Saturday, September 02, 2006
Ecstatic Tranquility, Tranquil Ecstasy
Very early in my awakening process, I reflected on the relation of ecstasy (bliss) which was then so strongly aroused by the kundalini energies pouring through my body, and the reputed tranquility offered by less intense techniques of sitting meditation. It seemed to me then that there was an either/or choice. Either one could seek deep relaxation, or one could engage in a kind of metaphorical love making with the inner spirit, and be bathed in bliss. Guess which I chose.
Now, these many years later, I have begun to look once more at the benefits of quiet meditation. My energies are far more settled now. Although I do sometimes have experiences of intense vibrational rapture, I also yearn for periods of quiet and silence, nothing but being, as they say.
So, I have begun to do mantra meditation in bed before I get up. I place my hands over my eyes (what the yogis call palming), to allow deeper concentration and also to rest the eyes themselves. I feel tension and release in very subtle ways, usually beginning in my head and then moving on downward through my body. It is indeed a fascinating process, once which refreshes the physical body as well as the spirit. I feel better as a consequence.
When I get up, I practice my other forms of slow micromovements before the Buddha, this as a devotion (bhakti) or means of experiencing the bliss of union.
The Spandakarika speaks of a "sacred tremoring." Yesterday, as I waited for my bus, I noticed such a "tremoring" inside my body. It was sweet. It was gentle. It was lovely. It was a tranquil ecstasy, an ecstatic tranquility.
Now, these many years later, I have begun to look once more at the benefits of quiet meditation. My energies are far more settled now. Although I do sometimes have experiences of intense vibrational rapture, I also yearn for periods of quiet and silence, nothing but being, as they say.
So, I have begun to do mantra meditation in bed before I get up. I place my hands over my eyes (what the yogis call palming), to allow deeper concentration and also to rest the eyes themselves. I feel tension and release in very subtle ways, usually beginning in my head and then moving on downward through my body. It is indeed a fascinating process, once which refreshes the physical body as well as the spirit. I feel better as a consequence.
When I get up, I practice my other forms of slow micromovements before the Buddha, this as a devotion (bhakti) or means of experiencing the bliss of union.
The Spandakarika speaks of a "sacred tremoring." Yesterday, as I waited for my bus, I noticed such a "tremoring" inside my body. It was sweet. It was gentle. It was lovely. It was a tranquil ecstasy, an ecstatic tranquility.
