Hello all,
I have mentioned several times how limited my grasp is of the spiritual opulence of Hindu tradition.
I don't really know how to define or experience some of the tried and tested Dharma practices which so obviously benefit those who understand how to express themselves in that way and experience something more than I yet comprehend.
Since coming to Sanatana Dharma I have noticed how some realisations come out of the blue without any thought.
Today my sister came round. I haven't seen her for weeks because she was visiting her husband's family in Malaysia. As we spoke I was looking at her and I could clearly see our resemblance. It was very odd because this is my sister who I have known all my life. Other people may have said we look alike but I could never see it.
Almost as soon as I saw this resemblance, I realised the aspect of Oneness between us and again in a flash realised how by being shown this physical image of myself in another I was being pointed towards realisation of Oneness with everyone.
Maybe I haven't put it clearly into words but it was a lovely feeling and I can't
refute the fact that something very literal and manifestly real happened which had never happened before as I looked at her and saw myself so clearly. I didn't build up to it through mental speculation and make it happen, it just did.
The only thing different to every time I saw her before is that I have found Dharma. Ok it wasn't your full on miracle or vision but it was the simple shift in reality which I immediately realised I had achieved. Was this a miracle?
Yes and no
Yes because I saw something in plain sight I had looked at all my life and not seen before.
No because I was paying attention to her in a way I had not done before. Normally I would only half pay attention when she was speaking. I wasn't really interested and was always thinking of myself or some distraction. When she spoke today I just listened about what her kids were up to and I was interested. I recognised I was doing it and I intentionally paid more attention and suppressed my ego as much as I could manage and the sense of similarity got more intense.
I smiled when I realised the real lesson, which I think is that by investigating and now practising Dharma, pushing deeper in the direction which bears fruit just brings more joy.
This tiny mundane example is a confirmation to me of the potential of Dharma to guide me to a 'physical / real world' shift of consciousness.
The other sort of realisation for me is like using little understandings for pieces of a jigsaw, taking years of gathering together the pieces and even when complete, like looking at a masterpiece and taking years of looking at the picture to realise the meaning.
I don't sit in proper positions and follow classic methods because I don't know them yet. I trust that by learning them I will open the pathways more easily but for now I just sit and think and try to allow my thoughts to flow freely but logically one to another on consideration of any point until I gain clarity.
Am I meditating? ?
Rog
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