On 28 Jul, 00:00, "Tom"
comcast.net> wrote:>
>
> Still, there are a few interesting symbols and concepts that Trungpa
> discusses that are, in my opinion, worth some reflection.
>
> Firstly, the myth of the Sacred City is all over the globe and has been
> around for a long, long time. Atlantis is one such myth. Brigadoon,
> Camelot, El Dorado, the list goes on. Plato intellectualized it in Utopia.
> It's heaven. It's the perfect communion of souls, the perfect society. In
> each myth, the qualities of that society are idealized versions of whatever
> society invented them.
Magic, and magicians can be very self-absorbed. Unlike religion which
has much more of a place-in-the-community angle.
>
> Given the propensity for young magicians to try to command the universe
> before they even learn how to breathe efficiently and never to admit they
> still need to learn anything more than the contents of their occult comic
> books, this is a good book for students of magick, no matter how advanced
> they want to tell themselves they are.
>
> Trungpa gives very specific instructions on the practice of meditation,
> which is how one practices being quiet and paying attention. One simply
> sits on the ground, assumes a good, stable posture, and sits there being
> aware that one is right here, right now. While this seems that this simple
> and obvious thing, it turns out to be amazing hard to do for very long at
> all. What posture is good enough, stable enough, not to distract us over
> long periods? What does one do with all one's attention in such a quiet
> situation? Are we waiting for something to happen? If so, what's supposed
> to happen? And so on. For this reason, Trungpa says there's no replacement
> for personal instruction. You'll probably never really understand what
> meditation is unless you have some instruction from someone who knows what
> he's doing. Yet, you can understand a lot by reading about how meditation
> is done and maybe you'll even get it right on your own. Still, at some
> point, it's a good idea to get some personal instruction, just to make sure
> you're not missing anything.
>
As Trungpa mentions the word meditation is used by many different
people in many different ways. Often for nothing more than a guided
group meditation, something very different to the kind of thing
Trungpa is discussing here. Leaving aside the problem of finding a
good teacher, one need to find one teaching the appropriate style,
however it might be named.
Although Trungpa mentions it as a distraction, imo gentle Yoga can
help. For two reasons. First my reducing the distractions from the
body by soothing aches and relaxing muscles. Secondly, by promoting
flexibility to make the posture more bearable.
However, there is a danger of substituting activity for achievement.
Also, ime, most yoga classes leave off before just as they start to
get interesting. Usually ending with an exercise to build metal
muscle, such as concentrating on an imaginary shape rather than
meditation 'proper'.
Trungpa recommends a simple breathing technique during meditation.
Yoga does include lots of different techniques, though usually as a
pre-amble to settle the mind. Unfortunately the way they are taught in
class is often worse than useless ime.
Bee breath is one that's often strangely taught. Bee-breath basically
consists of sitting much as Trungpa describes, except with your eyes
closed and breathing moderately deeply. In through the nose and out
through the mouth. After a few breaths one starts to 'buzz' or more
accurately hum in the base of one's throat. With a little practice one
can find a pitch and loudness that resonates in one's head but is
fairly gentle in that the out breath is not quickly exhausted. So far
so good, but what's is the shifty looking person in the center of the
sports hall keeping quiet about? Simple, you should have your fingers
in your ears.
While the traditional 'seal' is worth learning it's is hard to explain
over Usenet. Even so a short period of simplified 'buzzing' will
usually help.
> Meditation, says Trungpa, leads to a discovery of "basic goodness".
>
> "When we speak of basic goodness, we are not talking about having allegiance
> to good and rejecting bad. Basic goodness is good because it is
> unconditional, or fundamental. It is already there, in the same way that
> heaven and earth are there already. It is not a 'for' or 'against' view, in
> the same way that sunlight is not 'for' or 'against'."
>
> The basic goodness of the Sacred Warrior comes from an abiding awareness of
> basic goodness in the fundamentals of the world. It is basic goodness that
> constitutes the spiritual root that connects the Warrior with his or her
> power.
>
Acceptance seem to be at the core of what Trungpa is saying. The
sitting meditation as accepting when and where you are without
evasion, not just in such and such a room but in the physical world.
> Basic goodness leads inexorably to a sense of fearlessness.
Inexorably?
