Hello this is Nate. I did some deep meditation which did help me cultivate inner silence or the best way I could explain it, it’s not “nothing” but it’s what’s not effected by anything, like things exist within it. Well deep meditation is great and all but the limitation is the technique itself. Now there is a “meditator” experiencing “pure awareness” because it’s still “me” meditating everyday. I took lsd which was a great experience and I felt the same way about the witness expect there was no more witness, no more meditator, just pureness nonduality is the best way I can describe it, all and nothing. How can I maintain this state?
I did use THC for a while and here is my take on it. Like most psychedelics it has the potential to give you a truly amazing spiritual experience… once. If you try it again the next day it wont work, and it wont work the next day either nor the next time. It is the nature of drugs, ask anyone, you will get high everytime you try it but you wont get the experience that you seek. The only thing that is sure is that you will built an habit that you will eventually wich you hadn’t. If you only use pot you will be able to stop with only a bit of side effects, if you use hard drugh you are screwed. It will be a painful experience. As for me, after years of AYP I get a really nice experience that is not quite comparable to psychedelic, but it is one of union, pure awareness and non duality, and that is everytime, I say again “EVERYTIME” I sit for my practices without any side effects. And that is how you can maintain the state you are looking for. Of course that is me, and this is my experience. Lets hear what others have to say.
Hello Nate. I am an AYP meditator of a dozen plus years and can report unequivocally states of pureness and ecstasy within, and at times outside of, sitting practice. These are states beyond body awareness, states of communion, of unity with what we are beyond flesh (my guess). We cannot maintain the meditative or the psychedelic state as we live, love, and learn in full body awareness here on Earth. These episodes of unity are meant to prepare us for the possibility of non duality, of knowing liberation in this lifetime. Earth and its inhabitants need all the love, compassion, and knowledge we can provide.
Once a practitioner has the ability to fall silent and open up, to simply follow the mantra while the neurobiology does what it will, discipline becomes easy because of the pleasure the body provides as inner winds blow. Perhaps you need more time in DM.
You should check out some Ram Dass lectures on YouTube. He encountered the same problem. Drugs can give you glimpses of the supreme state but cannot help you to cultivate it in your nervous system. Meditation does.
Thank you Alain, yes I agree the more you use a substance the more u get accustomed to that state, i appreciate your experience regarding dm. The one though is I want to be able to have a experience of nonduality regardless if I meditate for that day because I don’t think it’s full liberation if I’m still dependent on techniques to produce it, while they may be useful in the beginning like a boat to get to the other side I believe we must eventually hop off the boat
The technique of meditation is what enables you to gradually, over many years , improve your ability to discern the non-dual state. It is already present really, it’s just difficult to identify until obstructions are removed from the nervous system.
The passages in the Bhagavagita relating to the discernment between the ‘knower and the field’ may be useful to read.
Thank you I’ll check that out aswell, what do you think about resting in awareness? Not as a practice but just simply being effortlessly without technique
It also IS a practice in my view, just one lacking in structure. I feel it lacks a strong foundation as a standalone practice. (Unless it is a natural result of practice).
This “pathless path” thing, I’m unsure as to how much of this isn’t just “spiritual one-upmanship”.
Most have to first discern what is meant by ‘simply being’ , then build up the habit of returning to ‘simply being’ after being identified with thought.
I am talking from the point of view of someone who would want to help others to understand their true nature.
If someone asked me how to discover their true nature, I would tell them to meditate twice daily for many years, and continue until death.
What you are talking about is actually part of the AYP tradition (termed ‘self inquiry’)but I think of it as more of an effect of practice, rather than a ‘doing’.
As Yogani says in “self inquiry”, this can be confusing without having cultivated inner silence (or as you say “simply being”) . As without inner silence we are just going from thought to thought, rather than from thought to silence. (Relational vs non-relational self inquiry).
I find that with AYP I know that my practice is at the correct intensity for me, providing maximum purification without experiencing excessive discomfort. I don’t see how someone could say the same without a practice, but then there are always exceptions (as Buddha said - beware fixed views).
It’s up to the practitioner in the end, whatever suits.
However, for me, I’ve found that AYP works, it fits in with my lifestyle and has improved my life, so I don’t see any reason as yet to abandon my practice.
Dass used many different types of meditation during his life, attending retreats where he focused on the a specific muscle in the abdomen, also zen retreats where zazen technique was used , and also mantras. In one of his last videos he is verbally repeating “I am loving awareness”.
And you do, eventually, hop off the boat. Meditation becomes not a twice daily practice but the Self you abide in - 24/7 - the permanence of recognition of non-duality, of the Real, even when daily life is making your life a misery. You ‘see’ the misery and simultaneously see its opposite and you recognize the play on the field of Consciousness and you are both bewildered and in awe.
The play that veils and unveils itself - playing tag. You’re it!
I asked the Ai tool “Do I need to meditate for the rest of life?” The answer may be interesting to you.
In the Advanced Yoga Practices (AYP) system, the recommendation is that meditation should be maintained as a daily habit for the rest of one’s life. While the nature of the experience and the effort involved change significantly as one advances, the structured twice-daily sitting remains the cornerstone for stabilizing and expanding spiritual progress.
The Unending Journey of Enlightenment
The sources emphasize that enlightenment is an unending journey rather than a static destination where one “arrives” and can stop all effort. Even for highly advanced practitioners, there is no end point to the process of universal awakening.
Yogani’s Example: When asked if he still follows the twice-daily regime after decades of practice and self-realization, Yogani confirmed that he does, stating, “I will no longer need to practice when everyone no longer needs to practice”.
Beyond the “Bike” Analogy: While some suggest that once you “learn to ride the bike,” stabilizers like meditation are no longer needed, the AYP view is that structured practice continues to enhance and bake in the presence of inner silence even when it has become a constant feature of daily life.
Stability and Maintenance of Inner Silence
Meditation acts as a “safe harbor” that provides stability through the inevitable ups and downs of life.
Preventing “Backsliding”: If the habit of daily practice is lost, there is an increased risk of losing one’s center and identification with the witness, which can lead to a return to suffering.
Ongoing Purification: The nervous system continues to refine itself long after initial milestones are reached. Daily practice ensures that subterranean obstructions (samskaras) are continually dissolved as they arise, preventing the “gears from grinding” on the inside.
Stabilizing “Stillness in Action”: The inner silence cultivated during sitting practice is intended to be integrated into daily activity, but the structured 20-minute sessions are what feed and reinforce this condition.
How Practice Evolves Over Time
While the commitment to meditate remains, the procedure naturally refines as the practitioner matures:
Automatic Dives: For long-time meditators, the nervous system becomes so habituated that simply closing the eyes can lead immediately into samadhi.
Effortlessness: The mantra may refine into a faint, automatic vibration or even stillness itself, meaning the “doing” of meditation eventually becomes a “systematic undoing” or a non-doing.
The “Flywheel Effect”: As spiritual momentum becomes self-sustaining, it may take less intense effort to maintain progress, but the twice-daily cycle remains the most efficient way to radiate divine love into the world.
Individual Responsibility and Self-Pacing
The sources note that while the need for practice is lifelong, the application is flexible. Practitioners are encouraged to use self-pacing to find a stable routine they can maintain indefinitely. Whether one sits for twenty minutes or only two minutes on a busy day, the goal is to “honor the habit” of spiritual hygiene.
In summary, the sources suggest that while you eventually become the “meditation” itself in daily life, sustaining the formal sitting practice is essential to ensure that your inner light remains steady and continues to expand for the benefit of yourself and everyone else.
Oh yes, I still have to tread carefully, more so than in the early years. I do not meditate twice a day anymore because by the 3rd day, I would become useless for daily life.
At some point of a disciplined meditation practice, the nervous system purifies to a point where the practitioner can feel prana flow in the shushumna (“inner winds”). This is known as conductivity and, in this yogi, elicits sensations of expansion and/or pleasure. In our desire to cultivate and accessing inner silence, this is a by product of our ongoing purification.
Hello, apologies in advance as this is unrelated to this post - I am a new member (today) and unable to locate how to draft/initiate a post - as such, am replying to this post with the hope someone can please point me in the right direction - Thanks so much!
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