Section 10: Other Ways of Entering into Stillness
Since it’s easier to experience inner stillness when our outside world is quiet, it’s beneficial for each of us to bring more and more silence into our life.
If we normally turn on the radio when we get into our car, we might choose to drive in silence at times instead. In this way we are in the company of ourselves, not the noise coming from the world.
If a parent and child spend a lot of time driving together, such occasions can furnish an opportunity to enjoy stillness together. This shouldn’t be a forced practice, whereby we impose silence on our children. Rather, let it be an invitation to be enjoyed and participated in willingly.
It’s amazing the communication that takes place at a deeper level when we spend time in stillness with another. Children naturally like to be still with us because they feel more connected to us when we are just sitting with them in presence, instead of engaging in conversation all the time.
Animals are wonderful to have around us because, for the most part, they relate to us in stillness and call us into stillness when we relate to them.
Since it’s easier to experience stillness in nature, it’s good to take walks outside whenever we can, not forgetting to stop and pause to experience the stillness of nature along the way. The roses, leaves, trees we see every day become alive to us as we give our attention to them.
Some of us watch television every day, which can be a huge distraction from the state of stillness. If we watch television a lot, we might try reducing our viewing by fifty percent, using this time to engage in something that requires no talking. We might look at a nature book, sketch a favorite flower, or just sit and be.
Perhaps more than any other form of communication technology, television pulls us out of our centered state and into the mindset of the conditioned mass consciousness. When we watch television, it’s crucial not to allow ourselves to become lost in the program. Observing a television program from the witnessing state is a practice we can all find time to bring to our daily lives.
Yoga is a practice that takes us into stillness and inner body awareness through breathing and concentration on body movements. Through the yoga positions and the breath, we awaken the inner body.
It’s ironic but true that we can find profound inner stillness through outer movement. Similarly, we see how knitting, crocheting, and other such activities can promote inner stillness.
Opportunity for Self-inquiry and Sharing:
- What other ways have you found to practice stillness?
- Do any other questions remain for you about the nature and power of stillness?
This ends Section 10
The next section will be posted on Monday, May 24
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It's funny that you should mention knitting. When Katrina hit New Orleans, I was in a state of what I can only call egoic hibernation. I had gotten away from any kind of spiritual seeking and I seemed to have distanced myself from the now. After Eight months of being on prozac, I took myself off and was drawn to teaching myself knitting. Being known as eccentric, my family thought nothing of it. I see now that it helped me slow down my thinking till that urge to merge with the infinite resurfaced in my life as it had in the past. I was reaching for the stillness and didn't know it.
Pittsburg,
I love what you said about one day Grace will descend and we will no longer have any wobble.
Grace enters all on it's own - without personal effort or even bidding. I am always "surprised" by Grace.
I ask myself: What do I need to do to remain open to Grace, become Grace prone? The answer: you need do nothing. Because you are one with God, Grace is an aspect of your divine nature.
Back I go. I say it, but when will I truly embody the awareness of my Oneness with God?
Hence my "journey without distance to a place (I ) never left" - ACIM - continues.
Namaste.
By the way, I do not care, but some residents of the city of "Pittsburgh" may not like it if the trailing h was missing. This city somehow decided to have a special spelling. The land of Steelers, Pirates, Penguins and Panthers is proud of its heritage. I say we should be really proud of all the bounties mother Earth has provided for us, which we humans seem bent on destroying.
Oh, what a lovely commentary! I would be really grateful if you would explain what you mean by "I am always surprised by grace". Are you talking about the small progress steps made in this path, which were helped along by grace?
How can the desire for removal of all obstacles to full awareness be strong, yet the obstacles remain. My only answer is while we desire removal of obstacles, yet the desire for those obastacles must still remain in us. Otherwise how could these obstacles still be in our way?
Namaste - I read some of "The Leap" and love the meaning ascribed to Namaste. All those Namastes were said when I was in India, just knowing that meaning would have ben such a revelation.
Pittsburg,
You are so right: "power" is not the correct word choice here. From my experience - and that is all I or anyone can speak from with any clarity and confidence - both creativity and what I feel as an "inner strength" emerge out of stillness. How do I experience this inner strength? As a sense of inner stability, peace, and guidance.
And I find the practice of stillness, to be just that -- a "practice," a discipline. If I don't cultivate silence and times for sitting in stillness in my life, I soon find myself going into wobble. And this after many, many years of meditation and bringing presence into my life activities and relationships.
As you noted above, it is the inner disturbances which throw us off kilter, challenge our inner peace. As long as we are in the body, we will from time to time meet with challenges that throw us into wobble. Stillness brings us back to inner peace. In addition, we may have a challenge that is chronic. It is then that stillness enables us to stay sane and strong.
I liken developing stillness in my life to dipping the corner of blotter paper into ink. The first dip, absorbs some ink. Encouraged by this, I dip the blotter paper in again, then again. In due time, the blotter is saturated with ink. (At such times, I feel drunk with stillness.) But then, if I don't continue dipping into stillness, I start to "dry out" so to speak. At such times, I feel vulnerable in the world - a reminder to turn back to stillness.
Has my ability to go deeper into stillness and bring this stillness into all I do increased over the years? Most definitely. Do I take this for granted? No.
Bless you.
Another problem that I experience is the spiritual ego. That is so strong that when it comes that it can completely blind me. All my struggles against it have been useless. I am now trying the approach suggested by Eckhart. First acknowledge it by thinking "It is". Then think "I allow it to be". Hopefully, this very mild approach will be more effective than my struggles have been. I have found Eckhart's methods so different and effective that I think he is a genius.
Namaste.
I experience this wobble that you describe all the time. It is due to the fact that we have not reached the true dis-identification with our mind. Can you honestly say that the thoughts that are coming in your mind are not your own thoughts? We are still practitioners. One day the grace will descend and we will no longer have any wobble.
Ask Eckhart, I am pretty sure he will confirm that he has no wobble, he is totally dedicated in his beliefs. I have clearly seen this 100% dedication in the ones who have reached and so feel that about Eckhart even without meeting him. The question to ask ourselves is - do we truly want to lose the wobble? Because once that wobble is lost, life as we have known so far will also be lost - it is movement into the total unknown. That unknown is clearly better - I say this because the spiritual masters have answered that without doubt. One master was asked - would he be willing to go back to his old life patterns? He answered - Would you be willing to eat your own vomit? In the same way you would not - I would never go back to the old life.
JMHO.
Constance, thanks for starting this dialogue, even though in the beginning it may just be a conversation between us. Hopefully, soon others will join in.
My experience is very similar to yours. The difference is that I have not practiced continuously like you. In the beginning I meditated for 4-5 years, but gave up when it did not show any results. Seems like the results took time to develop. I had a very hard time finding one hour or so for mediation. Now I am much less busy and if I tried now I could find the time. Meditation may be much easier now since stillness has developed on its own.
Is meditation absolutely needed? Meditation is nothing but assigning time to keep the mind quiet. Eckhart does not seem to suggest meditation. Have you asked him? Eckhart's techniques are so simple that one can practice them without much effort. After all how much time is needed to give primary importance to now and far lower importance to past and future. How much time is needed for the simple practice of surrender that he prescribes. Given the very little effort needed to practice his simple techniques I am reluctant to spend the inordinate effort needed for meditation. However, many spiritual masters have said that there is no way to get far ahead without serious meditation.
Do not discount the power of spiritual practice. The experience of other spiritual practitioners clearly shows that very strong powers develop. These powers are a big hindrance. I myself see some of these powers develop. People who would not be expected to be influenced seem to show unexpected behavior. I see this in the professional field. I am not sure that these strange powers are due to stillness. Let us say I am confused.
1.What other ways have you found to practice stillness?
In my experience no methods are needed for me to be silent. Whenever all distractions are absent silence seems to be the natural state. Partly one may say that this is just personality. For example, I just do not like to watch TV programs. I have several TVs in my house, but now I only use them to watch movies from recordings. The only TV program I ever watch would be an occasional sports event. The biggest distraction I have from stillness is mental unease - recently this has been caused by loneliness. I find that while I may be surrounded by lots of people at times, true companionship is hard to find. People with similar interests are few. Just look at this blog. It is so lonely. People do not comment even to show that they are reading.
2.Do any other questions remain for you about the nature and power of stillness?
Yes, there are several questions.
Nature - Once stillness arises in a small way, what more is to be expected? Eckhart says that there is no limit to the depth of silence, what does that mean? Does it mean that with practice stillness will increase in the amount of time it will be present? Or does it mean that during the time that it will be present it will be deeper, that is lack of thoughts will be more apparent. In Eckhart's case it seems that it was a one time event, that is it took place instantly. What is the experience of the people who have gone into stillness gradually?
Power - So far I have not seen any power that arises from stillness. Eckhart talks about creativity which arises from stillness. What was Eckhart's experience? Did creativity arise right after his transformative experience, or did it take time to develop? Eckhart talks about change of self identification from the false self (ego) to the universal unmanifested self. Did this change take place right after the transformative experience or was it due to later study of spiritual material? What is the experience of others who go through gradual transformation.
It is very easy to ask questions. The real problem is where will we get our answers. The wait for the silence to deepen so that the questions get automatically answered can be a very long wait.
People should be able to easily see my frustration from this comment. It is this kind of frustatation that is the biggest hindrance to silence.