Hello all,

I was wondering if you could help me find a suitable name for the meditation technique I am using.

I have never had formal meditation training, I am only familiar with techniques from audio products and books.

My current, rather modest, practice occurs at savasana during my yoga practice.  I watch the perceptions and thoughts rising in my awareness and I label them to myself using a phrase Wilber invokes during pointing out instructions.  For instance I might say to myself,

The clock tic effortlessly arises.
Voices outside effortlessly arise.
Sweat rolling behind my knee effortlessly arises.
Ambitions effortlessly arise.
Plans effortlessly arise.
Gratitude effortlessly arises.
Anger effortlessly arises.
Resentment effortlessly arises.
etc....

I really love this meditation because its object is the very thing that distracts me.  I find my mind wandering and that very wandering becomes the evidence of the effortless rising of phenomenon and my own disidentification with it. Yesterday morning during meditation I began to get a sense (or so I think) of the phrase "self-contraction". It began to seem clear to me how the darting of my mind was its avoidance of relaxing into identify with something larger.  The small self "contracts" from its identity with the large Self.

In any case, is there a name for this meditation?  To myself I call it "Effortlessly Arising" but I guess this is an established technique and so must have some more commonly used name.

Thanks!

John in Austin.

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...turtles all the way down.

sahaja samadhi?

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V i v a l a m u s i c a !

Hmmm. Maybe. I'll look it up.  Thanks for the suggestion!

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...turtles all the way down.

Hi John,

Personally I really like the name you have now .... and, after all what is in a name? However, I really hear you inquiring into the validity of this technique. Keeping in mind that all techniques have the same goal in mind, the eventual dropping of technique in the light of realization, it seems to me that your technique falls into the category of an Empowered Means (Saktopaya) focusing as it does on the formation of thought forms. This category comes from the doctrines on the practice of Kashmir Shaivism. You may want to see a book by Mark Dyczkowski, The Doctrine of Vibration, page 191.(actually the section on empowered means starts at pg 189 and there is a good deal there relative to your inquiry)

But once again I say .... what's in a name. The proof of a good pudding is found in eating it, not in knowing its name.

Namaste

Jerry