Welcome to Day 6 of the 7 Days to Deeper Meditation course.
In yesterday’s lesson, we began the process of looking at the phase of Clarity in the three-tiered model.
By way of a refresher the three phases of the three-tiered model are:
- Relaxation
- Stability
- Clarity
And then each stage is mapped to a corresponding meditation that is best suited for its development.
Somatic meditation for relaxation; settling meditation for stability; reflexive meditation for clarity.
All three, under the right circumstances, emerge from the previous through the natural process of that particular style of meditation.
That is to say, relaxation will naturally increase from somatic meditation. Stability from not grasping at the content of consciousness. And clarity from attending to clarity.
That is why we start with Phase 1, then move to Phase 2, and finally Phase 3.
By the time we get to clarity, the three will begin to reinforce each other, creating a flywheel effect.
This is something the 14th CE Tibetan meditation master Tsongkhapa noticed and commented on in his Great Stage of the Path text where he likened this to a water-wheel.
So as I’ve said before, if you continue to do the daily practice and you go deeper into consciousness itself, you will find your definition of “relax,” “stability,” and “clarity” will change.
This is because the three phases work together to create a system that acts like a flywheel for the natural rising of peace, bliss, and insight to arise naturally.
There is no arduous striving to achieve this state. Rather it is an emergent property of the process of meditation.
Wouldn’t you enjoy being more peaceful, blissful, and insightful?
Phase 3 – Clarity Continued…
Clarity is a factor or property of consciousness. The Buddhist definition of consciousness is, that which is clear and knowing.
Clarity is the “clear” in this definition.
It is the aspect, property, or characteristic of consciousness that allows for something to be known.
When something becomes “clear” to us it is because of the property of consciousness that is clarity.
This may seem a difficult point to grasp at first. I recall thinking it made no sense at all when I first heard about it.
But with time, and more importantly, experience in meditation, it will soon become clear.
Just as the taste of chocolate can only be fully understood from tasting it, so with clarity.
Therefore, if you have no clue what the above means, do not fret. It will come.
With that let us move on to meditation.
Meditation 5 – Awareness of Awareness
Start by sitting in your favorite meditation posture.
This can be sitting in a chair, on a meditation cushion, or lying flat on your back.
The important thing is to have a straight spine as this will help the energies of the nervous system settle and balance.
Then, focus your attention on the natural rising and falling of the breath for a few moments, and release any tension in your body and mind with each out-breath.
Once you feel relaxed, turn your attention to the content of consciousness.
Become aware of any and all mental activity such as any thoughts, feelings, emotions, and visual imagery for a few minutes.
Simply watch your mind settle into its natural state.
Do this until your mind stabilizes or for a few minutes.
Next, shift the object of attention from the content of the mind to the experience of being aware that you are meditating.
If you find yourself distracted, simply let go of the thinking mind, and return to the sheer simplicity of being aware.
Do this for at least 20 minutes per session, and at least one session per day.
Your Homework
Step 1 – Read the lesson.
Step 2 – Meditate on the topic from the lesson.
Step 3 – Complete your contemplative journaling session.
Contemplative Journaling
I will go into more detail on the how and why of contemplative journaling over the coming days but, for now simply follow these steps:
- It’s best to use a pen or pencil and notepad and have these near you during the meditation session.
- Before you begin the meditation session mark down the date and time of the session in the notepad.
- After the meditation session ends, take 5 minutes to write down what came up during meditation.
Some people have told me they don’t normally like journalling but found my approach has opened new doors to discoveries when coupled with meditation.
So, PLEASE do give it a try. You might just be surprised by how effective it is.
If you’d like to read about my process of contemplative journaling you can do so here – https://clarkescott.com/4-key-steps-to-unlock-deep-meditation/
If you like, you can increase the number of sessions per day. But try and keep the sessions shorter at first.
It pays to do two 20-minute sessions a day, rather than one 40-minute session where half the time you are fighting dullness, distraction, or boredom.
And as I have said many times…track your momentum, not your progress.
But this does not mean you should not be aware of how your practice is going.
So you be the judge of if two shorter sessions, or indeed, how long each session should and can be.
The important point is to meditate daily and have your session be long enough to effect change but not too long where it becomes a chore.
If you are planning on meditating for two sessions a day, use a cross to mark one session and a tick or some other marker to indicate the two sessions on your calendar.
As I said above, being aware of your progress and tracking it are very different.
You still need to be aware of the quality of your practice because you need to evaluate both in the moment-by-moment balancing of the mind during a session, and your understanding of the theory of practice.
Indeed, having a good understanding of the theory of meditation will help you during sessions insofar as you will have a greater understanding of the process of going deep.