Meditation on pure consciousness: technique and self-knowledge

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

The concept of "meditation" is interpreted in different ways: most often this term is understood as the process of focusing and calming attention. Meditative techniques allow you not to scatter attention to trifles, save mental and physical energy and achieve a state of pure consciousness. In this article, we will talk about how to "zero" your consciousness so that you get the maximum benefit from it.

Philosophy of pure consciousness

Knowing oneself is a strange and complex process. Speaking of our own consciousness, can we always distinguish our “I”, our original nature, from that brought in from outside? Actually, what is our consciousness, if not the experience reflected in it? It is difficult to find an answer to this question, because, in fact, what do we have besides experience? Meditation on pure consciousness helps to find the answer to the question “What, in fact, am I, besides experience?”. Indeed, in accordance with many philosophical teachings and religious beliefs, we are something more than a specificpersonality as a representative of society. If we discard life history, family ties, any regalia and achievements - what will remain then? Meditation allows you to meet with your soul - with that independent spark of life that makes your body move and your brain make decisions.

Stop internal dialogue

The second important aspect of meditation on pure consciousness is to stop the internal dialogue and achieve silence of thoughts. Most often, we constantly scroll through our past in our head, possible scenarios for the development of events, including those that have not yet happened, we argue with ourselves and with internal demons. The magic of pure consciousness lies in the fact that we do not waste our mental energy on maintaining this ongoing internal dialogue, but save it for more productive purposes - or simply perceive the world here and now, without escaping attention to the past or future.

The concept of tabula rasa

The phrase “tabula rasa” comes from the Latin language. The ancient Romans called tabulae special tablets for writing. The phrase “tabula rasa” literally meant a tablet from which the inscription was erased - it was used in an allegorical sense, speaking of the possibility of starting anew, as if from a clean slate. With regard to pure consciousness, “tabula rasa” is used in the context of the theory that each person is born without a predisposition to a certain type of behavior - it is formed in the processgrowing up and only reflects the experience gained. Roughly speaking, each of us at the beginning of life is an unwritten book, the blank pages of which can be filled with anything.

Undoubtedly, the thesis that the consciousness of a newborn is a blank slate is criticized. It is impossible not to take into account the factor of genetics, the inheritance of certain character traits from parents, and even physical indicators. But an adult is quite capable of rewriting his history and returning to the consciousness of pure reason, using meditation as a tool.

Tabula rasa in European philosophy

In the West, the concept of “tabula rasa” is most often used, meaning not the state that can be achieved through meditation and work on one’s consciousness, but the initially empty human mind before gaining any experience. The idea of primary consciousness as a blank slate belongs to Aristotle, who first used the expression "tabula rasa" in his treatise On the Soul. But this term became widespread much later thanks to the 17th-century English philosopher John Locke and his treatise An Essay on the Human Mind. He also believed that the mind of the child is a blank slate, and the personality is formed in the process of education under the influence of circumstances and the environment.

Forget your "I"

To Western consciousness, the return to the state of “tabula rasa” may seem absolutely unnatural and cause protest. In our culture, personal achievements and victories are highly valued, so rejectionfrom one's own experience can be perceived as a rejection of everything achieved by one's own labor, albeit not without mistakes.

In fact, meditation on pure consciousness does not at all set itself the goal of depriving you of your own "I" and blurring your personality in the Universal Absolute. On the contrary, meditation can serve as a reliable tool for maintaining and exaggerating the benefits, allowing you to make better use of energy.

It's another matter if your goal is to achieve spiritual enlightenment. Most likely, you will begin to fall into the other extreme - to completely abandon your desires and strive for impartiality. Of course, your goals are commendable, but to perceive desires as something alien and to deny your ego is also not worth it. As we remember, forbidden fruit is sweet - the more you forbid something to yourself, the more you are drawn to it.

Ordinary human life contains many pleasant moments - by giving up our desires, we deprive ourselves of experiencing many miracles. It is important that there is harmony in everything, and your desires do not turn into crazy passion.

Pure Consciousness Meditation Technique

The reasons for turning to such meditation can be different. Perhaps you really wanted to clear your consciousness of the layers of accumulated experience in order to know your nature or tame your desires. Or maybe you just want the flow of thoughts in your head not to prevent you from falling asleep peacefully. In any case, you need to first master certain techniques for calming the mind.

Main goalin mastering the state of pure consciousness - learn to switch to the mode of an internal observer. This observer inside you does not have any emotional reaction to any irritating factors from the outside - he simply contemplates them and accepts them as they are, without trying to influence the situation in any way. The same applies to thoughts - your inner observer does not get involved in a dialogue with your "I", but simply monitors the appearance of thoughts. Perhaps he hangs labels on these thoughts like "I already thought about this yesterday" or "But this thought came to me for the first time." You can even imagine that this is not about you as a person, but some hypothetical character in a movie or book that you only play (which, according to Eastern philosophy, is not far from the truth). Trust your wise higher self.

Learn not to think

If you immediately try to start meditation by abruptly stopping thinking about anything at all, then you will suffer a crushing defeat in this. Thoughts will fall like a big hailstorm in summer, and it will be simply impossible to stop them. Your task is to act from the opposite and, conversely, to allow thoughts to float freely in your head.

At first it will be difficult not to react to these thoughts in any way - each of them will cause a chain of associations and feelings. You need to learn not to get involved in this flow, but to follow it from the outside. Over time, you will notice that some thoughts come more often than usual and are formative for your consciousness. The logical step would be to trace the source and causes of their occurrence and, as a result,understand if you are spending too much internal energy on maintaining this constant idea. Also try to grasp the connection between the thought and the reaction to it, and then understand why you react the way you do and not the other way. If you feel that you are going too deep into the jungle of your memories, then note for yourself the understanding of internal processes achieved and return to the original task of calming the mind.

Silence between thoughts

When you manage to catch this pause between thoughts, filled with nothing and not clouded, the magic of pure consciousness will begin. At first, it will be difficult to hold it - the thought will immediately arise that you have caught inner silence and are trying to keep it. But it is important not to think about how exactly you hold it, but to be in the action itself, in the moment “here and now”. When thoughts begin to creep into your head again, remember the inner observer and look at him with impassive eyes. The thoughts that came to mind, not finding a response, will slowly begin to melt and disappear.

Gradually you will be able to induce a state of inner silence and without prior adjustment, being anywhere. You will be able to remain calm in the crowd, in transport, at work and at home. You will be surprised to note that such a state is extremely productive: being immersed in the process of any action, we can perform and control it much better and more accurately.

Importance of posture for meditation

The state of mind largely depends on the state of our body, and vice versa. Undoubtedly, meditation masters can keep their minds clear even on a crowded train. But beginners are advised to practice in a comfortable and symmetrical posture in a quiet and peaceful place in order to achieve harmony of body and mind. In fact, the existence of all yoga asanas serves one purpose - to prepare the body for long meditations. And the improvement of the body and good he alth is, one might say, a pleasant side effect. In the ancient treatise of the Indian sage Patanjali, it is even stated: "Yoga is the stopping of the movements of the mind." Indeed, if your body is already somewhat tired from exercise, it will be much easier to sit still. If, on the contrary, if you simply can’t find a place for yourself from the energy that overwhelms you, then it’s better to throw it out with the help of active exercises than to melt it into reserves of potential energy with the help of increased concentration.

Proper breathing

All Eastern teachings emphasize the importance of the connection between the rhythm of breathing and the activity of consciousness. Spirit-breath is the link between our body and our mind. By slowing down and lengthening your inhalations and exhalations, you can achieve rapid relaxation and release of bodily clamps, as well as achieve concentration and inner silence.

One way to master pure mind meditation is to follow the breath, focusing on how the body breathes in and out. At some point, you will feel just the same bodily buzz from this simple action. In thata state of pleasant detachment is the key to inner silence.

How to start meditating

Mastering any exercise lies in daily practice. Meditation is no exception. The more often you train your mind, the more your ability to disengage from the situation and clear your mind increases.

There are different methods of mastering meditation. Most often, it is recommended to meditate immediately after waking up to enter a new day with a favorable attitude, and before going to bed to clear your head of the thoughts that have accumulated during the day. Another option is to devote ten minutes to half an hour to meditation, completing the practice of hatha yoga with it. There are also recommendations to plunge into a state of inner silence almost every hour, but do it for only a minute. You can choose the most suitable option for yourself, but the main thing is to stick to the regularity of execution.

Methods of meditation

In addition to the above-described focus on breathing and tracking thoughts, there are other ways to achieve emptiness of consciousness. Often this state is achieved by concentrating on some factor, as in the example of breathing. In addition to observing the breath, it can also be contemplation of some real image or visualization of an internal picture, chanting mantras or prayers, sorting out a rosary, performing some monotonous action - even washing dishes can be akin to meditation if your mind is empty and calm.

But don't think that cleaning can replace special meditation exercises. Even if it seems to you that sitting on the floor inthe lotus position is a waste of time, just start with at least five minutes a day and see how it affects your mood.