Enlightenment in 15-30 days, an EXTREMELY fast method. Mahasi Style Noting

reply to post by Specimen


If you shout and swing the stick why are you sitting in zazen?

Who is it that sits?

Who is it that swings?

Who is it that shouts?

If sitting and a shout falls on deaf ears who is there to swing the stick?
If sitting and a stick ends up in your hands... bow instead of shouting.

reply to post by BigBrotherDarkness


I wouldn't be doing Zazen if I was doing that during practice.

Thats the thing though, I just practiced on my own, twice daily for a long time. Some nights I could do longer then others, while some I'd be awake for 5 mins, and pass out. What would wake me, would be the stiffness in my neck from sitting there passed out, my legs would fall asleep, or I would fall over to my side. I would have to monitor myself to make sure not to fall asleep.

Although, the idea of banging a stick to the floor to keep the pupil awake seems like a good idea.

Been trying to do this for about 5 days
What a learning experiance this is.
I find it odd that I am making these kind of unconscious decisions that I don't understand or agree with in this state
Should I be honing in on that cleare state for decisions?
This source seems so core to my self yet I know not where it's decisions come from
Like an infinite well
It's feels like both sides are areas out of my control
Accept I feel asleep when I defer to the egoic mind stream and awake when in the bottomless ocean consciousness
It seems as though I am attracting more powerful connections now like this thread and the Ubuntu movement
This seems overwhelming and it is easier to go back asleep but now that I have come out of that cave it feels like a prision

dominicus
reply to post by Specimen

 

Which was where I screwed myself, considering I over monitored my own thoughts, and then one thing, to another.

In the Mahasi Method, "over monitoring" your own thoughts, helps to produce a hyper awareness and awakening/shifting into Pure Awareness (also a goal in Zazen).

I can see how someone could freak out about being in Hyper Awakened Awareness and perhaps mistakenly label it as "over monitoring." (Not saying this is was your case, but if very well could be)

That's what I did, used the Method, went into Hyper Awareness, and the ego/mind (which is not me because I am the Hyper Awareness that is aware of the Mind), tricked me by saying, "Oh now you've done it, this new awakened state of consciousness is way too much to handle, better leave this alone for now.......

But that's a trick. That is who we are, and when Awakened, its the best way to live life because then you are one step away from Merging with Absolute Reality.

Hi Dom,
when i sit on meditation, do i need to keep noting that im sitting or just note once?

thanks!

peace.

reply to post by dodol

Hi Dom, when i sit in meditation, do i need to keep noting that im sitting or just note once?

When you "sit on meditation", the default factor to be aware of, is the rising and falling abdomen when breathing.

Here's a quote from the instructions:

Your mind may wander elsewhere while you are noting the abdominal movement. This must also be noted by mentally saying `wandering, wandering.' When this has been noted once or twice, the mind stops wandering, in which case you go back to noting the rising and falling of the abdomen. If the mind reaches somewhere, note as `reaching, reaching.' Then go back to the rising and falling of the abdomen.

Source Instructions

When you sit in meditation, be aware of the abdomen rising and falling, and eventually during the sit, the mind will start to wander, daydream, you will feel your butt on the floor/chair/bed so then you note "touch, touch." Then awareness will shift back to breath. Then you might hear a sound so you note "hearing, hearing," then you'll go back to breath.

In 1 hour of sitting while Noting, there is soooooo much that arises and plenty to note. Its somewhere around day 15 of hardcore all day practice, or about 200 hours of practice, where there will be large breaks of no-thinking at all and just hyper awareness linked to its source. Just keep at it. See if you can go a whole day on your next day off work, and also read Satnams reply just above yours, as he's posting huge breakthroughs in his practice.


reply to post by satnam

Been trying to do this for about 5 days What a learning experiance this is. I find it odd that I am making these kind of unconscious decisions that I don't understand or agree with in this state

That's the beauty of this method, it reveals the vast array of unconscious auto-pilot decisions we make in life, while thinking and tricking ourselves into believing that they were conscious decisions. Your cutting through all the unconscious filters and mind programming that was instilled into you via parents, media, peers, school, the world, etc and instead seeing the beginning of naked Absolute reality.

Should I be honing in on that cleare state for decisions?

Just keep noting whatever arises. Your now getting to a deep part of the practice: Subtle Discrimination. So now its vital to notice whether decisions are being made via the ego/conscious mind, subconscious, or clear state, and then note according to what you find. I don't want to project anything into your practice as then you will be looking for my answer. But all of this is for you to find out and note.

This source seems so core to my self yet I know not where it's decisions come from Like an infinite well

The Source itself is Selfless, Crystal clear, prior to all. Etc. Keep noting and all things will be made clear. Your onto very subtle formations like the source of thought, source of emotion, the Source of the Source within. Your on it and its only day 5!!!!! Took me longer

It's feels like both sides are areas out of my control Accept I feel asleep when I defer to the egoic mind stream and awake when in the bottomless ocean consciousness

Did you just gain access to all this via the method, or did you have some access to this before?

Yes!!!! Right on the money. The Egoic mind stream, which the supposed normal mode of operation for humanity, is like an unconscious dream state of filters and illusions. Whereas, "bottomless ocean consciousness" is prior to the ego, absolute reality, Source of all things. Welcome home!!!!

It seems as though I am attracting more powerful connections now like this thread and the Ubuntu movement

Life will rearrange itself eventually to give you what you need for support of your Enlightenment practice. But in the beginning, I found many forces against me, distractions, blocks, etc that I needed to fight through and let go of to move further.

This seems overwhelming

It seems overwhelming to the egoic mind, which isn't inherently you anyway. The real you is prior to and existed way before the egoic/filter/illusion mind ever formed, and now it's labeling your access to Enlightenment as "overwhelming."

IF you go back a few posts, I mentioned before that this is an egoic trap and I fell for it. I got to exactly where you are at now, the ego labeled it as "overwhelming and too much," and so I stopped practicing and went back to egoic sleeping state (which has always, and continued to be the source of my problems, worry, stress, attachments, addictions, etc).

So then I realized it was the ego that labeled the beginning of Enlightenment with filters/illusions/labels and that its still better to be there/awakened, then asleep/ego. So I went back and stuck with it. Now, there is 24/7 awareness that the Egoic/Mind is not me, access to Ocean consciousness, Beingness, Spontaneously able to do/work/speak/etc always the right act without having to think about it, and so forth.

and it is easier to go back asleep but now that I have come out of that cave it feels like a prision

Same conclusion I made. The egoic mind is not even real anyway, just thoughts/concepts/illusions and an extremely limited prison of divisions/separation/labels/judgments/worries/attachments. etc.

So what do you think is the better place to be? Enlightened or unenlightened?

I think this post says it all.

silent thunder
We are already inherently enlightened. It is the fundamental ground of our being, and the interconnectedness of the universe.

Some folks need to sit in a cave chanting or being aware of their breath for 20 years to realize it. Others instinctively know even if they've never heard the word "enlightenment."

Why? Who knows?

Personally I think the fastest way to enlightenment is to not care about being enlightened.

And I think you would agree.

dominicus
Some who are ripe for it, merely hear a Koan, and in an instant, merge/uncover permanent Enlightenment. To say you need a lifetime in a monastery is just more projections from a status quo.

When one is ripe it will happen and not before. Awakenings happen a lot without even knowing what it is. Eckhart Tolle awoke and did not know what it was that had happened, he had suffered extreme distress, anxiety, depression and one morning he woke up and it was gone and everything was wonderful. He did not seek enlightenment - he gave up, surrendered.

Looking for enlightenment is seeking and enlightenment is the end of the seeking and the seeker.
Seek that which is seeking.

Yet you are all looking for something. So when you find nothing will it be enough?

reply to post by Itisnowagain

I think this post says it all.

We are already inherently enlightened. It is the fundamental ground of our being, and the interconnectedness of the universe.

The problem is, this is not realized and noticed for the majority of humanity. It certainly wasn't for myself, and until I started to read, understand, practice, "do," was when eventually I had my first insights/realizations. Had I just remained with that statement as intellectually true and something I agree with, I would still have remained wrapped completely in egoic mind, hence the need to still be able to do some sort of practice or insight wrestling to have a direct experience of That.

"Personally I think the fastest way to enlightenment is to not care about being enlightened. "

And I think you would agree.

I would not agree. That is part of Neo-Advaita and the pop-trend teachers sprouting up all over the world with all these books and satsangs sitting around saying, "There's nothing you can do, and there's no one who can do it." So then the person who hears this sort of gives up on the seeking, doing, inquiring, etc and remains in another form of delusion.

There is a definitive shift/insight/realization that happens and changes reality, awareness, and Being in a person so they are awakened. A lot of people going to the Neo-Adviata satsangs are not walking out of there awakened, and so the next best thing, is Mahasi Style Noting. You were actually lucky and perhaps had grace to realize what and how you did with all this stuff. The majority are not so lucky with it, and plus realizing you are Awareness prior to ego/thought is just One stage/state.

There is Love/Bliss/Soul in the Heart, Pure Absolute Beingness, The Ego/Mind completely dissolved in the Amrita Nadi/Channel so it no longer arises leaving only spontaneous doing/being, the multitude of channels in the body opening up and dissolving all the blockages, the Light of Consciousness, Kundalini, and ever deepening aspects of the path. The primary awakening is simply the start, and by no means the end.

When one is ripe it will happen and not before. Awakenings happen a lot without even knowing what it is. Eckhart Tolle awoke and did not know what it was that had happened, he had suffered extreme distress, anxiety, depression and one morning he woke up and it was gone and everything was wonderful. He did not seek enlightenment - he gave up, surrendered.

Many are not so lucky or will not have the exact circumstances that he went through, and even so, Tolle still advocates a bunch of books for sale that explain and give practices to do.

Many who awaken spontaneously, which also happened to me after 15 mins with a Koan, the realization happens SO FAST, the intellect is unable to comprehend and explain what happened. In my case, it took 2-3 years to realize and understand. That's where the Neo-Advaitins come in. It happens too fast for them to understand (See Krishnamurti) and so they advocate a no-path/nothing to do, which is a path for very tiny select few.

Looking for enlightenment is seeking and enlightenment is the end of the seeking and the seeker. Seek that which is seeking.

This is the Absolute Beauty of the Mahasi Noting Method. Through each stage, there is a direct intellectual understanding, seeing, comprehending of whats going on, all the way up to the actual shift into Enlightenment, something Neo-Advaita fails to do, and yet this method, if done with genuine intent, is a 100% success rate with pure intellectual understanding. Of course the destination cannot be understood/comprehended because it transcends intellect, but it is experienced/Experiencer merged into it.

Yet you are all looking for something. So when you find nothing will it be enough?

Mahasi Noting uncovers and destroys the "looking for something" as illusion and egoic mind, and uncovers what is prior to that. Its a very extremely potent and fast method to get the fruits of what you and i have gotten via instant realizations.

However, with my instant realization, I reverted back to egoic mind eventually, and went 3 times back and first losing the primordial each time. Mahasi Style Noting finally established in me a permanent foundation from which is impossible to revert to Unenlightenment.

Its legit, and leads to where you are. No worries..... see Satnam's reply a few replies up. He's in day 5 and already deep in the mix

reply to post by dominicus


thanks Dom

previously I thought it was to program this robot to rapid fire the noting on every actions (like reading mantra) including in meditation and be aware of the thoughts (and feelings if there's any) and actions at the same time.

peace.

I have been seeking for some time.
After a break from reality in 2007 where I discovered the world was not what we were told, I began attracting truth and new age spiritual development.
I began finding truth everywhere but it was on an expansion from conspiracies.
I tested and achieved some amazing things like 4th 5h dimension consciousness, telekinesis, telepathy, etc at my amazement the core requirement was pure intention and no expectations.
I discovered kundalini yoga, chi gong, channeling etc all of which have been causing a change in me. And I have worked on some eckheart tolle and Allan watts material. Excellent short term effects, not much lasting.
So I have been seeking for some time and feel this as a passionate pursuit of the heart. I am driven to find an answer.

Funny thing happened to me on Sunday. When I noted in the morning I discovered there was nothing to note. I was caught off guard surely there must be something but there was nothing. Pure and calm. Nothing worried me, all thinking of past and future felt trivial and irrelevant. Every choice flowed effortlessly focusing on joy and love.
I thought something was wrong . I had to actively remember my prev habits as they were not presenting automatically and with each of them I found myself asking is this really wat I want?

And it lasted most of the day

I began to realize you are on to something here

satnam
I have been seeking for some time.
After a break from reality in 2007 where I discovered the world was not what we were told, I began attracting truth and new age spiritual development.
I began finding truth everywhere but it was on an expansion from conspiracies.
I tested and achieved some amazing things like 4th 5h dimension consciousness, telekinesis, telepathy, etc at my amazement the core requirement was pure intention and no expectations.
I discovered kundalini yoga, chi gong, channeling etc all of which have been causing a change in me. And I have worked on some eckheart tolle and Allan watts material. Excellent short term effects, not much lasting.
So I have been seeking for some time and feel this as a passionate pursuit of the heart. I am driven to find an answer.

Same deal here. I remember pre-existing prior to being born here, and ever since a kid, knew intuitively this reality isn't what it seems. Has always felt fake, filtered, and pursuits of adulthood have been trivial, especially having done it all myself, most things are empty

Funny thing happened to me on Sunday. When I noted in the morning I discovered there was nothing to note. I was caught off guard surely there must be something but there was nothing. Pure and calm. Nothing worried me, all thinking of past and future felt trivial and irrelevant. Every choice flowed effortlessly focusing on joy and love. I thought something was wrong . I had to actively remember my prev habits as they were not presenting automatically and with each of them I found myself asking is this really wat I want? And it lasted most of the day I began to realize you are on to something here

Yes that's part of it. Pure Unknowing, peace, calm, Joy, vastness, the borders of the body disappear, chakras become active, channels eventually, open, its all there in this. Though the destination is just the beginning of the path, and week by week gets deeper, more vast, thicker, and a number of transcendent factors that are completely beyond all descriptions.

Being genuine and having intent to get/resolve Enlightenment are two things that help the practice. Also, if you do a whole day of noting from waking to sleep, (at least for me) the ego went on a rampage in me, excuses, hatred, wanting to stop, anger, agitation, aches, pains, subconscious memories, fear, etc....everything it could muster to get me to stop.

I think around day 3 there was a settling into it.

But yeah I'm so pumped your on day 5!!!! Really exciting to know you took this up and are for real with it. Most people window shop, make a few remarks, and carry on. Very few take this to the end.

Big thumbs up and Lots of Love for you on your path. Check back in a let us know how things are proceeding

reply to post by satnam

satnam
Funny thing happened to me on Sunday. When I noted in the morning I discovered there was nothing to note. I was caught off guard surely there must be something but there was nothing. Pure and calm. Nothing worried me, all thinking of past and future felt trivial and irrelevant. Every choice flowed effortlessly focusing on joy and love.

This sounds amazing yet........ a thought arose.

I thought something was wrong . I had to actively remember my prev habits as they were not presenting automatically and with each of them I found myself asking is this really wat I want?

The thinking, reasoning, mind will not like it and will jump up and down - it is that which is the stress, it has scared you. Did you not enjoy the day that you found nothing? Pure and calm.

The realization of nothing is wonderful. Nothing is eternal whereas things are transitory.
Thoughts and sensations will appear and disappear in the space that you are.
Know thyself as the entire space inclusive of all that is appearing.

reply to post by Itisnowagain


The question I was asking myself on sunday was what is missing. All of my habits were not automatically popping up in my mind. I wondered if something had gone wrong, and to return to a state of normalcy I choose to re-introduce my prev patterns. The interesting thing was I had to choose to bring them back, where as before, those paterns were imposed or agiven.

I wasn't anticapating this, and wandered if this was expected. It seems as though it was.

Now I am in that state most of the time after I begin noting. The note seems to disolve the thought from its mind form into its precursive state. Without defining the thought I know it, and it seems if I let my mind define it, much of the conetent of the thought does not come out.

I very much appreciate your feedback, this is invaluable.
Please please please be here for when I am through the 15 days as I feel a little like I have just wondered onto a path which has no road to follow (that used to be my egoic mind).
Most of my thoughts are originating in their precursive thought form, sort of like when you are walking you do not think every actin in detail it simply flows through you. As I am used to the egoic analysis, I am not adept at precursive analysis. Being in the flow feels a bit like flying.

Itisnowagain
reply to post by satnam

 

satnam
Funny thing happened to me on Sunday. When I noted in the morning I discovered there was nothing to note. I was caught off guard surely there must be something but there was nothing. Pure and calm. Nothing worried me, all thinking of past and future felt trivial and irrelevant. Every choice flowed effortlessly focusing on joy and love.

This sounds amazing yet........ a thought arose.

I thought something was wrong . I had to actively remember my prev habits as they were not presenting automatically and with each of them I found myself asking is this really wat I want?

The thinking, reasoning, mind will not like it and will jump up and down - it is that which is the stress, it has scared you. Did you not enjoy the day that you found nothing? Pure and calm.

The realization of nothing is wonderful. Nothing is eternal whereas things are transitory.
Thoughts and sensations will appear and disappear in the space that you are.
Know thyself as the entire space inclusive of all that is appearing.

edit on 17-10-2013 by Itisnowagain because: (no reason given)

is the consciousness like a movie played inside this space?
I kinda sense this space since last week.
everything seen through these eyes feels like fake.
but doubt appears stronger when i was almost convinced.

sometimes i feel sometimes i cant
when mind stops i can feel but the doubt in heart always appears immediately.
seems like i need to get used to it until i can be 100% convinced?

peace.

reply to post by satnam


satnam is the feeling like the mind stops?
i notice this yesterday feels like there's no voice in head when trying to note for like 2-3 seconds, the noting voice doesnt want to come up. it just feels like energy inside head.

im not sure whether its the same like what you felt.
thats why i want to confirm whether im doing this right or wrong

peace.

satnam
reply to post by Itisnowagain

 

The question I was asking myself on sunday was what is missing. All of my habits were not automatically popping up in my mind. I wondered if something had gone wrong, and to return to a state of normalcy I choose to re-introduce my prev patterns. The interesting thing was I had to choose to bring them back, where as before, those paterns were imposed or agiven.

I wasn't anticapating this, and wandered if this was expected. It seems as though it was.

Now I am in that state most of the time after I begin noting. The note seems to disolve the thought from its mind form into its precursive state. Without defining the thought I know it, and it seems if I let my mind define it, much of the conetent of the thought does not come out.

The mind wants to define everything. In fact there are no 'things' until the mind draws a line (define) - prior to the lines drawn there is just what is happening.
Oneness is realized when the mind stops drawing lines.
It is like free-fall - it can be scary but delightful.

reply to post by satnam

I very much appreciate your feedback, this is invaluable. Please please please be here for when I am through the 15 days as I feel a little like I have just wondered onto a path which has no road to follow (that used to be my egoic mind)

Please remember, that the 15-30 days, is of daily practice from waking to sleeping. If you do a an hour or a few with breaks because of work, etc it can/may take a little longer. I went to retreat where I did this for this long, every single day. Though doing it off and on has a cumulative effect as well.

Most of my thoughts are originating in their precursive thought form, sort of like when you are walking you do not think every actin in detail it simply flows through you. As I am used to the egoic analysis, I am not adept at precursive analysis. Being in the flow feels a bit like flying.

The noting must continue. When there is no thinking, there is still "perceiving" that thinking is gone. So in that case note, "Perceiving, Perceiving."

Also, there is a later stage where various pains, itches, agitation, uncomfortable, heat, will physically arise as part of the body/consciousness complex/connection. This stage has to be muscled through as well.

From the instructions:

When you have sat meditating for long, sensations of stiffness and heat will arise in your body. These are to be noted carefully too. Similarly with sensations of pain and tiredness. All of these sensations are dukkhavedana (feeling of unsatisfactoriness) and noting them is vedananupassana. Failure or omission to note these sensations makes you think, ``I am stiff, I am feeling hot, I am in pain. I was all right a moment ago. Now I am uneasy with these unpleasant sensations.'' The identification of these sensations with the ego is mistaken. There is really no `I' involved, only a succession of one new unpleasant sensation after another.

If you haven't made it to this, then keep going.

reply to post by dodol

is the consciousness like a movie played inside this space? I kinda sense this space since last week. everything seen through these eyes feels like fake. but doubt appears stronger when i was almost convinced.

If your sincerely doing the Method, then you will find that when the Eyes look at an object, say a tree, then the ego/mind labels/filters that object as "tree". But the Tree itself, the seeing itself is all primarily and inherently without filters and naked.

The "fakeness" is the illusions of the ego that places fake filters superimposed over reality. It also thinks there is a "you".

Your on it!!!!
From the Instructions towards the end of the page:

Thus, with every act of noting, the yogi will come to know for himself clearly that there are only this material quality which is the object of awareness or attention and the mental quality that makes a note of it. This discriminating knowledge is called namarupa-pariccheda-nana, the beginning of the vipassana-nana. It is important to gain this knowledge correctly. This will be succeeded, as the yogi goes on, by the knowledge that distinguishes between the cause and its effect, which knowledge is called paccayapariggaha-nana.

Next, the yogi will become convinced that all these psycho-physical phenomena are occurring of their own accord, following nobody's will and subject to nobody's control. They constitute no individual or ego-entity. This realisation is anattanupassana-nana.

You're entering the stage of discrimination. That's a huge breakthrough!!!!!!

i notice this yesterday feels like there's no voice in head when trying to note for like 2-3 seconds, the noting voice doesnt want to come up. it just feels like energy inside head.

Discrimination stage. Notice though, when this happens, you are still able to "perceive" that this has happened, so continue noting, "Perceiving, Perceiving."

Seriously, Dodol & Satnam, you guys are on the verge, right there on the precipice....sooooo close....

satnam
I very much appreciate your feedback, this is invaluable.
Please please please be here for when I am through the 15 days as I feel a little like I have just wondered onto a path which has no road to follow (that used to be my egoic mind).
Most of my thoughts are originating in their precursive thought form, sort of like when you are walking you do not think every actin in detail it simply flows through you. As I am used to the egoic analysis, I am not adept at precursive analysis. Being in the flow feels a bit like flying.

You are on a road to nowhere (now here). Life is flowing through you. Have faith in the one true life - this is aliveness.
When thought appears to tell you this or that - it is also life just happening.
Soon you will find that life is just happening and it is not ever happening 'to you'. This is salvation - you have been saved by disappearing (the me is lifted away) - all that is left is aliveness.

The 'you' that life was happening to is dissolved and it is seen that all just happens spontaneously - unconditionally.

dodol

Know thyself as the entire space inclusive of all that is appearing.

is the consciousness like a movie played inside this space?
I kinda sense this space since last week.
everything seen through these eyes feels like fake.
but doubt appears stronger when i was almost convinced.

You are the entire holodeck - and all appears to materialize in you.
What appears, appears to you to be unreal/fake because you have uncovered the real.

The appearance is constantly changing but what is constant? When the constant stable one is found to be the real then the transitory loses its power.
When the transitory (that which appears) loses it's reign of power over you then all that is left is love. All is seen to be arising in love.


This is not a video that will give you a method, it is not a teaching - it is a description not a prescription.