This week’s meditation is adapted from a book by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj entitled “I Am That”, and is the essence of his entire teachings on self awareness / enlightenment. According to Maharaj, if you can simply keep the thought and feeling of “I am” at all times, the rest will follow naturally.
The first part of this week’s meditation is the following: for 10 minutes twice a day (once in the morning and once in the late afternoon or early evening) sit comfortably with your eyes closed and simply repeat the phrase “I am” in your mind. If other thoughts come, and they most likely will, just let them be... Watch them passing like clouds across the sky. Don’t try to block them or deny them, but don’t become attached to them or actively follow a train of thought. When you catch your mind wandering, gently bring it back to “I am”. Try to keep the feeling of the inner body simultaneously as the feeling of “I am”.
The second part of this meditation is to keep the “I am” thought repeating in your mind throughout the day as a living meditation. Life these days is very busy and draws you quickly out of yourself and into the world - I find it helpful, therefore, to have little reminders to bring me back to myself... Like post-it notes stuck up around the house, or a gentle beep from my phone every 30 minutes or so. Whenever you see or hear one of these reminders, simply start repeating the “I am” in your mind again and continue with whatever you are doing.
Maharaj has the following to say on the matter:
“Refuse all thoughts except one: the thought ‘I am’. The mind will rebel in he beginning, but with patience and perseverence it will yield and keep quiet, things will begin to happen spontaneously and quite naturally, without any interference on your part.... Reject all that does not go with the basic fact: ‘I am’. The ideas: I am born at a given place, at a given time, from my parents and am now so-and-so, living at, married to, father of, employed by, and so on, are not inherent in the sense ‘I am’. Our usual attitude is of ‘I am this’. Separate consistently and perseveringly the ‘I am’ from ‘this’ or ‘that’, and try to feel what it means to be, just to be, without being ‘this’ or ‘that’.”
Wishing you a week of beingness!
The first part of this week’s meditation is the following: for 10 minutes twice a day (once in the morning and once in the late afternoon or early evening) sit comfortably with your eyes closed and simply repeat the phrase “I am” in your mind. If other thoughts come, and they most likely will, just let them be... Watch them passing like clouds across the sky. Don’t try to block them or deny them, but don’t become attached to them or actively follow a train of thought. When you catch your mind wandering, gently bring it back to “I am”. Try to keep the feeling of the inner body simultaneously as the feeling of “I am”.
The second part of this meditation is to keep the “I am” thought repeating in your mind throughout the day as a living meditation. Life these days is very busy and draws you quickly out of yourself and into the world - I find it helpful, therefore, to have little reminders to bring me back to myself... Like post-it notes stuck up around the house, or a gentle beep from my phone every 30 minutes or so. Whenever you see or hear one of these reminders, simply start repeating the “I am” in your mind again and continue with whatever you are doing.
Maharaj has the following to say on the matter:
“Refuse all thoughts except one: the thought ‘I am’. The mind will rebel in he beginning, but with patience and perseverence it will yield and keep quiet, things will begin to happen spontaneously and quite naturally, without any interference on your part.... Reject all that does not go with the basic fact: ‘I am’. The ideas: I am born at a given place, at a given time, from my parents and am now so-and-so, living at, married to, father of, employed by, and so on, are not inherent in the sense ‘I am’. Our usual attitude is of ‘I am this’. Separate consistently and perseveringly the ‘I am’ from ‘this’ or ‘that’, and try to feel what it means to be, just to be, without being ‘this’ or ‘that’.”
Wishing you a week of beingness!
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