My friend Jyothi sent a message yesterday. She was very excited about an experience that had just happened to her. Earlier in the day, in the morning, she had meditated with voluntary effort. Then later in the afternoon she fell into involuntary meditation. This pattern of intentional meditation in the morning and natural meditation in the afternoon is normal for her, but yesterday the natural meditation was deeper than usual.<\/p>\n
\n\nJyothi: My attention was going inward so forcefully<\/p>\n
Jyothi: Felt like I was being pushed into a trance like state\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
She explained that this push was involuntary. She couldn’t resist it. This reminds me of many remarks by Sri Ramana Maharshi including this one from Conscious Immortality,<\/i> Chapter 14: <\/p>\n
\n\nThe Self is like a powerful hidden magnet within us. It draws us gradually to itself, though we imagine we are going to It of our own accord. When we are near enough, it puts an end to our activities, makes us still, and then swallows up our personal current, thus killing our personality. It overwhelms the intellect and over floods the whole being. We think we are meditating upon it and developing towards it, whereas the truth is that we are as iron filings and It is the Atman<\/i>-magnet that is pulling us towards itself. Thus the process of finding Self is a form of Divine Magnetism.\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Jyothi continued:<\/p>\n
\n\nJyothi: I was also tired because I was feeling heavy inside. Just wanted to lie down and let the course take its action what ever that was<\/p>\n
Jyothi: Something was happening it’s hard to explain<\/p>\n
Jyothi: I was becoming aware of my breath and the awareness behind the action of breath<\/p>\n
Jyothi: It’s hard to explain<\/p>\n
Jyothi: Felt tired\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
I said this sounds really good, and that Ramana used to tell people, “Find the source of the breath.”<\/p>\n
\n\nJyothi: Yes i or don’t know what something is aware of the course of breath<\/p>\n
Jyothi: It’s a layer deeper than with the breath<\/p>\n
Jyothi: Felt breathing was automatic<\/p>\n
Jyothi: Felt I am not the breath<\/p>\n
Jyothi: I am separate<\/p>\n
Jyothi: It’s not that I don’t have thoughts but my attention is so inward that I totally ignore my thoughts<\/p>\n
Jyothi: I was exhaling loud frequently as if I had more air inside and had to let it go<\/p>\n
Jyothi: I feel I have more oxygen inside than needed<\/p>\n
Jyothi: I feel like blowing it out every 10 minutes<\/p>\n
Jyothi: When I sat closing my eyes<\/p>\n
Jyothi: Despite activities inside my body there was stillness\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The most interesting thing, to me, was this:<\/p>\n
\n\nJyothi: felt something inside me sturdy, stable and it felt like it knows about all the things that were happening inside my body.<\/p>\n
Jyothi: Like sensations, heartbeat, breath, pulse, noises in my ear<\/p>\n
Jyothi: It knew everything but it just knew it didn’t interfere with anything<\/p>\n
Freddie: does “sturdy, stable” mean that nothing could affect it?<\/p>\n
Jyothi: yes. in this context yes.<\/p>\n
Freddie: Like it can’t ever change?<\/p>\n
Jyoti: Yes.<\/p>\n
Freddie: was there a feeling of “I”?<\/p>\n
Jyoti: No I didn’t feel it as me<\/p>\n
Freddie: was there any<\/b> feeling of I? did you feel like an I that was watching this thing?<\/p>\n
Jyothi: It’s really hard to say it almost felt impersonal<\/p>\n
Freddie: did it seem to have a location in the body?<\/p>\n
Jyothi: yes in the rib cage like heart in paintings of Jesus but sometimes it felt like it’s in every inch of my body<\/p>\n
Freddie: like this picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus?<\/p>\n
Jyothi: The location is the same but it’s not as grandiose as the pictures<\/p>\n
Jyothi: It felt like a dot in the heart center<\/p>\n
Jyothi: I didn’t see any light<\/p>\n
Freddie: “Weapons cut It not. Fire burns It not. Water wets It not. Wind dries It not.”<\/p>\n
Jyothi: That’s the Bhagavad Gita isn’t it. Chapter 2.<\/p>\n
Freddie: Yep.\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
And here’s verse 24:<\/p>\n
“This Self cannot be cut, burnt, wetted nor dried up. It is eternal, all-pervading, stable, ancient and immovable.”<\/em><\/p>\n
Translation of Bhagavad Gita<\/i> by Swami Sivananda.<\/p>\n
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