Hi Charlie... so, a few things to share and ask...
I love this form of meditation! I have been following a buddhist path of shamatha meditation and then opening up to vipassana. Yet, this vedic form is incredible!! I was allowing myself to 'sink' and all of a sudden there was a shift. I felt like I was either flying or swimming. I felt buoyant and expansive. I felt a silent depth of possibility, as if an ocean was revealing itself.
I'm curious to this form and how it compares to the observation of thoughts like in Zen? This meditation transcends the mind, and yet I'm interested in knowing if by doing so, is one reaching intuition and clarity? I always believed the 'observation' was important yet this feels so different. More of an immediate oneness. For me, right now, I'm feeling confusion and doubt within. There has been much change this last year and am hoping Vedic brings me to stillness, clarity, and confidence. Does Vedic bring clarity into light?
I thank you! :)
Lost observing thoughts & sensation
Hi LOTS
You described the differences between a transcendence based meditation and a mindfulness based one very well. Transcendence is the experience of oneness. It is a state in which there is no longer a distinction between the observer and the observed. Many of the traditional descriptions of transcendence use the analogy of the ocean just as you have here.
Zen, mindfulness, vipassana and shamatha are variants of the same underlying technique in which through non-judgemental observation of the breath or thoughts or sensations you bring yourself into a steadfast and clear awareness of the present moment.
Both of these experiences are incredibly valuable and train different modes of the mind. When you're practicing a Vedic/transcendence based technique, let go of the idea of observation and just allow your mind to be. It is in some ways the opposite of mindfulness but that's OK. They are both different and valid methods of meditation. The distinction is analogous to different forms of exercise. If you're training for strength you exercise one way (weights etc.) and if you're training for endurance you train another way (running, biking, cardio etc.). If the instruction for weight training was do 8 repetitions to muscle failure and then rest, you wouldn't then presume that the best way to run would be to take 8 steps and then lie down.
When you practice a transcendence based meditation technique you'll begin to develop a capacity for being unbounded. This means that the boundaries between different states of consciousness become easy to cross and that your thought processes will be able to go beyond their normal limitations. This is another way of describing intuition which is really just allowing yourself to be aware of subtle thought patterns and observations that are normally beyond the threshold of awareness. I think it will also help you find greater clarity because through experiencing the blissful state of being beyond thought you gain the capacity to find deep inner happiness regardless of external circumstances. As your entire outer world changes you learn to experience the inner, unchanging oceanic state consciousness. It gives you the ability to feel content and peaceful in a constantly changing and sometimes tumultuous world.
Charlie