IT’S PLAYING, HOWEVER. TO EXPERIENCE THESE, GO TO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXBP7N9RNYg;
http://www.relaxmeonline.com;
http://www.meditationmasters.tv – A SUBSCRIPTION TO THIS ONE COSTS $9.95, BUT IT IS PRETTY MUCH A MEDITATION COURSE, RATHER THAN JUST A VIDEO. THE TEACHER DID ASK THAT PEOPLE REFRAIN FROM SENDING THIS OUT TO OTHERS FREELY, SINCE IT ISN’T “FREE OF CHARGE,” AND TO DO SO IS IN EFFECT, “PIRATING.” PERSONALLY, I ALMOST NEVER PAY MONEY FOR THINGS ON THE NET OF THIS TYPE, THOUGH I DO GIVE WIKIPEDIA A MONTHLY $3.00. EVEN I CAN USUALLY FIND $3.00, BUT I’M NOT GOING TO ATTEMPT TO LEARN ALL THE INS AND OUTS OF THIS HIGHLY COMPLEX RELIGION. I AM FASCINATED WITH THE IMAGERY, HOWEVER, ESPECIALLY THE MANY ARMS OF THE DANCING SHIVA. IT’S JUST HIGHLY INTERESTING TO ME AS A WAY OF EXPANDING MY CONSCIOUSNESS.

DON’T WORRY ABOUT PRACTICING THIS. THE EFFECT WEARS OFF WITH TIME – HALF AN HOUR OR SO – AND IT IS NOT HYPNOSIS NOR “MIND CONTROL”. NO ONE WILL TRY TO “RULE YOUR MIND.” THERE IS NO DOGMATIC PREACHING OR ETHICAL TEACHING, AT LEAST NOT IN SIMPLE MEDITATION. SIDDHA YOGA IS AN INDIVIDUAL THING, AND IS USED TO INCREASE OUR CONSCIOUSNESS AND PRODUCE A MORE INSIGHTFUL MIND. IT’S A PURELY INTERNAL EXPERIENCE. ALSO, IT IS NOT ACTUALLY “WORSHIP” IN THE WAY THAT CHRISTIANS THINK OF THE TERM. IF YOU WANT TO LEAVE THE HINDU RELIGION OUT OF IT ENTIRELY, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SIT CROSS-LEGGED IN THE DARKNESS AND BREATHE SLOWLY AND DEEPLY. I THINK WHAT IT REALLY DOES IS TO SEND LOTS OF OXYGEN TO THE BRAIN, PURELY PHYSICAL, BUT IT’S STILL A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE.

I PUT THIS WITH THE PSYCHOLOGY TODAY ARTICLE BECAUSE IT DOES CHANGE MY PERCEPTION OF REALITY, WHICH CAN BE A DARNED GOOD THING. PS, YOU CAN’T HOLD ON TO HATRED WHEN YOU’RE MEDITATING, BECAUSE ALL INTENSE NEGATIVITY MELTS AWAY AT THE TIME. THOSE THINGS CAN COME BACK, OF COURSE, AND YOGIS DO PRACTICE THESE MEDITATION SESSIONS FREQUENTLY, DAILY, JUST AS CHRISTIANS DO PRAYER; THOUGH THE LEADER OF THE ASHRAM SAID THAT TO MEDITATE FOR TOO LONG AT A TIME CAN BE HARMFUL. THERE IS A CERTAIN DANGER OF DAMAGE FROM BEING UNDER A PROLONGED CONDITION OF SUCH ENHANCED OXYGENATION OF THE BRAIN. [SEE http://www.news-medical.net/health/Oxygen-Therapy-Side-Effects.aspx.]

WE MEDITATED FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES, WERE ROUSED AT THE END OF THAT TIME BY THE TINKLE OF A SMALL ALARM CLOCK, AND SAT THERE IN THE LIGHT FOR TEN OR FIFTEEN MINUTES WHILE TALKING ABOUT OUR EXPERIENCE, EMOTIONS AND VISIONS. THAT PERIOD OF SHARING IS LIKE ANY GROUP THERAPY. THEN, WE ALL STOOD UP AND WERE LED TO A LARGE MEETING ROOM FOR DELICIOUS INDIAN DELICACIES AND CONVERSATION. YOU MIGHT ASK, WAS THAT WORTH A HUNDRED DOLLARS? ABSOLUTELY. I HAVE REMEMBERED IT EVER SINCE, AND HAVE LEARNED FROM IT ABOUT HOW TO LIVE A DAY FULLY, RATHER THAN MERELY WALKING THROUGH IT IN A DAZE, A BLUE FUNK, OR A PERMANENTLY ANXIOUS STATE. THE TRICK IS TO FOCUS ON WHAT WE ARE DOING RATHER THAN ROAMING OFF SOMEWHERE MENTALLY, AND STEP BACK FROM TENSION, EMOTIONAL PAIN, ANGER, AND SO ON. IN MOST ASHRAMS ALL WE HAVE TO DO, AS STRANGERS WHO WANT TO LEARN TO MEDITATE, IS ASK. THERE MAY BE A FEE, BUT I DON’T REMEMBER THAT THERE WAS. IT PROBABLY WON’T BE MUCH, ANYWAY. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. NOW PROCEED TO THE PSYCHOLOGY TODAY ARTICLE.


PSYCHOLOGY TODAY ON THE NATURE OF REALITY

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/confessions-techie/201410/reality-isn-t-really-real
Reality Isn’t Really Real
Life is not a movie you watch. It is a movie you make.

Pause for a second, and turn your look [sic] away from this screen. What is the reality that you see around you? What are the objects, their colors, and their shapes? Are they in motion or are they still? This reality that you see is the world as it is right here and now. It may seem that you are outside of it, and simply observing it. Yet this reality is not outside of you. It only exists in your mind, and you view it through your own unique lens, filtered by your senses, your memories, your mood, and by your thoughts. A different person would look through his or her own perspective, and may describe a vastly different reality, as if the two of you are not at all in the same place and time.

This simple realization that reality is subjective goes a long way. Firstly, in our relationships and interactions with others, it helps us realize that our view of things is never an undisputed truth. Other people’s truths come from the reality that they perceive in their own minds, and their truth is as valid to them as our truth is for us. Secondly, it makes us realize that obstacles and barriers we face may not exist in the real, external world, and may only be a result of our perspectives. Instead of exerting efforts to overcome these obstacles, it may suffice to adopt an alternative perspective where these obstacles simple do not exist. And thirdly, it makes us realize that much of our suffering is a matter of choice. There always exists a different perspective on things that is free from the pain that we feel.

Four years ago, while riding my motorcycle from New York to California on a quest to finding inner peace, I met with different authors and scientists, and had asked them about the notion of reality. In Austin, I met with Dr. James Pennebaker, the head of UTexas’ Psychology Department, and today the president of The Society for Personality and Social Psychology. Pennebaker pioneered the use of writing as a means of psychological intervention. He found that writing is curative when it produces a change in perspective. Our ability to construct a story is often what makes us suffer, and writing a new story could therefore heal:

“When you write, it’s not as though you’re throwing out the emotions. You are now thinking about the events; you are tying them together. The mere fact that you put it into words seems to make a big difference. It allows you to move past it, to move through it…Writing brings some kind of meaning and closure to events. We know that people whose health improves most are also able to change perspectives in their life. They can talk about their feelings and thoughts but also those of other people around them… We also know that in writing, it’s really important that people are able to construct a story. If someone comes in and they write about a trauma, and they immediately have a good story: “this happened, and the reason was so and so” — they don’t benefit from writing at all. People benefit more when they construct a new story. They start putting things together. The alternative argument is that one reason people are screwed up is because of language as well. I mean, if you look at most animals, they don’t need psychotherapy, but they don’t have language either to get them messed up.”

Toward the end of my motorcycle ride I arrived in Southern California, I met with Deepak Chopra, who shared with me a personal story about perspectives. A few weeks before he and I had met, Chopra spent three weeks in Thailand to be ordained as a Buddhist Monk. His daily experiences in the monastery were sometimes difficult and painful – until he chose to change his perspective:

“When I was in Thailand, we used to go barefoot with the begging bowl. So there were no shoes and you had to step over pebbles and rocks and streets and shrubs, and I was not used to it, and it was tough for me. When I came back, the first day, the abbot asked me if it was difficult for me. And I said — yes, it was very painful. He said, “You know, it's painful when you put the foot down but the other foot you lift, that has the absence of pain, which is very pleasurable. Just put your attention on that foot. And the next day, I did that and the pain was gone.

So — it's where you put your attention. It's all interpretation.

If you go out of your comfort zone with the whole mindset of embracing uncertainty and stepping into the unknown, then you've already shifted before you arrive.”

What reality in your life brings you suffering or limits you from reaching your goals and your dreams? What are the alternative realities you can live, where you are pain-free, fulfilled, and happy? Today, imagine for a second that you are a different person, and sit down and write your own script for life, from a new perspective. Life is not a movie you watch. It is a movie you make.

About the Author

Ran Zilca
Ran Zilca is a research scientist, entrepreneur, and author.
In Print: Ride of Your Life: A Coast-to-Coast Guide to Finding Inner Peace
Online: Ride Of Your Life

Posted Oct 22, 2014