There
are many different states of meditation, but all meditation is a
state of alertness in which one is completely aware of what is
transpiring in one’s consciousness and one’s environment.
Essentially, meditation is a state in which one is fully alert, yet
also fully relaxed.
In Gnosticism the practice of mindfulness is not
limited to formal sessions of meditation, but is integrated into
one’s daily activities. As much as a Gnostic performs formal
sessions of prayer, meditation, and ritual; the Gnostic also seeks
to cultivate mindfulness throughout the day, ultimately seeking
union of spiritual practice and daily living. It is this that leads
to the development of higher states of consciousness and actual
Self-realization. Any activity can be a practice of mindfulness, and
coupled with Primordial Meditation the Goodness within oneself will
naturally shine forth.
Silent Witness
The Practice of the Silent
Witness is a practice of merely observing mental-emotional states,
and all of the thoughts and feelings-emotions that arise, without
any judgment, attachment, or aversion. One simply wishes to watch
what is happening, inwardly and outwardly, without identifying
oneself with anything that is happening.
Remaining identified with what is
arising in consciousness makes us powerless to make any real change.
If we can remove our self-identification with thoughts and emotions,
and even events in life, we become empowered to make changes.
Basically, the Silent Witness is an exercise in self-knowledge and
the cultivation of self-awareness.
At any time, anywhere, just let
go and let be, and become the Silent Witness of all that is
transpiring within and all around you. Become aware of your body and
with your awareness scan your body. Notice its posture and all of
the sensations in the body, including any tensions or stresses. Then
shift your focus to the feeling-emotions underlying the bodily
sensations, allowing yourself to become conscious of your feelings
and emotions. Then shift your focus to the thoughts associated with
these feelings and emotions. Without any judgment at all, without
attachment or aversion, just witness in silence what is happening.
This practice can be done in the
midst of daily life. It is one of the key methods through which
Christian Gnostics integrate their spiritual practice into daily
living. One can engage in this practice for prolonged periods of
time, but even just five or ten minutes throughout one's day is
beneficial. Abiding in this Presence of Awareness the majority
of the time evolves through consistent practice.
Witnessing is not something you
do, it is the realization that awareness is present. Awareness is
always present, even when you are totally absorbed in an activity or
thought. "You" might be trying to do the witnessing, yet while this
"you" seems to have awareness, in reality the "you" that tries to
witness is being witnessed.
Primordial Meditation
Primordial Meditation with
Breath:
This method is is found in many
esoteric schools. Essentially, you allow your body to find its own
natural rhythm of breath and rest your attention gently on the
breath.
According to Genesis, God
breathed a Living Soul into the First Human Being, who was both male
and female. All words for the parts of the Soul in Kabbalah mean
“air,” “wind” or “breath", with the exception of Yechidah, which
means “Divine Spark”. Thus, there is an intimate connection between
the breath and the power of our Soul. In connection with these
ideas you may recall what it is written: “When he had said this, he
breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you
forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the
sins of any, they are retained’” (Gospel of St. John 20:22-23).
There is power in our breath and
in our breath we are connected to all that lives and the Spirit of
God. Primordial Meditation using the breath as our focus can
facilitate the Enlightenment Experience as well as activate psychic
and spiritual gifts.
When you meditate using this
method, breathe naturally, with even inhalations and exhalations,
just as you ordinarily do. Focus your awareness very gently on the
out-breath, and when you exhale just flow out with the breath. Every
time you breathe in, let go and let be, and imagine that at the end
of the out-breath your breath dissolves into the infinite
spaciousness. At the end of every exhalation, before the next
inhalation, you will find there is a gap – let go and enter into the
gap. In the gap is the “place” of Pure and Primordial Being.
Whatever thoughts or emotions
might arise, neither grasp at them nor push them away. Just let them
be, and let them naturally arise and pass away, without doing
anything with them. If you find that you have become distracted or
daydreaming, merely restore your focus to your breath and continue.
Do not focus too tightly upon
breath, but focus upon it lightly. Basically, you want to place
about ¼ of your awareness on breath and leave the other ¾ free. In
this state one is essentially aware of oneself and what is happening
in consciousness and environment.
Instead of watching the breath,
as though separate from breath, identify with your breath, as though
you are becoming your breath. Breathe and let the breath and the one
who is breathing gradually merge in a natural way without
unnecessary force.
In this practice you will find
that as the Presence of Awareness grows you will experience the mind
becoming more and more silent and the vital-emotional being becoming
more and more quiet.
Primordial Meditation with an Object:
This method is also very ancient
and very simple. Instead of focusing one’s awareness upon the
breath, gently rest your mind on an object. You can use any object
that has a natural beauty and that uplifts and inspires you. More
powerful than this kind of object are sacred objects.
In this method, merely rest your
mind upon the chosen object, and let yourself merge with it – it is
the same as with breath, but uses an object for focus instead. If
you become distracted, restore yourself to the practice.
